DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY
Senior Honors Thesis Program
The Sociology Senior Honors Thesis Program provides an enriched research experience for Sociology majors. Students accepted into the program work toward the completion of an undergraduate level thesis under the tutorial direction of a tenured or tenure-track faculty member. Students participate in every facet of the research enterprise, from identifying and operationalizing an idea, to collecting and analyzing data. Students write up their thesis in the form of an American Sociological Association (ASA) publishable paper. This type of research experience and its written product can be an important component, if not provide a winning edge, to a student’s application for a graduate school scholarship or for a competitive job.
Applications for the Senior Honors Thesis Program will be accepted until April 3, 2006. A packet of statements from tenured and tenure-track Sociology faculty who are available to serve as research tutors in the program, describing their general research interest and current projects, can be found by following the link below. Interested students should identify prospective faculty with compatible research interests and meet with them to select a senior thesis tutor and obtain his or her written agreement to serve in that capacity.
Highest priority of acceptance will be given to students who have full major status in Sociology at the University of Utah at the beginning of Fall Semester 2005. Student applicants must also have completed or will complete SOC 3111 (Research Methods) and SOC 3112 (Social Statistics) by the end of Fall Semester 2006. Acceptance into the program will also be based on a student’s GPA, the degree of progress and performance of the student in the overall Sociology program, and a one or two-paged typed essay concisely indicating the student’s goals, research and career interests, and relevant prior experiences. The application form must include a short project description and signature from the faculty member who is willing to serve as the student’s senior thesis tutor. Applicants should submit their University transcript, essay, and application with faculty tutor agreements, to the Sociology Undergraduate Advisor who is also available to answer questions and provide assistance in preparing student applications. Applications will be reviewed by the Department’s Undergraduate Committee shortly after April 3rd, 2006, and students will then be notified of their acceptance into the program.
Students accepted into the program must enroll during Fall Semester 2006 for 3 credits of SOC 3877 (Pre-Senior Thesis Seminar), with the consent of their tutor. During Spring Semester 2007, the student must enroll for an additional 3 credits in SOC 4877 (Senior Thesis), again with the consent of their tutor. If possible, students enrolled in the program will occasionally meet together as a group in Fall Semester 2006 and Spring Semester 2007 with their tutors to discuss students’ research projects and progress towards completion. Near the end of Spring Semester 2007, students will give an oral presentation of the results of their senior thesis. The student’s faculty tutor will assign grades for SOC 3877 and SOC 4877.
Application Form and Checklist
Questions? Email the Advisor at socadv@soc.utah.edu