• People
• Research & Centers
• Graduate Program
• Undergraduate Program
• News & Events
• About Us
  • Mission
  • History
• Make a Gift

---

Home>Undergrad Programs>Major: Major Project Seminar Course

Major Project Seminar Course

 

Sociology Capstone: Information & Options

The major project is your chance to answer questions and explore sociological topics that interest you. It is an opportunity to focus on a research question that really interests you and to synthesize it into a polished thesis. Many students finish the Major-Project Seminar requirement feeling it was one of the best experiences of their undergraduate careers.

All Sociology majors must complete Soc 4966W Major Project Seminar in Sociology. The three exceptions to this are:

1) Students will notify Sociology Advising two semesters ahead of taking the Major Project Seminar course. This helps us with planning for section availability, and also gives us a list of student records to reveiw in preparation for giving out the permission numbers for the course.

2) Students who will be completing a Major Project in a 2^nd major within CLA
Students who will be completing their Major Project in a 2^nd CLA major are required to take an additional Sociology elective and notify Sociology advising about this decision.  With questions, please contact Sociology Advising for details. 

3) Honors students
 Honors students will be expected to complete the two semester Senior Honors Promseminar series. These projects differ slightly from the Major Project Seminar. See the Honors page for further elaboration of the Honors thesis.

4) Students who will be completing an alternative Major Project option: Students on the clearance list for that semester would receive information about these options approximately 2 weeks prior to the registration for that semester. With questions, please contact Sociology Advising for details.

Additional Course Option (Soc 4967W): In the regular academic year, we may have an opportunity to offer sociology elective courses through which the Major-Project paper may be written. This course must be an ADDITIONAL elective to your requirements. The paper will be in addition to the course's requirements. Therefore, you would register for this additional credit under Soc 4967W. The student enrolling in the course must be prepared to complete all the requirements for the course, including exams and other assignments, and, in addition, must choose a research question on a topic related to the subject matter of the course. This is done after consultation with the professor. Students pursuing this option must register for the course plus one additional credit for writing the paper. These courses are usually specifically designated prior to registration.

Directed Research Project Option (Soc 4094W): Students who have a faculty who would be willing to work with them individually for 4 credits of a Major Project research option may complete an Independent Study contract form with the faculty member to work on their project without a course.

Prerequisites:

See "Are you ready?" to be sure you are prepared

Sociology advisors keep a semester-specific list of students according to when they anticipated completing the senior paper during their declaration appointment. This list helps the department arrange for enough spaces to be available for all students who wish to do the project in a given semester. Since there is so much demand for this requirement, you are strongly encouraged to put your name on the waiting list at least two semesters in advance. Therefore, if your plans have changed since your major declaration appointment, you will want to notify Sociology Advising.

Goals of the Sociology Major-Project Seminar

This requirement is intended to be an important part of your sociology major. Some of our goals for your experience in doing the Major-Project Seminar include the abilities to:

• Pose a researchable question
• Integrate ideas and theories; use research skills and apply them to a specific theoretical problem
• Integrate data and empirical evidence to answer sociological questions
• Gain practice in the critical evaluation of research findings/data
• Understand the sociological perspective and how to use it in developing sociological research
• Develop a paper which could become part of your application for graduate school or the basis for a presentation at a professional meeting.

The Major Project Seminar is taught by members of the faculty, and occasionally by advanced graduate students. Beginning Fall 2011, each seminar is limited to 60 students. Each student in the seminar has his/her own research question on which s/he focuses.

Sometimes students ask whether they may write their major project paper about a service learning, internship or work experience. Students can use the experience of an internship as a starting point - an idea source, the internship agency as a data source, or as a motivating factor for learning about something related to the practical experience gained through the internship. The Major-Project Seminar paper, however, is more than a report about an internship. The Major-Project Seminar paper is based on a research question that will require you to gather or look at data in order to answer it.

The Major-Project Seminar in sociology is meant to be a capstone in your major. Each student's Major-Project Seminar will be unique. The faculty member who leads your Major-Project Seminar will give you specific information, guidelines, and guidance, which you should follow as you develop your own paper.

We hope you enjoy the experience of working closely with your classmates and a faculty member in this way, and that in the process of sharing the experience with other students in sociology you will learn even more about this exciting discipline you have chosen as your major.

Seminar Faculty

Our faculty represent many research areas. It is possible that the faculty member who leads your seminar is not totally familiar with the substantive material about which you have chosen to write. To supplement your experience in the Major-Project Seminar, you may wish to talk with other faculty about the research question you have chosen. During their office hours, visit a faculty member whose research interests are similar to yours. (You can find information about the faculty's research interests by consulting the Department's annual Faculty Research Activities brochure, available from the main office.) Office hours for all sociology faculty are available in the main office, 909 Social Sciences.

Preparation

In addition to prerequisite coursework, there are other steps you can take to prepare for the Major-Project Seminar. Some suggestions include

• Keep a list of authors and interesting articles you've read
• Be alert to the applicability of sociology in your everyday life. Make note of situations that motivate you to think about the reasons for their occurrence
• Write down the research questions that occur to you that you'd like to explore. What literature and data do you need to answer these questions? What methods would you use to obtain these answers?
• When you write papers or conduct research projects, think about ways you could extend those papers/projects for your Major-Project Seminar
• Keep your notes and books from statistics and research methods courses. You will most likely refer to them for your major project
• When you decide on an idea for our Major-Project Seminar, go to the library and search for sources related to this topic. Develop a short bibliography to use as a basis for the research you will do when you begin your project.

When you choose a research question for your Major-Project Seminar, it's important to select one that really interests you. The Major-Project Seminar is extremely labor-intensive. You will spend the semester working intensively on your project. If you are like most people, you'll feel especially motivated if you focus on a research question and subject that deeply interest you.

At the same time, try to choose both a narrow question and a question that can be answered with information to which you have access.

Human Subjects Approval May Be Needed - Plan Ahead!

Students MUST consult with their faculty advisor BEFORE beginning ANY research involving human subjects. Students do not need to seek additional approval from the Institutional Review Board/Human Subjects Committee if their research falls within the guidelines of the class protocol. Data involving children, prison inmates, or other vulnerable populations, or research involving sensitive issues (sexuality, criminal behavior, etc.) can only be collected if the project has gone through a full review (a process that typically takes months) and has been approved by the committee. You must start the review before the semester begins if you want to talk to, or observe, children, inmates, or other vulnerable populations. Application forms for the Human Subjects Committee are available from the department administrator in 909 Social Sciences. You are strongly encouraged to consult with a faculty member before beginning this approval process.

Further Information

For further information you may wish to talk with Sociology Department advisors using walk-in hours or call 612-624-4300 to schedule an appointment. Please remember, we need your help in planning enough sections to accommodate you for the semester in which you want to write your major project paper. You must contact Sociology Advising to sign up for the Major-Project Seminar at least two semesters before you want to register.