The object is to engage with others in projects of social transformation. It takes a spatial reach, social focus, and historical perspective to craft new theoretical and analytic possibilities through ethnographic research on education wherever it is in process. Faculty and students in SCS have laid some bets as to where there may be particularly promising sites for contributing to changes in the course and discourse of educational research. SCS faculty cross and re-cross the boundaries between these areas of inquiry by engaging in collaborative teaching and complementary research. Given the interdisciplinary nature of the program, individual crafting of the student's Ph.D. program is essential.
Students work initially with a faculty adviser to plan their course of study.
In the second year, students participate in a research apprenticeship seminar, learning to practice research by doing it. The goal of faculty mentoring is to maintain a balance between guidance and autonomy in the development of each student's program. A solid background in sociology, sociocultural anthropology, urban studies, history, or geography is an asset to new students, though successful students occasionally have had other antecedents. The M.A. degree is generally regarded as part of the Ph.D. program, but students who are uncertain about pursuing a Ph.D. should treat the M.A. as an opportunity to decide whether or not to proceed. The Ph.D. is appropriate preparation for research and teaching careers in university departments of education and the social sciences.