PhD in Sociology Emphasis: Institutions and Inequalities

The study of social inequalities is a fundamental area of concern among sociologists. The Institutions and Inequality specialization is distinct from the areas offered by other PhD programs nationally in that it focuses on the social and cultural processes that account for disparities in the outcomes of key institutions-most notably, health-care organizations, educational structures, and the workplace-whether such disparities are based on ethnicity and race, gender, class, age, citizenship status, or nationality.

The Sociology program has a long history of both scholarly and applied work in this area. The teaching and research interests of faculty in this area cover a wide range of subjects and make use of a variety of theoretical perspectives and methodological orientations. Students specializing in this area will draw upon a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies with a focus toward multi-level analysis to understand the complex ways in which social inequalities are rooted in organizational structures, cultural values, social policies and practices, and small group processes in a variety of institutional settings. While gaining broad understanding of sociological approaches to the study of social inequality, students are encouraged to focus their study of social inequalities toward a specific social institution as they advance through the doctoral program.

Required:

Soci 803* Proseminar in Institutions and Social Inequality (3 credit hours)

Specialized Coursework:

A minimum of 9 hours from the following courses, up to six of which can be completed outside of sociology.

SOCI 523 Racial and Ethnic Relations: American and Selected Global Perspectives

SOCI 635** Environment and Society

SOCI 605** Gender and Social Structure

SOCI 614 Sociology of Culture

SOCI 840* Work Organizations and Social Inequality

SOCI 844* Youth, Schooling, and Popular Culture

SOCI 845* Education and Society

PUAD 620 Organizational Theory and Management Behavior

PUAD 640 Public Policy Making

PUAD 651 Virginia Politics, Policy, and Administration

PUAD 750 Federalism and Changing Patterns of Governance

GOVT 852 Leadership

JLCP 749/PUAD 799 Issues in Justice Administration

WMST 610 Feminist Approaches to Social Research

WMST 611 The Gender Research Project

WMST 640 Women and Global Issues

ANTH 660 Social Science and Critical Theory