Written comprehensive examinations focusing on two areas chosen by the student, and an oral defense of the dissertation proposal are required. After passing the comprehensive examinations and obtaining a formal approval of the dissertation proposal, the student is eligible to apply for candidacy. A dissertation based on original work demonstrating creativity in research and scholarly proficiency in the subject area is required. A final oral examination in defense of the dissertation is required. The Department of Sociology is committed to teaching and research in the following four areas reflecting faculty expertise.
Recent research is listed under each area heading.
Family and the Life course. The faculty in this area use demographic, other quantitative, and qualitative methods to study family structures, organization, relationships, and life course transitions. The sociology of physical and mental health focuses on social and environmental determinants of health and health-related behaviors, policy issues, and the social construction of health illness and the body. Global political and cultural processes. This area focuses on world-level processes that involve governance, authority, identities, and human issues of peace, justice, democracy, and development.