What Do Sociology Departments Do to Increase Students’ Social Capital?

The following table is taken from our latest research brief, Social Capital for Sociology Majors: Applied Activities and Peer Networks, which is based on our 2012 longitudinal study, Social Capital, Organizational Capital, and the Job Market for New Sociology Graduates.

This table summarizes the activities listed on six sociology departments’ websites that provided easily retrievable information on  activities beyond the classroom. We share this information to provide a sense of the substance behind the survey response of sociology department chairs that their departments provide “a great deal” of emphasis on application and peer networks, and to provide other departments with examples of how they might organize their own websites if they wish to promote these types of activities. Please click on the table to view it at full size.

Sample of Sociology Departments’ Websites Promoting Career Information

What kind of interdisciplinary work are you being trained to do?

A AAAS interview with economist Dr. Stephan points out that the biomedical sciences are overproducing PhDs for the research positions available inside and outside the academy and have been for some time. According to Dr. Stephan’s research, many biomedical science PhDs do not perform work for which they have been trained.

Considering that sociologists–although more than capable of interdisciplinary work–are not necessarily encouraged to perform such work (especially in light of the discipline’s concern with disciplinary identity), how will graduate education need to change to prepare students to seek out and perform interdisciplinary research?

What kind of interdisciplinary work are you being trained to do?  Tell us whether you’re a PhD candidate or a postdoctoral position holder.

We thank L. Williams of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute for contributing to this blog posting.

Interested in postdoctoral positions?

Interested in a postdoctoral position? Watch for the ASA Research Department’s forthcoming analysis of the types of postdocs that are available to sociologists.

Will you use data from our 2012 Bachelor’s and Beyond survey for assessment purposes?

Are you using or going to use data from our 2012 Bachelor’s and Beyond survey for assessment purposes?  If so, how? For what other purposes do or will you use it?

Have you taken our 2012 census of academic sociology departments? We’re seeking critical feedback on your survey experience.

Since 1997, the Research Department of the American Sociological Association has conducted a census of U.S. academic sociology departments. The survey instrument has been designed to meet the information needs of those sociology departments, including demographic data about faculty, and types of courses offered. In June 2012, we launched our 2012 department survey and expect to complete the data collection process soon.

For those of you who already have completed the 2012 survey, we in the Research Department wish to know:

What aspects or sections of the survey were most challenging or time consuming for you to complete? Were there certain types of information that you were not able to obtain or obtain in their entirety?

• What aspects or sections of the survey were the simplest or least time consuming for you to complete?
• Did you delegate the gathering of information for this survey to departmental staff or other colleagues?
• Did completing this survey help you or your department faculty or staff in other ways (such as providing information to your administration)?

Please use this blog as a forum for discussing your experiences with taking this survey.  Your thoughts will be extraordinarily helpful when we interpret the survey results and when design our next census of academic sociology departments in the United States.

Graduate students: How have you learned or adopted content and methods for becoming teachers of sociology concepts?

Our latest data brief–The “Down-the-Hall” Phenomenon: Preparing the Next Generation of Faculty to Use Innovative Pedagogy–examines how pedagogical knowledge is disseminated to future sociology faculty members. Looking at membership activity data for all 2012 graduate student subscribers to ASA’s online, peer-reviewed, digital Teaching Resources and Innovative Library in Sociology (TRAILS), we find that graduate students are almost twice as likely to subscribe to TRAILS when at least one faculty member from their academic department subscribes—other factors being equal. (Other characteristics–such as having a subscription to the ASA journal Teaching Sociology–have a demonstrated association with subscription to the digital library as well.) Such a finding suggests that sociology faculty play a significant role in generating awareness of teaching and learning activities to students—a process of socialization that has been referred to as the “down-the-hall” phenomenon.

If you are a current or former graduate student in sociology or a closely related discipline, how have you adopted or learned content and methods for teaching sociology concepts? Do your experiences echo or diverge from our latest research findings? We invite you to discuss this through your comments.

New Findings on Women Sociologists with Children

Mothers!  What has been your experience with timing childbirth in relation to the pursuit of tenure? What difficulties or challenges have you faced in trying to balance teaching and research with parental duties? How favorable have you found your institution’s work-family policies to be in trying to maintain that balance?  Our latest research brief, Mothers in Pursuit of Ideal Academic Careers, uses data from the Research and Development Department’s PhD+10 Survey to examine whether gender and parental status influence the likelihood of attaining “ideal” versus “alternative” careers among sociologists. A snapshot of our findings includes: 1. Most women have their first child before receiving tenure; 2. Mothers are more likely than fathers to use work/family policies; 3. Mothers in sociology appear to be as successful following an ideal career track as their male colleagues; and 4. Mothers in ideal careers are more likely to be satisfied with both careers and family than mothers in alternative careers.

The brief is expected to renew some ongoing questions about career decisions and outcomes for women in the sociology profession, and we welcome your thoughts in opening up a dialogue. Please take the time to discuss this issue with your colleagues.

The full report can be accessed here in .pdf format.

New Data on Jobs in Sociology and Other Social Sciences

We are underway with our annual Job Bank study. This is a two-part study. First, we conduct an audit of all jobs advertised through the ASA in the previous calendar year. We look at the number and types of jobs being advertised, and compare this to previous years. In the second part of the study, we survey departments that advertised assistant and open rank faculty teaching positions to find out whether their searches yielded successful hires. Or, if not, then why not? (i.e. Was the position canceled? Was the search suspended? Is the offer still in negotiation? etc.) For findings from last year’s study, see “Moving Toward Recovery: Findings from the 2010 Job Bank Survey.”

This year, we compared jobs advertised through the ASA with those advertised through other social science associations. Results from the full study (we will not begin the survey until April) will be presented at the ASA Annual Meeting in August.

What Do You Want to Know About Sociology Departments or Programs?

This year, the ASA Research Department will be conducting a new survey of sociology departments and programs. We are asking departments for their input as we begin drafting the 2012 questionnaire. What would you like to see addressed in the new survey? What are the issues that your department or program are currently facing? What information does the Dean want to know?

Please post your comments.

PhDs in the Job Market: Comparing Sociology With Other Disciplines

We began the new year with our annual study of the sociology job market. In this two-part study, we will first be looking at the number and types of jobs advertised through the ASA in 2011. Findings will be reported this year. For the second part of the study, we will be surveying departments that advertised assistant rank positions to determine how many searches were conducted and jobs were filled in 2011. Survey results will be reported this summer. (Findings from last year’s study is available on our website).

In the meantime, early data from this study was reported in this week’s Chronicle of Higher Education article on job market trends in select disciplines. **Please note that you will need an account to view the article.