Proposal
Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Sociology
College of Arts and Sciences
University of Louisville
October, 2008
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Program Abstract4
Section 1: Introduction: Mission, Influence, and Organization5
University Mission6
National Prominence6
Increase External Funding7
Expand Multidisciplinary Collaboration7
Develop a Capacity for Social Science Research7
Explore New Areas of Research8
Increase Doctoral Degree Productivity8
Institutional Needs8
Diversity Policy Statement10
Program Influence10
Local Community10
Statewide, National, & International11
Organization11
Exceptional Circumstances Favoring Development11
Relationship to University Structure12
Timetable12
Section 2: Program Description – PhD in Applied Sociology13
Requirements for the Degree13
Internship15
Comprehensive Exam15
Dissertation16
Grades
Course Descriptions17
Section 3: Resources17
Facilities17
Library17
Office Space18
Faculty18
Budget Matters19 Program Onset 19
Future Costs19
Revenues19
Section 4: “The Five Questions”21
Are more Kentuckians ready for post-secondary education?21
Are more students enrolling?24
Are more students advancing through the system?27
Are we preparing Kentuckians for life and work?28
Are all Kentucky’s communities and economy benefiting?29
Appendix 1: Letters of Support33
Appendix 2: Faculty Vita34
Appendix 3: Sociology Graduate Course Inventory84
Appendix 4: Budget Spreadsheet88
References89
LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Curriculum for B.A./B.S. to M.A. (full-time study)14
Table 2: Curriculum for M.A. to Ph.D. (full-time study)15
Table 3: Graduate Faculty (2008) by Areas of Interest19-20
Table 4:Distance Education Enrollments in Sociology, 2003-200822
Table 5: Undergraduate Sociology Degrees Awarded23
Table 6: Graduate Sociology Degrees Awarded23
Table 7: Projected Enrollments First Five Years27
PROPOSAL FOR A DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE IN APPLIED SOCIOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE
ABSTRACT
Sociology has been a part of the curriculum for 100 years at the University of Louisville and is currently among the largest departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. The present faculty of the Department of Sociology, with its expertise in urban sociology, diversity and inequality, social problems, theory, and research methods, is a highly active research and teaching unit and is well-positioned to offer the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the area of applied sociology. This pioneering program, which would be only one of two in the United States, will train professional researchers at the highest level to follow the discipline’s focus on bringing scientific understandings to the study of social issues and problems. Its unique combined requirements of an internship and a theoretically-driven dissertation fits the University’s urban mission and will provide students with the training needed for applied and academic careers. The proposed program in applied sociology will combine rigorous courses in quantitative and qualitative research methods and theory with substantive areas and internship placements in governmental, private, and non-governmental organizations. The primary goal of this program is to offer a nationally recognized program in applied sociology from which graduates are prepared to assume the responsibility for leadership on research projects dealing with social problems and issues. This program is designed to meet the needs of a growing demand for applied sociologists who are qualified to address directly the problems facing Kentucky, the country, and indeed the world. The start date for the program will be fall semester 2010, with recruitment beginning in fall 2009.
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION: MISSION, INFLUENCE, ORGANIZATION
Sociology was established as an academic discipline in nineteenth-century Europe where universities in Frankfurt, Berlin, Paris, and London held academic eminence until the 1930s. In the United States, however, the discipline grew not only within modern research universities, but through the social reform and settlement house movements of the 1890s, as well. By the 1930s, the University of Chicago and ColumbiaUniversity dominated the production of new Ph.D.s, with graduates taking faculty positions at major universities throughout the country. Although sociology grew disproportionately in state universities where rural sociology was prominent in land-grant institutions, it was the departments focused on urban sociology that had a stronger and more lasting impact on sociology as a discipline (Calhoun & Duster, 2005).
Applied sociology fits within the larger mission of the discipline and its growing significance in advancing understandings of and addressing the problems of the twenty-first century. The American Sociological Association (ASA) states, “Sociology is a broad and diverse field bound by a fundamental insight that the social matters: our lives are affected not only by our individual characteristics but by our place in the social world, not only by natural forces but by their social dimension. Sociologists address new and recurrent social problems by investigating the social processes that bind and separate people as members of groups, networks, organizations, and institutions. . . .Sociology’s mission is to advance scholarship, and to teach, apply, and disseminate the discipline’s knowledge and methods in order to build bridges to policy makers and an informed public” (ASA, 2007, p. 2). Applied sociologists use a sociological base of knowledge and research methods to develop scientific understandings of social problems and issues in specific settings, including governmental, non-governmental, private for profit, and not-for-profit organizations. The knowledge developed in these applied settings is subsequently made available to administrators, policy makers, clients, and the general public so that they can make informed choices in their efforts to address social problems (Perlstadt, 2006).
As a measure of the impact sociology has on understandings of the social problems and issues confronting society today, the ASA sponsors ten scholarly journals that serve to inform the public on topics about markets, communities, cities, families, education, crime, and health, among others. Various sections of the ASA publish journals that focus on issues such as gender, race, urban areas, and problems. Among these journals, the American Sociological Review, the ASA’s flagship journal, has a higher citation score than all other flagship journals in the social sciences (ASA, 2007). Another major national organization, the Society for the Study of Social Problems, publishes the journal Social Problems, which focuses specifically on research related to such topics. In addition, there are four national organizations specifically devoted to applied sociology. Those organizations are as follows: The Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology, which publishes the Journal of Applied Social Science (formerly the Journal of Applied Sociology); The Sociological Practice Association, which publishes Sociological Practice; The Society for Applied Sociology, which publishes the American Journal of Evaluation; and The Commission on Applied and Clinical Sociology, whose mission is to “to develop, promote and support quality sociological education and practice in applied and clinical areas” ( 2007.) In addition, the sociology department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute andState University at Blacksburg publishes The Journal of Applied Behavioural Science.In all of these journals, the focus is on using social scientific methods to examine social issues and problems, with an eye toward developing conceptual and theoretical understandings of the issues at hand. With such a scientific foundation of understanding, then, the overall goal of sociology is to inform the means of ameliorating the social condition.
Following the discipline’s focus on bringing scientific understandings to the study of social issues and problems, the proposed program in applied sociology would combine rigorous courses in quantitative and qualitative research methods and theory with substantive areas (e.g., the sociologies of crime and delinquency; the environment; work, labor markets, and welfare; the family; medicine and mental health; education; and inequalities based on race, ethnicity, gender, and social class) and internship placements in governmental, private, and non-governmental organizations. Thus, the proposed program will provide students with the data gathering and analytic tools needed to investigate and discover new knowledge about social problems, issues, and trends and to offer specific policy recommendations toward the mitigation of such issues in applied settings. In addition, the proposed program will require a doctoral dissertation, providing students with the training and educational guidance needed to advance beyond concrete understandings of specific social issues in localized settings and toward more generalized and theoretically driven explanations of sociological trends. Thus, as students complete the proposed Ph.D. program, they will be prepared to enter the professional work force as applied sociologists or, should they choose a more traditional career, in academic settings. Either way, they will have been trained and prepared in the “real world” of social problems.
The sociology faculty is well-prepared to teach the proposed courses for this program and to mentor advanced graduate students. Their readiness is evidenced by a number of teaching awards, including the University Distinguished Teaching Award, the Kentuckiana Metroversity Outstanding Adult Learner Award, theUniversity of Louisville Disability Awareness Award, and a Fulbright Teaching Award. Evidence of the faculty’s commitment to excellence in teaching includes their participation in numerous training programs, including the Writing Across the Curriculum seminar, the Teaching Diversity Program, the Delphi Center’s i2a Ideas to Action Critical Thinking Seminar, and the Inclusive Teaching Circle. The faculty’s pedagogical expertise is also evidenced by their publication of several textbooks and readers by well-respected academic publishing houses. In addition, a number of faculty members are now teaching or have recently taught in other colleges and departments, including the Department of Urban and Public Affairs, Medicine, Music, and Education, in addition to their collaboration with the Departments of Women and Gender Studies and Pan-African Studies. Such collaborative efforts have created professional networks that enhance research opportunities for faculty and graduate students. The department currently has 16 Masters students enrolled in classes with 11 more in various stages of completing the thesis or practicum option. Over the past 10 years, an average of 7 students per year has completed the Master’s degree.
Faculty engagement in the classroom is informed by active and productive research agendas, in which current and future graduate students are and would be encouraged to become involved. Like the professional networks created through teaching, faculty have engaged in collaborative efforts with faculty in a number of departments and colleges at UofL, including Nursing, Medicine, Social Work, the Department of Urban and Public Affairs, Justice Administration, and Pan African Studies. Most recently, the faculty’s applied research has focused on crime and juvenile delinquency, with an additional focus on the impact of race on the treatment of juvenile offenders in Kentucky; brownfields redevelopment and citizen activism in Louisville’s “west end”; welfare to work initiatives in Kentucky; education, technology, and academic testing in Kentucky; demography; urban issues; aging; feminist movements in Turkey; violence against women in India; and the ethics of hand and face transplantation. The department is well-recognized in the field of sociology. Most recently, faculty members have won two ASA section awards for outstanding research. Current faculty members have also been the recipients of the Victor Olorunsula Award for Junior Faculty Research and Sociological Spectrum’s Award for Best Article Published in the Journal that Year. They have published in top tier journals, including The American Journal of Sociology, Social Science Quarterly,and Social Forces, as well as in top specialty journals, such as Social Problems;Criminology; The American Journal of Criminal Justice; Gender & Society; Visual Studies; Rural Sociology; Urban Affairs Quarterly; Journal of Marriage and the Family; Georgetown Journal of Poverty Law and Policy; Feminist Economics; Contexts; the Journal of Contemporary Ethnography; The American Journal of Infection Control, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; The Journal of Social Behavior and Personality; The Gerontologist; The Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic, and Neonatal Nursing; and Educational Technology, Research and Development, among numerous others. The faculty has also published in international journals such as East European Quarterly, Romanian Journal of Sociology, International Journal of Addictions, Contributions to Nepalese Studies, Journal of Government and Political Studies (India), and Caribbean Journal of Agricultural and Natural Resources, as well as in several regional journals. In addition, the current faculty has published five academic books and has three additional manuscripts in various stages of development. Current faculty members have also been the recipients of numerous grants. At the national level, their research has been funded by the National Institute of Aging, the U.S. Department of Education, the Spencer Foundation, the American Sociological Association, the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Eli Lilly Foundation, and the National Institute on Aging. At the state and regional levels, the faculty has received grants from the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice, the Kentucky Education and Professional Standards Board, the Jefferson County Public Schools Computer Support Unit, the Kentucky Department of Education, and the Jewish Hospital Foundation.
In sum, teaching awards, active participation in opportunities for pedagogical development, collaborative teaching and research with faculty in other departments and colleges, the publication of books, textbooks and readers, the receipt of numerous national, state, and local grants, and a nationally recognized research agenda strongly suggest that the Sociology faculty is well-prepared to meet the challenges of the proposed program. With the demand for applied sociologists expanding and the development of new Master’s degree programs in applied sociology nationwide on the upswing, the proposed program will make UofL a leader among institutions that offer the Ph.D. in applied sociology.
1. University Mission
a. National Prominence. The proposed Ph.D. in Applied Sociology is in accord with the institutional mission thatcalls for the University to achieve national prominence in teaching and research. The Challenge for Excellence1998-2008 states:
We shall achieve national recognition through selective investment in programs that
have clear potential to attain national eminence, enhance educational quality in our undergraduate program and graduate programs, promote economic development,
and strengthen the educational and cultural institutions of our community.
In a Power-Point presentation on January 15, 2009, President Ramsey announced, “We met the Challenge” (President’s Update—Board of Overseers). To sustain UofL’s commitment to excellence in these areas, the proposed program will be one in which faculty will draw on already-established connections in the Louisville Metro area, Kentucky, and the world. In addition to the collaborative research, community and organizational connections previously described, current faculty have established additional professional relationships with universities and other organizations in India, Turkey, Ghana, Trinidad, and Nepal, which have the potential to provide international research opportunities to students who are so-interested. Specifically, once graduate students have been methodologically prepared and have received appropriate training in a substantive area, they will be required to do a one-semester internship at a private, governmental, or non-governmental organization. The purpose of the internship will be to conduct research in areas such as policy analysis, population need, or social problems, guided by one or more academic advisors on a topic agreed upon by the student, one or more academic advisors, and one or more administrators at the organization. Such internships will provide valuable applied research experience for the student and access to scientific data on issues of concern to organizations and agencies that will sustain efforts to “promote economic development and strengthen the. . .institutions of our community,” as called for in the Challenge for Excellence 1998-2008. The proposed program will move beyond the stated goal of the Challenge for Excellence 1998-2008 of strengthening “educational and cultural institutions” by including research conducted for private, governmental, and non-governmental organizations and agencies, as well. Thus, both the university and the community will benefit from the proposed program.
b. Increase External Funding. The proposed program is also commensurate with the University’s Research Strategic Plan (9/2007, By working in partnership with agencies such as the Louisville Metro Public Health & Wellness Department, Planned Parenthood, the Jefferson County Department of Health and Human Services, and the Center for Women and Families (to name just a few of the possibilities), Ph.D. students in the Department of Sociology, working in collaboration with faculty advisors and administrators within these agencies, have the potential to secure funding to conduct research. The agencies will benefit from research conducted by well-trained graduate students under the professional guidance of faculty. The University will benefit from enhanced partnerships with, and heightened visibility within, the community, as well as the potential for increased levels of funded research. Many social scientists in general and sociologists in particular, are ill-situated to secure funding from highly ranked national research organizations, such as the National Science Foundation or the National Institutes for Health. However, by working in collaboration with public and governmental agencies, faculty will increase their chances of securing funding for applied research through sources such the NIH, NIMH, and other federal organizations (Perlstadt, 2006), as well as prestigious foundations, such as the Spencer Foundation, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, and other endowed funding sources, thus contributing to one of the University’s goals in its Strategic Plan. Although the Sociology Department has a strong record of grant funding, partnerships with local, state, and international organizations will strengthen the faculty’s competitiveness in securing funding.
c. Expand Multidisciplinary Collaborations. The proposed program would increase the amount of social science research conducted within the Department of Sociology by creating partnerships within the community, state, and potentially with organizations in international settings, and would increase collaborative relationships between faculty and graduate students. It has enormous potential to increase inter-disciplinary research as students are placedin settings dealing with a wide variety of issues, including, medical, mental health, criminology, family violence, environment, and so forth. Although the term “translational research” is commonly used to refer to the application of bio-medical research, the proposed program in applied sociology brings translational research into the field of social science, where graduate students, under the supervision of faculty mentors, will conduct research that will inform and have enormous potential to “translate” into solutions to social problems.