Special Programs

Study Abroad - EAP & OAP

The Sociology department encourages students to study abroad. Visit Sociology's UCSD Programs Abroad webpage for details and step-by-step instructions.

All courses taken through EAP are considered UC courses for which UC credit is earned and grades are directly recorded on the transcript and are factored into your UCSD overall GPA. However, the Department of Sociology independently determines which courses may be applied to the major. This decision is made in response to a general petition submitted after students return.

In the case of course work completed through OAP, the UCSD Admissions Office is responsible for decisions on the transfer of credits into UCSD and onto the UCSD academic record (transcripts). Credits transferred through the Opportunities Abroad Program appear on UCSD transcripts with course titles and units transferred. Grades from OAP courses will appear on the transcript from the institution where the work was completed, but these grades are not recorded on the UCSD transcript, nor are they factored into the cumulative UCSD grade-point average (GPA). After the admissions office's acceptance of course units, the Department of Sociology independently determines which courses may be applied to the major.

 

Petitioning Course Work Completed Abroad

To apply course work completed abroad toward a major or minor in sociology, students must submit a general petition to the department after they return and the coursework has appeared on their degree audit. The petition should include: name of the study center or university where course work was completed, department course number and course title, and number and level (upper- or lower-division) of credits granted at UCSD through admissions or EAP. Students should attach a copy of the syllabus and copies of exams or papers, especially if there is any doubt about the difficulty of the course or its sociological content.

Students are strongly advised to retain the syllabi, course papers, examinations, and all other paperwork from courses taken abroad. These materials may be useful after you return to facilitate the admissions officer's decision about credit transfers (in the case of OAP programs), as well as departmental approval of courses toward the major for EAP and OAP students. The same materials may help resolve any debates that might arise in the department over possible duplication in course content.

If you are planning to use credits earned abroad toward your major or toward graduation, you are strongly encouraged to confirm before you go abroad, with the Admissions Office (in the case of OAP programs) and the department, that the courses you plan to take are likely to be accepted.

Maximum Transfer Credits

Sociology majors may, with permission obtained through student petitions, take up to four required courses for the major while abroad. There is considerable flexibility on the sociology courses that the department will accept. Students are encouraged to take courses that have a sociological approach, not simply those that are just about sociology.

Please Note: The department does not make the decision on a simple "four units earned equal one course" formula. In general, most yearlong courses are more closely equivalent to two 'four-unit' courses than to three 'four-unit' courses (even when year-long courses appear on transcripts as twelve quarter units). Semester courses, which transfer onto the transcript as six-unit courses, do not necessarily become the equivalent of one and a half UCSD sociology courses. More typically, it's one course equivalent per semester course taken.

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Independent Research - Special Studies (SOCI 199)

Special studies courses give students the rare opportunity to explore in more detail what they have learned in the classroom. Students engage in field research in a topic of their choice, under the guidance of a faculty member. If a student wants to work individually with a professor, they enroll in SOCI 199, Independent Study. If several students want to work as a team on the same project, they take SOCI 198, Group Independent Study.

To enroll, a special studies application must be submitted to the Registrar's Office before the end of the add/drop period. Read the step-by-step instruction sheet, then fill out the special studies application Special Studies 199 Form . Students should meet with a professor who has either performed research in an area they would like to pursue, or a professor whose course they have previously taken and enjoyed. The student and professor will decide together on a project proposal, including the objective, the method by which it will be carried out, and the type of finished product (paper, artifact, etc.) that will be submitted. The instructor must provide a reading list. Once both student and faculty sponsor have completed and signed the special studies form, it should be given to the undergraduate coordinator, who will obtain the necessary approvals in the department. When this is completed the form will be ready to take to the Registrar's Office for official enrollment in either SOCI 198 or SOCI 199. Plan early, allowing time for the proposal to be developed, signatures to be obtained, etc.

Special study courses are highly recommended by the department. A special studies course may be used to satisfy one of the seven upper-division electives for sociology majors. Remember, special studies courses are taken P/NP, so only one may be used towards the major.

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Academic Internship

Students interested in sociology should consider the possibility of an internship sometime during the course of their undergraduate years. The benefits of an internship are considerable: career sampling, resume enhancement, and personal growth.

Most undergraduates consider several career options before making a final--or not so final--choice. An internship can be used as a device to test a field as part of the process of making a rational decision about one's future. Although internships do not, as a general rule, offer students all the responsibilities associated with full-time jobs, they do not usually involve all of the pressures of a full-time assignment either. What they do offer, however, is an opportunity to get some substantive experience, while observing firsthand the relationship between the content of a career and the lifestyle choices associated with it.

An internship in any field improves the perceived qualifications of a job applicant. It is seen as an indicator of serious interest; it represents an attempt at careful career preparation. If the internship is in the field in which an application for employment is being proffered, the applicant appears to have reached his or her career choice on the basis of a real and positive experience.

Finally, an internship can be a great experience. It is a change from the lifestyle of the university. It usually puts one in contact with persons of more varied age and experience levels than those found in the context of undergraduate life. It offers a taste of "real life." It may serve to confirm a suspected interest. If it does not, it may be of even greater value: it can save a student from seeking a job in an area that he or she might not enjoy.

Most internships need to be set up in advance, so be sure to plan ahead by one or two quarters. For more information on internships, visit the UCSD Academic Internship Program or go to the Academic Internship Office located in the literature building. You can also look into other internships offered through the Career Services Center.

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Research Paper Award

Each year, the sociology department presents an award for the best research paper written by an undergraduate sociology major for a sociology course during the year. Sociology instructors are requested to submit nominations and the selected papers are reviewed and voted on by the Undergraduate Program Committee. If your professor raves about one of your papers, ask them if they would consider nominating it for the yearly Paper Prize. A gift card for the UCSD bookstore along with an award certificate, is presented to the winner at the end of the year.

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