Dana Wright, Director of Academic Program Development

Transcription

1 February 23, 2017 Academic Program Development 2614 University Hall (MC 103) 601 South Morgan Street Chicago, Illinois TO: FROM: Ilene Harris, Chair Senate Committee on Educational Policy Dana Wright, Director of Academic Program Development I am submitting for the review and action of the Senate Committee on Educational Policy the attached Proposal to Revise the Master of Arts in Sociology and Revise the Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology. The proposal was approved by the Department of Sociology on October 21, 2015; the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Educational Policy Committee on November 7, 2016; and the college faculty on November 14, In addition, the proposal was approved by the Graduate College Executive Committee on February 17, ATTACHMENT

2 Title: Sponsor: Executive Summary: Proposal to Revise the MA/PhD in Sociology Department of Sociology College of Liberal Arts and Sciences The Department of Sociology is proposing a number of changes to the MA/PhD program that are intended to: (1) more closely align the program to those of peer institutions; (2) expand the number of areas in which students may specialize, in order to reflect broader faculty expertise and expose students to more areas of sociology; (3) ensure that coursework more closely matches area exams, specifically, the first part of the preliminary exam requirement; (4) introduce more flexibility into course options by increasing the number of selective courses; and (5) create greater efficiency in reaching curricular milestones by reducing the number of methods courses required and replacing the MA thesis requirement with coursework. As a result of the proposed revision, the number of credit hours required to earn the MA will be reduced from a range of hours to a minimum of 37 hours; and the minimum number of credit hours required for the PhD (beyond the MA and excluding hours of dissertation) will change from to The minimum number of hours beyond the baccalaureate will remain 96. These changes reflect current curricular models in place at peer programs. Overall, the proposed revisions will better prepare PhD students for the increasingly competitive academic job market both by reducing time to completion and affording more opportunities to gain expertise and knowledge relevant for their research. Background: The Department of Sociology is proposing a number of changes to the MA/PhD program that are intended to: (1) more closely align the program to those of peer institutions; (2) expand the number of areas in which students may specialize, in order to reflect broader faculty expertise and expose students to more areas of sociology; (3) ensure that coursework more closely matches area exams, specifically, the first part of the preliminary exam requirement; (4) introduce more flexibility into course options by increasing the number of selective courses; and (5) create greater efficiency in reaching curricular milestones by reducing the number of methods courses required and replacing the MA thesis requirement with coursework. Please note that the department only accepts graduate students who intend to earn the PhD. Students who do not already have an MA in Sociology will earn one as they complete requirements for the doctorate. Applicants with an MA from another institution receive, with the approval of the department and Graduate College at the time of admission, degree credit of up to 32 semester hours toward the doctorate. These revisions address a series of pedagogical problems students face under the current curriculum. First, the rigidity of the existing requirements creates challenges for students to progress through the program in a timely fashion because core courses were only offered every two years. Second, area exams are offered after the third year in the program, which means that students were not beginning to think about their dissertations until their fourth year in the program. For many, this meant defending dissertation proposals in their fifth year in the program, which is far too late for efficient degree completion, especially because funding is guaranteed for only five years. In addition, Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 1

3 students who failed their area exams (after two attempts) were leaving the program after spending four years in it. Third, in comparison to peer institutions, our core areas of concentration were too limited. Students in peer institutions are offered more variety of concentration areas and in more clearly defined sub-fields. Our faculty s expertise has also expanded allowing us to offer more diversity in course options. Fourth, for students who entered the program without an MA in Sociology, an MA thesis was required despite the fact that the department does not offer a terminal MA degree. Students were meant to complete this requirement in the first two years in the program, but most were taking three years and some longer. Under the revised curriculum, revisions to required coursework, along with the introduction of additional selective courses, will allow students to move more quickly through their coursework and reach preliminary examinations and dissertation proposal defenses earlier and more efficiently. The first part of the preliminary exam, a written area exam in a core sub-specialty in sociology, will be taken earlier in the program. Failure to pass the area exam will result in dismissal from the program. The second part to the preliminary exam will require students to submit a paper for consideration for publication. Thus, students will still be required to produce a publication-ready paper, but this will be required under PhD requirements (as opposed to under MA thesis requirements). The department believes that requiring a publication-ready paper will enhance students success on the job market. Ultimately, these changes are being made to enhance students PhD experiences. Revisions to the MA in Sociology Description: The department proposes several revisions to required and selective coursework. (1) SOC 509, Seminar: Sociological Research Methods; SOC 597, Masters Project Research; and one student-selected 500-level course will be dropped as requirements; and SOC 541, Sociology of Social Stratification, will be dropped as a selective course. (2) The following courses will be added to the curriculum: SOC 515, Sociology of Children and Youth (new course, selective) SOC 542, Sociology of Inequality, (new course, required) SOC 549, Global and Transnational Sociology (new course, selective) SOC 565, Seminar: Political Sociology SOC 596, Independent Research Students are currently required to take the two-course methods practicum: SOC 501, Sociological Research Methods II, and SOC 509, Seminar: Sociological Research Methods, for the MA and to repeat SOC 509 for the PhD. Under the proposed revision, students will not be required to take SOC 509 early in the MA/PhD program (currently, the second semester of the first year); but students will still be required to take SOC 509 once while completing the PhD. Under the proposed revision, SOC 542, Sociology of Inequality, will be required; and SOC 515, SOC 549, and SOC 565 will be added to the list of selective courses. Currently, students are required to take three selective courses, two chosen from a list of Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 2

4 seminars and one specialty seminar. The revised program will require students to take SOC 542, Sociology of Inequality and one additional course chosen from the following: SOC 515, Sociology of Children and Youth SOC 520, Seminar: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender SOC 524, Gender SOC 525, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity SOC 540, Seminar: Social Institutions SOC 547, Social Organization SOC 549, Global and Transnational Sociology SOC 565, Seminar: Political Sociology SOC 520 and 540 are topics courses and, as such, may be repeated for credit if the topic is different for each registration. Students who elect to satisfy the degree requirements by taking specialty seminars may either take both SOC 520 and SOC 540 or one of the courses twice. Justification: The department conducted research that benchmarked the graduate program against those at peer universities. The department researched 16 peer institutions that are ranked near our program in the US News and World Report and have similarly sized faculty. The UIC sociology graduate program currently requires more courses than peer PhD programs in Sociology. Therefore, the reduction of two courses (i.e., SOC 509 and one graduate elective seminar) from the MA/PhD program is intended to streamline the program and allow students to move through it more quickly and efficiently. SOC 542 integrates content from our previous four core courses and exposes students to the central concerns of the discipline while eliminating redundancies from overlapping materials across the four courses. The additional selective courses, SOC 515 and SOC 565, reflect the current expertise of our faculty. The removal of SOC 541 as a selective course reflects the state of the field, which has changed foci from stratification to the study of inequalities. The addition of SOC 549 as a selective course reflects an emerging strength among faculty in the department. Description: A project, completed over two semesters of SOC 597, Masters Project Research, will no longer be required for the MA degree. Rather, students will earn the MA by completing four hours of coursework in SOC 596, Independent Study. Upon the completion of MA coursework, students will be evaluated, during the annual review of all graduate students, to determine whether they are eligible to proceed into the PhD program. This will occur after the second year in the program and no later than the end of the third year. Eligibility will be based on GPA. Students are required to earn at least a B in all coursework. A letter of support from a faculty member who has agreed to serve as the student s dissertation advisor is also required. Justification: Seven of the programs surveyed at peer institutions require MA theses, five programs only require students to complete a certain number of credits to earn an MA (and the remaining programs did not specify in their online materials). At least four programs still required a publishable paper, but as part of a two-part preliminary exam. The MA is not a terminal degree in the graduate program; therefore, rather than require that students complete a project, the department has determined that the submission of an Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 3

5 original paper for consideration for publication will be required and incorporated into the preliminary examination requirements for the PhD (see below). This will retain the focus on publishing while in graduate school and allow students to proceed into the PhD program more quickly by eliminating the roadblock students faced in trying to produce an MA project that was not in line with their future PhD work. Description: As a result of the revisions described above, the number of hours required to earn the MA will be reduced from a range of hours to a minimum of 37 hours. Justification: The fewer number of hours required for the MA is comparable to sociology departments at peer institutions. It also allows students to move more quickly toward their dissertations. Requiring students to take a diverse series of survey and topics courses allows them to get a breadth of training in more sub-fields of sociology, a trend that is increasingly common among peer institutions and better reflects the current expertise of our faculty. The fewer required hours will allow students to take more courses in their area of specialization as well as supplemental methods courses, both of which will help them produce a higher quality dissertation and better prepare them for the job market. While the number of required hours is being reduced, the hours continue to exceed the Graduate College minimum of 32. Revisions to the PhD in Sociology Description: The department proposes the following revisions to the coursework requirements. Currently, students in the MA/PhD program are required to take SOC 509 (Seminar: Sociological Research Methods) twice during their second year in the program and again as they work toward the PhD. With the proposed revision, students will take SOC 509 only while completing the PhD. SOC 593, Colloquium on College Teaching of Sociology, will still be required. Three of the four courses that currently comprise the common core of required courses (SOC 524, 525, and 547) will become selective, rather than required; and new courses SOC 515, SOC 549, and SOC 565 will be added to the list of selectives. SOC 541 is replaced by SOC 542, which will be required at the MA level and integrates the topics previously covered throughout the core. These revisions will build much needed flexibility into our program, allowing students to move through the coursework phase of the PhD more efficiently while gaining the specialized knowledge they need to be successful in the profession. Under the revised curriculum of selective courses, students will be required to take two courses (8 hours total) chosen from the following list of graduate seminars: SOC 515, Sociology of Children and Youth SOC 524, Gender SOC 525, Sociology of Race and Ethnicity SOC 547, Social Organization SOC 549, Global and Transnational Sociology SOC 565, Seminar: Political Sociology and one of the following: SOC 520, Seminar: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 4

6 SOC 540, Seminar: Social Institutions One student-selected 500-level course (approved by the Director of Graduate Studies) Students will receive credit for specialty seminars taken to meet the PhD requirement only if the topics are different from those previously taken. As a result of the above described revisions, the number of hours beyond the MA required to earn the PhD (excluding hours of dissertation) will be reduced from to and the number of course credits will be reduced by one course (or 4 credit hours). The number of hours necessary to earn the degree post-baccalaureate will remain 96. Justification: In addition to aligning the MA/PhD program requirements more closely with those of peer departments, the fewer required credit hours will help students move through the program more efficiently. Furthermore, these changes will better prepare students to write their dissertation proposals, as students will have greater discretion over the courses they take. This will allow students to customize their coursework to the needs of their eventual dissertation work. These changes will also better prepare students for the job market, as they will be able to delve deeper into a substantive area without having to add extraneous courses to their semester course loads. Description: There are two parts to the preliminary exam. The first is a written examination in a major specialty area, which must be taken in August before the third year of the program. If the student fails the exam, it can be retaken the following January. Failing the exam twice leads to termination from the degree program. Under the proposed revision, the first part of the exam will be given one year earlier in the student s program than is currently the case. The second part of the preliminary exam will be an original research paper, submitted for consideration for publication. Students will register for SOC 596: Independent Study, to help meet this requirement. This requirement should be completed by the end of the third year in the program. Although no longer a component of the preliminary examination, a dissertation proposal defense will still be required. Students are expected to complete this requirement by December of their fourth year. Justification: The structure of the preliminary examination has changed in two ways. First, the first part of the preliminary exam (the area exam, a written examination in a major specialty area) will be taken earlier in the program after the second year of coursework, as opposed to after the third year. This will allow students to proceed through the program more quickly and efficiently. The existing curriculum requires students to take more coursework than students in peer institutions. While existing course requirements expose students to different areas within the discipline, all students specialize more narrowly in their eventual dissertation research. The proposed changes will facilitate students developing expertise necessary to complete their dissertations and compete in the sociology job market, which has become increasingly specialized within the past two decades. Second, the preliminary exam will still be comprised of two parts, but the second part will change. Previously, the second part of the exam was the defense of the dissertation proposal. The defense of the dissertation proposal will still be required (with the same guidelines for committee selection), but the defense will no longer be part of the preliminary exam. The second part of the preliminary exam will now be an original research paper of publishable quality. Two faculty in the area of expertise will form the committee which will adjudicate the fulfillment of this requirement. Publishing in graduate school will help Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 5

7 students on an increasingly competitive job market. The Department of Sociology participates in interdisciplinary graduate programs, such as the Gender and Women s Studies Graduate Certificate and the Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Women s Health. The proposed changes will not impact those or other programs. No regularly offered courses will be deleted. Catalog Statement: See below Minority Impact Statement: There is no positive or negative impact on minority students. Ideally, by reducing the number of courses, the new program should help all students move toward their dissertation more quickly while gaining greater specialized knowledge in the process. Budgetary and Staff Implications: By adding flexibility to the sequence of courses and requirements as well as streamlining time to MA completion, this curriculum update reflects a more cost effective use of current faculty and staff resources and do not require budgetary changes. There is no budgetary impact on other departments, as classes that are cross-listed will remain cross-listed. Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 6

8 Library Resource Implications: The proposed changes have no implications for use of library resources. Paula Dempsey has been working with our faculty and graduate students to ensure that the library maintains the resources necessary for research projects. However, none of the courses being added or reduced require specific library resources. Space Implications: The proposed changes will reduce space needs, as fewer classrooms will be needed. However, the reduction will be negligible. Unit (e.g., department) approval date: October 21, 2015 College (educational policy committee, faculty) approval dates: LAS Educational Policy Committee: November 7, 2016 LAS Faculty: November 14, 2016 Contact Person: Claire Decoteau, Proposed Effective Date: Fall 2017 Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 7

9 Revision of the MA/PhD in Sociology Courses New SOC 515. Sociology of Children and Youth. 4 hours. (selective) Topics in childhood and youth across various settings, assessing a range of theories and topics that pertain to childhood and youth. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor SOC 542. Sociology of Inequality. 4 hours. (required) Topics in social inequality across various settings and across societal levels from interpersonal inequality to inequality in organizations to structural inequalities. SOC 549. Global and Transnational Sociology. 4 hours. (selective) Introduction to global socioeconomic and political processes, the history of the modern world-system, shifts in global capitalism and interstate relations, the cultural dynamics of globalization, and patterns of global migration. Prerequisite(s): Graduate standing; and consent of the instructor. Revised SOC 509. Seminar: Sociological Research Methods. 4 hours. (no longer required for MA) Research practicum of specialized social science research methods. Course Information: Students may register in more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): SOC 500 and SOC 501. Class Schedule Information: To be properly registered, students must enroll in one Laboratory-Discussion and one Lecture-Discussion. SOC 541. Sociology of Social Stratification. 4 hours. (no longer selective) Provides students with an overview of sociological research on social stratification emphasizing individual and structural elements. Course Information: Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor. SOC 565. Seminar: Political Sociology. 4 hours. (selective) Intensive analysis of specialized topics. SOC 596. Independent Study hours. (required for the MA) Research on special problems not included in the graduate thesis. Course Information: May be repeated. Students may register in more than one section per term. Prerequisite(s): Consent of the instructor and approval of the department. Dropped SOC 597. Masters Project Research. 1-4 hours. Supervised writing and research on topic of the master's paper. Course Information: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading only. May be repeated to a maximum of 12 hours. This course will be eliminated from our program and the course catalog. Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 8

10 Present Degree Requirements Master of Arts Minimum Semester Hours Required 38 46, depending on the student s level of preparation. Course Work Students may petition the director of graduate studies to apply up to 8 hours of comparable course work taken prior to admission toward the departmental requirements. Required Courses SOC 401 Sociological Statistics SOC 402 Intermediate Sociological Statistics SOC 500 Sociological Research Methods I SOC 501 Sociological Research Methods II SOC 509 Seminar: Sociological Research Methods SOC 585 Classical Sociological Theory SOC 587 Contemporary Sociological Theory SOC 595 ProSeminar Select two of the following: SOC 524 SOC 525 SOC 541 SOC 547 Gender Sociology of Race and Ethnicity Sociology of Social Stratification Social Organization Select at least one of the following 500-level seminars: SOC 520 Seminar: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender SOC 540 Seminar: Social Institutions One 500-level course (approved by the director of graduate studies) Comprehensive Examination None. Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options Project only. No other options are available. Proposed Degree Requirements Master of Arts Minimum Semester Hours Required 37. Course Work Students may petition the director of graduate studies to apply up to 8 hours of comparable course work taken prior to admission toward the departmental requirements. Required Courses SOC 401 Sociological Statistics SOC 402 Intermediate Sociological Statistics SOC 500 Sociological Research Methods I SOC 501 Sociological Research Methods II DELETE (SOC 509) SOC 542 Sociology of Inequality SOC 585 Classical Sociological Theory SOC 587 Contemporary Sociological Theory SOC 595 ProSeminar Select one of the following: SOC 515 Sociology of Children and Youth SOC 520 Seminar: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender a SOC 524 Gender SOC 525 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity SOC 540 Seminar: Social Institutions a DELETE (SOC 541) SOC 547 Social Organization SOC 549 Global and Transnational Sociology SOC 565 Seminar: Political Sociology DELETE a SOC 520 and SOC 540 may be repeated for credit if the topic is different for each registration. Students who elect to satisfy the degree requirements by taking these specialty seminars may either take both courses or repeat one of them. Comprehensive Examination None. Thesis, Project, or Course-Work-Only Options Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 9

11 Present Project: Students must earn at least 5 hours over two consecutive semesters in SOC 597, Masters Project Research. Doctor of Philosophy Minimum Semester Hours Required hours of course work beyond the MA; dissertation research hours. The minimum number of hours beyond the baccalaureate is 96. Course Work Required Courses: MA in Sociology course requirements (38 46 hours depending on the student s level of preparation). Students with an MA from another institution must satisfy UIC Sociology MA requirements. The graduate director will evaluate student s prior preparation and performance in satisfying these requirements. Students must complete a minimum of 4 hours in a specialty seminar in their area of specialization (currently SOC 520, SOC 540, or a course approved by the director of graduate studies). The course content of SOC 520 and SOC 540 varies from term to term. Students will not receive credit for this requirement for courses taken as part of the UIC MA program. Students should consult the department website for current requirements in each specialty. Remaining hours shall be chosen in consultation with the student s advisor. Seminar SOC 509 Seminar: Sociological Research Methods (may repeat for a Maximum of 12 hours) a Required Courses SOC 524 Gender (may not repeat) b SOC 525 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity (may not repeat) b SOC 541 Sociology of Social Stratification (may not repeat) b SOC 547 Social Organization (may not repeat) b Proposed Coursework. Students must earn at least four hours in SOC 596, Independent Study. Doctor of Philosophy Minimum Semester Hours Required hours of course work beyond the MA; dissertation research hours. The minimum number of hours beyond the baccalaureate is 96. Course Work Required Courses: MA in Sociology course requirements (37 hours). Students with an MA in Sociology from another institution must satisfy UIC Sociology MA requirements. The graduate director will evaluate student s prior preparation and performance in satisfying these requirements. In addition to SOC 509 and SOC 593, students must complete three graduate seminars (4 credits each) beyond the two taken to satisfy the requirements of the MA. Students must take two courses from the following: (SOC 515, SOC 524, SOC 525, SOC 547, SOC 549, SOC 565) and one additional course, which can either be a specialty seminars (SOC 520, SOC 540) or a course approved by the director of graduate studies). The course content of SOC 520 and SOC 540 varies from term to term. Required Courses SOC 509 Seminar: Sociological Research Methods (may repeat for a Maximum of 12 hours) SOC 593 Colloquium on College Teaching of Sociology Select two courses from the following: a SOC 515 Sociology of Children and Youth SOC 524 Gender SOC 525 Sociology of Race and Ethnicity SOC 547 Social Organization SOC 549 Global and Transnational Sociology SOC 565 Seminar: Political Sociology Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 10

12 Present SOC 593 Colloquium on College Teaching of Sociology Specialty Seminar c Select a specialty seminar in area of specialization: SOC 520 Seminar: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender (minimum of four hours) SOC 540 Seminar: Social Institutions (minimumof four hours) Course approved by the director of graduate studies a A minimum of 4 credit hours, in addition to the 4 credit hours of SOC 509 taken as part of the MA, are required. Students are strongly encouraged to take more than this minimum requirement and may repeat SOC 509 for a maximum of 12 credit hours. b Students may not repeat any courses from this group (SOC 524, SOC 525, SOC 541, or SOC 547) which they took as part of the UIC MA program. c Course content of SOC 520 and SOC 540 varies from term to term. Students will not receive credit for this requirement for courses taken as part of the UIC MA program. Preliminary Examination Required. The examination is comprised of two parts: written examination in a major specialty area and the oral defense of the dissertation proposal. Dissertation Required. Proposed Select one of the following: Specialty Seminar b SOC 520 Seminar: Race, Ethnicity, and Gender SOC 540 (minimum of four hours) Seminar: Social Institutions (minimum of four hours) Course approved by the director of graduate studies a Students may not repeat any courses from this group (SOC 515, SOC 524, SOC 525, SOC 547, SOC 549, SOC 565), which were taken as part of the UIC MA program. b Course content of SOC 520 and SOC 540 varies from term to term. Students will receive credit for specialty seminars taken to meet the PhD requirement only if the topics are different from those previously taken. Preliminary Examination Required. The examination is comprised of two parts: written examination in a major specialty area and an original research paper submitted for consideration for publication. Students must register for SOC 596: Independent Study while completing their research paper. Dissertation Proposal Defense: Required Dissertation Required. Revision of the MA and PhD in Sociology Page 11