(Part 2) Top products from r/sociology

I just went through the process of applying to sociology PhD programs last fall.

Not falling behind: the only suggestions that I have would be to regularly read journal articles related to your research. Also, if you have some funds I would suggest going to local sociological conferences and present your research/work if you can. It's also a great opportunity for your to network and get in contact with grad students, faculty, and professionals in your research. It's important to keep in touch with them over the years so that come application time, you may know someone in the selection committee and that definitely helps.

Preparing for grad school applications process: Speaking from experience, start early and keep your applications organized. Start looking at PhD programs that you're interested in and keep a hierarchical list according to top tier programs (e.g. UC Berkeley), middle tier programs (e.g. University of Oregon) and bottom tier programs (e.g. UC Riverside). For this list, I would suggest ranking them not only on the program's national ranking but how much the program would satisfy your wants and needs i.e. department research, faculty, funding opportunities, diversity, location, etc. Keep track of this list and narrow it down to however many programs you plan to apply to. Look for faculty in your research and read their work. Contact faculty, ask them provoking questions about their research, try to set up appointments to meet them in person. If not, try to build a relationship through e-mail. This would be a opportunity for professors to notice that you are taking the initiative to contact them and being active in sociological research. They will also remember you when they are on a selection committee for a PhD program or even on a committee for a position in academia. I'm not sure if you had to take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for entry into your master's program, but sociology PhD programs require the GRE. My advice for studying for the GRE: start studying at least 6 months before you take the test and study regularly - it's not a test you can cram for the night before. I would say set up your own study plan and work off the [ETS Revised GRE prep book] (http://www.amazon.com/Official-Guide-revised-General-Test/dp/0071700528) Keep in contact with the people who will write you letters of recommendation - make sure you update them on what you've been working on for the past couple of years. It's helpful to give them your application materials so they can write you a strong letter of recommendation. For personal statements, just start writing and getting through drafts and get feedback from your letter writers. Keep track of transcripts - make sure they are submitted. Most applications are online and required unofficial transcripts but I would say triple check the transcript requirements.

PhD programs: I'm just starting my sociology PhD program, and from my own experience I can say that you definitely need to do your research on PhD programs and talk to graduate students in the programs that you're interested in. The program may seem promising but grad students may be miserable (and it's good to talk to many grad students to get multiple perspectives on the program). In terms of funding, usually PhD programs offer some form of support to students - whether through fellowships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships. Be careful though - look to see how many years the program supports and how many years it takes for students to finish. If there's a big gap, say a program offers 3 years of support and it usually takes students 7 years to finish (unlikely but may happen), then you would want to prepare yourself for applying for external funding once you are in the program. Definitely look into external fellowships that you are eligible for like the Ford Foundation (that's a big one) and the American Sociological Association minority fellowship. There are many external fellowships outside of sociology that you may be eligible for, you might have to dig deep to find them. I haven't officially started my PhD program, so I can't tell you my experience or how to navigate the program.

I hope this doesn't sound redundant as I'm sure you underwent a similar application process for master's programs. Please feel free to PM me if you have any more questions.

Heya!

First things first, it's going to be ok! Lots of people enter sociology PhD programs with no background in sociology (or even a related social science!) at all. So, having majored in Sociology means you should have a much better lay of the land than some of your peers. That said, your classes will likely assume very little specific knowledge of sociology. For better or for worse, Sociology in undergrad is not treated as a "cumulative" subject where students are expected to master material in one class and then apply it in another. Grad school will expect that of you, to some extent, but it will not assume you start with much.

Second, if you are specifically worried about stats, I'd highly recommend reading some very light introductions that familiarize you with the concepts and ideas. Don't spend a lot of time with specific formulas, derivations, or software - your graduate stats sequence will cover all of that, again assuming you know basically nothing to start with. Instead, try to get a feel for statistical arguments, and for the basic ideas of probability, distributions, sampling, and so on. Start with something like The Cartoon Guide to Statistics. Then, read some quantitative sociology. Check out ASR or AJS or other big journals in the field. Find some articles on the topics that interest you and try to read through them to get a sense of how they employ quantitative methods. Don't expect to understand everything, but see what you can piece together.

Beyond that, I'd highly recommend checking out Fabio Rojas's guide Grad School Rulz (most of the content is available as a set of free blog posts on OrgTheory). I don't agree with absolutely everything Fabio says, but his advice is generally solid, and he covers all the important topics. Even if you don't take all his advice, reading the book will help you figure out what sorts of questions you should be asking and thinking about.

If you have any other specific concerns, let me know and I'm happy to give more targeted advice! Beyond that, good luck, and welcome to Sociology!

I like what you pointed out there: the difference in disagreement that occurs in sociology and philosophy. Part of the charm about philosophy, for me, is that very lack of agreement you mentioned because in good philosophical discussions you get to see both sides of the story (if not more). For instance, I took an ethics class and we saw different ethical issues from different perspectives. To give just one example, one topic we focused on was abortion and we read from Judith Jarvis Thomson and Mary Anne Warren (both in favor), as well as Robert P. George and Don Marquis (not in favor). This gave a balanced evaluation of some different attitudes to a single topic.

I feel like there could be more of this attitude-fairness in sociology - a fairness of being open to both sides of the debate because sociologists usually do have an agenda. Weigh out the evidence, ya know, cuz echo chambers are boring and smug. The good thing that is there is some of this in sociology, for instance, this "Think Twice" text: https://www.amazon.com/Think-Sociology-Current-Social-Issues/dp/0130995282/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501827747&sr=8-1&keywords=think+twice+sociology.

Again though, compared to philosophy, from my limited perspective, I think more balance would be a good thing in sociology.

EDIT: Whoops, just read the comments below after posting. I agree, there are more important things then the balance of ideology ... but I'd be skeptical that our political values can purely be informed by scientific methods. I'm also skeptical to vouch for either the left or the right's understanding/responses to social issues ... I think the fairest thing to say is that they both get some things right and wrong in different ways. That's why I'm so zealous about sociology being more than a neo-Marxist echo chamber: let's not be so quick to think we have society so neatly figured out, let's look at both sides of the story and weigh the evidence in a civil manner. I'm not even looking for a consensus, but I'm a strong believer that looking at contrary opinions is a good thing, even if it leads to different conclusions. That includes myself, so I should probably brush up on my Marx eventually and read something from him and not just about him. I'll even admit, I've been reading Janet Wolff's "The Social Production of Art" - which is grounded in materialism - and have quite enjoyed it. I say this to say that some good insights can be made through Marxist theory.

I may be in the minority but I don't think that Mills's Sociological Imagination is a good starting point for an introduction to sociology. While the first chapter (The Promise) may be worth a read, the rest of the book is very much an insider's critique of the subject and requires the reader to have a general understanding of sociology as it is being practiced post-WWII. I think that you will get the most out of Mills after familiarizing yourself with sociology more broadly.


As others have mentioned, Ritzer & Stepnisky's Sociological Theory is a very comprehensive overview of sociological thinking but it may be a bit overwhelming. While it isn't as encyclopedic as Ritzer & Stepnisky, I like Seidman's Contested Knowledge because it provides the reader with both a historical overview of sociological thinking and provides easy to read summaries of important thinkers.


I am not sure if you will find these too difficult but here are some other books that may expand your understanding of sociology:

• Outsiders: Studies In The Sociology Of Deviance by Howard Becker
  
• Obedience to Authority: An Experimental View by Stanley Milgram

This collection is a really great concise overview of the four major sociological traditions - it has great excerpts from a lot of major sociologists. If you're looking for a broad(ish) introductory anthology I highly recommend this text.

My Freshman Year by Rebekah Nathan is a great text for students to get a feel for what an ethnographic study would be like. Since many have college on their minds at this point, it will also serve to give them a great inside look at what to expect.

Not a real textbook but a good read ain't no makin' it

I have used this one before berko

inequality reader

very big and probably more for a grad course but nonetheless a good resource grusky

Hm. I hope this is in the arena, but Clay Shirky's Here Comes Everybody might be of interest to you!

We tend to focus on the problems because large parts of American sociology is currently focused on changing the world. I highly recommend reading/listening to this book to temper some of the doom and gloom - https://www.amazon.com/Rational-Optimist-Prosperity-Evolves-P-s/dp/0061452068

It's not perfect, but it focuses on the positive aspects of how society has evolved over time.

I've also heard good things about Enlightment Now - but I haven't had the time to read it yet https://www.amazon.com/Enlightenment-Now-Science-Humanism-Progress/dp/0525427570

Ritzer has some very good introductory texts to sociology like Sociological Theory

A bit dated, however, this was/is a really good book on what you are asking for.

https://www.amazon.com/World-Poverty-Global-Inequality-Modern/dp/0073042951

My friend has written a couple of intro texts, which are highly readable and used in intro courses all over:
This and This

BTW, don't let the one star review fool you on the first book above. Clearly the reviewer is a crank.

Macionis, John J & Plummer, Kenneth, (author.) 2012, Sociology : a global introduction, Fifth edition, Harlow, England Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Amazon Link

.... This got me through my first year at university, covers everything you can think of :)

For an introduction why people may not act as you expect them to, see "The elephant in the brain" by Simler & Hanson. It's easy to read, but it's more of a high-level approach.

The seminal text for influencing people personally is Cialdini's "Influence".

You should definitely check out Heath and Potter's Nation of Rebels: How Counterculture became Consumer Culture.

http://www.amazon.com/Nation-Rebels-Counterculture-Consumer-Culture/dp/006074586X

The Practical Skeptic by McIntyre

https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Skeptic-Core-Concepts-Sociology/dp/0078026873

Read this and you will have almost all background information you need, which you seemingly need very badly.