Special Enrollment Procedures for Particular Sociology Courses
Certain courses in sociology require a selection process for admittance to the course. Those courses are listed below along with the relevant instructions and links to the forms or applications. Students should complete the appropriate forms and submit them as instructed, either online, to a Sociology Undergraduate Advisor in Barrows Hall, or via email to socadv@berkeley.edu. Students should also put their name on the TeleBEARS waitlist for the course in Phase II.
Sociology 107A (offered in Spring only)
Sociology H190A (offered in Fall only)
DE-Cal Group Independent Study (will open in a new window)
Sociology 101 (Sociological Theory)
Sociology 101 and 102 (formerly 101A and 101B) is a yearlong sequence course in sociological theory. As this is a required course for all sociology majors, there are special enrollment procedures to ensure that our majors, particularly graduating seniors, are given priority. If you wish to take Sociology 101 this term, you must do the following:
1) COMPLETE THE ONLINE FORM no later than Friday, December 18, 2009.
2) ENROLL/WAITLIST ON TELEBEARS:
SOCIOLOGY SENIORS: Declared sociology SENIORS should use TeleBEARS to enroll in Sociology 101 by Monday, January 4, 2010. After this deadline, you will no longer have priority as we fill the course with declared sociology juniors, sophomores and intended majors. You will be pre-enrolling for the lecture only. The required discussion section will be assigned based on a preference form you will complete at the first class meeting.
OTHERS: If you are a declared sociology JUNIOR or SOPHOMORE, INTENDED MAJOR, or OUTSIDE MAJOR, put your name on the TeleBEARS waitlist by Monday, January 4, 2010. PLEASE NOTE: In order to ensure that we accommodate all students who need this class, we process the waitlist manually, meaning that we analyze each student's particular status and situation rather than automatically admit students in order from the list. Thus, it does not matter what number you are on the waitlist, just that you are on it. We will first add any intended senior sociology majors from the waitlist and then as many sociology juniors (declared and intended) as we can after the deadline. If space permits, we will then add sociology sophomores from the waitlist. Please check BEAR-Facts during the first week of the Adjustment period (January 11-15th) to see if you've been added to the course. Outside majors will be considered as space permits during the first week of the semester.
3) ATTEND THE FIRST CLASS AND FILL OUT A DISCUSSION SECTION PREFERENCE FORM: All students must attend the first class meeting on Tuesday, January 19, 2010, and complete the Discussion Section Preference Form in class. This form will be used to assign sections after class. All students who do not submit this form in class will not be assigned a section and will be dropped. Come prepared to list all sections you can attend in priority order. Most students will be assigned to one of their first 3 choices, but please list more choices to ensure that you will get a section to keep the course.
Sociology 107A/B (Field Methods and Research: Participant Observation as part of the Bay Area Study Field Research Program)
Sociology 107A/B Application (PDF)
Please note: This course will not be offered for the Spring 2010-Fall 2010 sequence. This two-semester course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to learn the entire range of activities involved in doing field research using the participant observation method. One of the most exciting aspects of the course is that students will be a part of the 'Bay Area Study," an ethnographic research project on a topic that is chosen each year by the faculty and graduate students associated with the Center for Urban Ethnography. This year's topic is TBA.
Being involved with this study provides the students in the course with the opportunity to do actual fieldwork for a three-month period during their second semester. Few courses can offer this type of experience. Students who successfully complete this course will have gained the skills and expertise that is rare for undergraduates and should prove valuable in their futures. For example, having gained the skills to carry out sophisticated field research, the students will be in a very good position to either go on to do graduate work at top-rated graduate programs, or secure employment in a private or public research organization.
In the first semester, the course begins with the "nuts and bolts" of doing fieldwork. First, students will learn how to design a research project that will employ participant observation methods. Practical considerations like how one picks the site, where the research will be done, what to do before going to the field, what to take to the field, how to gain access to the people one needs to study, what to look for, how to record notes, what ethical considerations must be worked through will be presented. During this period students will be asked to read various articles on doing participant observation research. Some examples of these readings will be Burawoy on the "The Extended Case Method," Emerson on Writing Ethnographic Fieldnotes, Hammersley and Adkin's Ethnography: Principles in Practice. There will also be a series of readings concerning the practical problems that are confronted by researchers doing field research. This will be followed by a few readings from those studies that are considered the very best examples of ethnographic research such as Whyte's Street Corner Society, Suttles' Social Order of the Slum, Goffman's Asylums, Burawoy's Manufacturing Consent, Wacquant's "The Prizefighter's Three Bodies", etc.
In the latter part of the first semester, the students will be taught the computer program Folio Views. This is a program that is designed specifically for doing ethnographic research and the students will use this program to record their field notes while conducting research in the second semester. Finally, the students will be given a set of readings on the topic that will be researched starting in the Fall Semester. There will be a midterm and a final exam in the first semester.
In the second semester, there will be a review of the research question and the relevant theoretical and empirical studies having to do with it. Students will then decide what type of paper they will turn in near the end of the semester. Students will be given the option of either writing a paper on some aspect of the research they are conducting, or a paper that traces their research experience and discusses a number of issues or problems (substantive and methodological) that they encountered, as well as the solutions they developed to address them.
Students will then begin the process of choosing a specific site to do their research, and then commence the data-gathering part of the research. There will be a bi-weekly seminar designed to discuss various problems that the students may encounter and their experiences as they go along. There will be a GSI assigned to the course that will be in constant contact with all the students while they are in the field, answering their questions and helping them through any difficulties that they may be encountering between seminar meetings.
The last phase of this field research course will involve the students working to merge all of their individual data sets into a large and comprehensive one that will be accessible to all those interested in the topic. Synchronizing the various coding schemes used by the students and creating variable lists for purposes of analysis will occupy most of the students' time. For our last meeting we will celebrate with a little party, where we will share stories, eat, drink and be merry!
This program is open to all students who are interested in learning about participant observation field research through instruction and practical hands-on experience. We can accept 15 students into the program. No prior field methods experience is required. We are looking for students who are truly interested in participating fully in this year's "Bay Area Study" and who can commit to the program for the entire year (Spring 2010 - Fall 2010). Some priority will be given to Sociology majors, though we anticipate there will be room for other majors as well.
If interested in this program, please complete an application for the course, available in the Advising reception area or on the website, and return it to an advisor in Barrows Hall by December 12, 2008. If more than 15 students apply, decisions on who will be accepted to the program will be made in December. Students should add their name to the TeleBears waitlist for the course during Phase II so they can be officially added to the course when enrollment decisions are made. For more information, please contact one of the Undergraduate Advisors.
Sociology 190 Seminars
Enrollment in Sociology 190 seminars is done manually in order to ensure placement for those who are graduating majors and those considered high priority in needing to fulfill this major requirement. We are usually able to accommodate most students. The procedures are as follows:
• Go to the Sociology Department website, http://sociology.berkeley.edu/courses/, and click on the Websites and Syllabi link (when available). Review the Soc 190 syllabi before deciding which ones you are interested in taking.
• Complete the ONLINE FORM. Be sure to submit this form by the deadline, Sunday Jan. 10, 2010, after which decisions will be made.
• Add your name to the waitlist on TeleBears for the seminar you have been admitted to and/or are interested in taking before classes begin. You will be officially added to the course from the waitlist before it meets the first week of school. You then must attend the class during the first 2 weeks or you will be dropped from the course.
• Students will be placed into seminars after the Jan. 10 deadline. We will admit up to ~75% of the available space, prior to classes beginning. Priority is given to declared sociology majors who have not satisfied the seminar requirement - graduating seniors first, then seniors graduating the next semester, etc. After these students are accommodated, other students will be considered as space opens once the class begins. Students will receive an email informing them of these decisions prior to the semester start.
• If you are interested in more than one seminar, you must indicate your preferences on the enrollment form. You will be added to only one seminar. We will do our best to add students to their top choice, but cannot guarantee this. You may take more than one seminar if there is space in another after all other students are added.
Instructors will fill up the remaining seats with students who are on the waitlist and are attending the class, according to the priorities listed above, after the first class has met.
Sociology H190A (Senior Honors Program)
Applications for the 2010-2011 Seniors Honors Program will be available in early Spring.
Sample Syllabus for H190A
Sample Syllabus for H190B
IMPORTANT NOTICE: An Information Session for potential sociology honor students for 2010-2011 will be held in the Spring in Barrows Hall(date TBA). Students are strongly encouraged to attend this meeting. Both professors will be at this meeting, and it will be a great opportunity to find out more about the program, the course, and ways to prepare for the experience.
The Sociology Senior Honors Program provides an opportunity for senior sociology majors who are accepted into the program to write an honors thesis. Honors students participate in the yearlong Senior Honors Seminar, Sociology H190A (4 units) in the fall and H190B (5 units) in the spring. Each student conducts an independent research project as part of their participation in the seminar, and writes an honors thesis (minimum 35-page paper of acceptable honors quality). One grade is assigned for 9 credits upon completion of H190B, based primarily on the thesis paper and participation in the course. Sociology H190A fulfills an elective in the major, and H190B fulfills either a seminar or elective requirement. Students earn honors in the sociology major by successfully completing this course and the thesis, as well as maintaining the required 3.5 GPA in the major and 3.3 cumulative GPA.
Sociology H190A/B is offered as two small sections, limited to 15 students each. Both sections will meet on Tuesdays from 12-2pm.
ELIBIGILITY REQUIREMENTS:
Minimum 3.3 cumulative g.p.a at the time of enrollment
Minimum 3.5 major g.p.a. at the time of enrollment
Successful completion of at least 4 upper division Sociology classes
Students must graduate no later than the Fall following completion of the program
Acceptance of strong honors proposal submitted with application
Admittance into the Senior Honors Program is determined by a committee, which includes the two instructors. This committee reviews the applications anonymously and decides which students will be admitted to the course. This committee will consider topic areas, possible research methods, degree of preparation, and clarity of expression in making these decisions. There will be a selection process based on the information provided in the application and proposal. If there are fewer than 30 qualified applicants in the first round of applications, the committee will consider opening the application pool in early August to consider revised proposals and the proposals of students who have become eligible for the honors thesis seminar after taking summer classes.
Applications are due in the Undergraduate Advising Office in late May. Applications will be reviewed by the committee in mid-June after grades are posted. The committee will also decide which section/instructor to assign each admitted student to, usually based on subject and methods areas indicated in the proposal. Students will be notified by email in early July in time to register for the course during Phase II. Students will be given the appropriate Course Entry Code for their assigned section to add on TeleBEARS.
Soc 98, 197, 198, 199 (Independent Study Courses)
Independent Study Applications (PDF) are available outside 450 Barrows.DEADLINE FOR SPRING 2010 SOC 197 and 198 INDEPENDENT STUDY APPLICATIONS: February 2010 (exact due date TBD)
DEADLINE FOR SPRING 2010 SOC 98 and 198 DE-CAL APPLICATIONS: October 30, 2009
Sociology 197: Field Study
Catalog Description: Field Study in Sociology. (1-4 units) Course may be repeated for credit. Must be taken on a passed/not passed basis. Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor. Supervised experience relevant to specific aspects of sociology in off-campus organizations. Regular individual meetings with faculty sponsor and written reports required. (F,SP)
Please see an Undergraduate Advisor in 424/426 Barrows Hall for more information.
Sociology 198: Group Study
Catalog Description: Directed Group Study for Undergraduates. (1-4 units) Course may be repeated for credit. Individual conferences. Must be taken on a passed/not passed basis. Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or and consent of instructor. Group studies of selected topics which vary over time. (F,SP)
DECALS: If you would like the Sociology department to host your De-Cal, please pick up a De-Cal packet outside of our Curriculum Office, 492 Barrows DEADLINE FOR SPRING 2010 DE-CAL APPLICATIONS: Oct. 30, 2009.
PREVIOUS SOCIOLOGY 198 COURSES (may be offered again in the future):
Graduate School Mentoring for Undergraduates
This is a course designed to help students think about and prepare for applying to graduate school. It is not intended for students who are currently applying, and have applications due in the next few months. All students are welcome to attend the eight Open Forums without being enrolled in the class.
May be offered in Fall 2009. Please inquire at socadv@berkeley.edu.
Sociology 199: Independent Study
Independent Study Application (PDF)
DEADLINE FOR SPRING 2010 INDEPENDENT STUDIES: February 2010 (exact due date TBD).
Catalog Description: Supervised Independent Study and Research. (1-4 units) Course may be repeated for credit. Individual conferences. Must be taken on a passed/not passed basis. Prerequisites: 1 or 3 or 3AC or consent of instructor. Enrollment restrictions apply; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of the general catalog. (F,SP)
Additional Information: Independent Study is specialized study between 1 and 4 units arranged by a student or group of students in conjunction with a faculty member or current visiting lecturer in studying a particular area of interest. Students must have completed at least 60 units, have a GPA of 2.0 or above and should come prepared with some idea of areas of interest in which they would like to pursue further study. Students may also earn units in Field Studies via a job, internship or volunteer position they currently hold by writing about this experience and its relevance to the field of sociology. Unit value of a particular Independent Study course is arranged with the faculty sponsor. The workload determination should take into consideration the following formula: 1 unit = 3 hours of work per week over the 15 week semester (including meetings with the faculty member, research, etc.). All Independent Study courses must be taken Pass/No Pass, and a maximum of 16 units of Independent Study may be counted toward the requirements of a Bachelor's degree. A list of faculty and their areas of specialization and research interests is available for reference. Application requires faculty sponsorship and approval of the Department Chair, which can take up to two weeks. Once the Chair's approval is received, the student will be given a course control number in order to add the course via Tele-BEARS or petition. Applications are available outside 450 Barrows.