Sociology 63091: Proseminar I

Autumn 2007

 

824 Flanner

Fridays 9:35-10:25

 

Professor Dan Myers

Office: 820 Flanner, 631-3839, or more likely, 111 Hesburgh Center, 631-7695

Office Hours (In Hesburgh): Monday 3-5pm

Office Hours (In Flanner): by appointment

 

Course Web Page: http://www.nd.edu/~dmyers/courses/63091au07/

Instructors Web Page: http://www.nd.edu/~dmyers/

 

Purpose of the Course:

 

The purpose of this semester's proseminar is professional socialization topics--broadly construed.  The idea is to acquaint you with the things you should be doing while you are in graduate school to prepare yourself for the time when you go out on the job market and take your first job.  The time to start preparing is now, not once you have completed your master's or your area exams.  Building up the skills and record that will make you a good sociologist and a good job candidate is a long process and I hope our discussions this semester will help you see not only how to be a good graduate student, but also what you can do to prepare yourself for the next stage. 

 

The course consists of three components. 

 

First are the regular class meetings where I will discuss pertinent topics with you (see schedule below) and regale you with my own and other people's graduate school war stories.  We will meet weekly for this purpose. 

 

Second, as part of this course, you will also be required to attend the department colloquia which are held approximately every other week on Friday at 11:30.  In these sessions, an advanced graduate student or faculty member will present research-in-progress and the department provides everyone with a free lunch!  The schedule for these sessions will be distributed as soon as it is available.The location is usually in G-20 Flanner (in the basement).  The colloquia will expose you to intellectual exchange in the department and also help you learn what kind of research the faculty and other graduate students are currently conducting. 

 

Third, there are a series of readings and assignments that are required (details below).  The assignments must all be completed to satisfactorily complete the course.  I reserve the right to alter/add/subtract assignments as the course progresses. 

 

 

Required Texts:

 

Becker, Howard S. Writing for Social Scientists: How to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article.

 

American Sociological Association Style Guide. 2nd Edition.  (3rd edition is now available, but the bookstore ordered the 2nd edition, buy whichever you like).

 

Packet of Handouts/Readings available from the bookstore.  They may not be ready yet, so you may want to call before going over there. 

 

 

Assignments:

 

1. Do all the reading as assigned in the course schedule.  Notice that most weeks are very light on the reading but others are heavier, so please plan ahead. 

 

2. You must attend class and the departmental colloquia. 

 

3. After our field trip to the Library, I will assign a search engine exercise that will help you familiarize yourself with the main search databases used in sociological research. 

 

4. After we discuss CVs, you will be required to create a starter CV for yourself that you can add to as you move through graduate school. 

 

5.  We will have a writing/editing assignment in the writing section in which you will individually and collectively rewrite sections of a research paper that I will provide.  Detail on this will follow. 

 

6. You must complete the NIH on-line ethics training and show me your certificate of completion by the beginning of the class on Nov. 30.  I will discuss the details in class.

 

 

 

 

 

Course Schedule: (subject to modification)

 

Aug. 31: Organizational Meeting, Agenda Setting

·         New Doctorates in Sociology

·         Lessons Learned…

·         Tireless Research Assistant

·         A Higher Bar for Earning Tenure

·         Collegiality as a Tenure Battle Ground

·         ACE Report on Tenure Practices (Web)

 

Sept. 7: The MA Thesis: Topics, Advisors, Planning and Working, the Output

·         MA Thesis Guidelines (Web)

·         Sociology Department Graduate Guide (Web)

 

Sept. 14: Social Science Library Tips and Searching

            (Meet in Room 222 Main library 9:30-10:30; The time and date are subject to change as I am still trying to finalize with the library).

 

Sept. 21: Area Exams: Selecting Areas, Committees, Studying, Learning and Passing

·         Sample Answers

·         Sample Reading Lists (Web)

 

Sept. 28: CVs and Building Your Research Record I

·         Peruse Sample CVs

·         5-year Plan

·         Job Openings

·         Peruse Journal Ranks

 

Oct. 5: CVs and Building Your Research Record II

·         No new readings

 

Oct. 12: Getting Your Work Out I: Presenting, Conferences, and Professional Organizations

·         ASA Membership Forms (Web)

·         How to Review a Journal Article

·         Helpful Hints for Reviewers

·         Sample Reviews and Response Letter

·         Sample Revision Notes

 

Oct. 19: Getting Your Work Out II: The Publication Process

·         The Authorship Dilemma

·         Data Sharing and Authorship Credit

·         Co-Authorship Statement from U. Penn.

·         Memo on Data Ownership

 

Oct. 26: No Class--Fall Break

 

Nov. 2: Academic Writing I: What Do They Want?

·         Skim the style guide

·         Preparation Checklist

·         How to Write an Abstract

·         Guide for the Presentation an Analysis of Research

 

Nov. 9: Academic Writing II: Making It Better, Even Readable

·         Read Becker: Writing for Social Scientists

·         Research Newspeak

 

Nov. 16: Ethics and Human Subjects Review I: Mechanics

·         ASA Code of Ethics

·         ND Human Subjects Protocol Material and Exemption Request

 

Nov. 23: No Class—Thanksgiving

 

Nov. 30: Ethics and Human Subjects Review II: Issues and Case Studies

·         NIH training due today: http://cme.cancer.gov/clinicaltrials/learning/humanparticipant-protections.asp

·         Belmont Report

·         Case Studies (Charlie West and Judy Brewster)

 

Dec. 7: Catholic Sociology?  Understanding and Getting the Most out of Notre Dame

·         Ex Corde Ecclesiae

·         Ten Building Blocks of Catholic Social Teaching

 

Course Wrap up

·         Marx: 37 Moral Imperatives