Sociology student, Kimiko Lew with Dr. Kevin Mihata and
OFCCP Supervisor Walt Trimble on the last day of OFCCP Practicum
in Spring 2007.
Benefits
for Students
Time
Commitment
Credits
How
to Register
“What
do I do with a degree in sociology?” is a common
question students ask. Many sociology majors try to answer
this question by searching for internships in the hopes of
gaining career training. While some internships provide great
career training, many are disconnected from sociological study.
In contrast, SOC 494 Practica courses immerse students in
sociological projects that help meet the goals of local businesses
and organizations. Students leave each practicum with new
connections in the community, developed skills-sets, and a
deepened understanding of sociological inquiry and study.
Each
practicum is different. Students in each practicum
attend a weekly seminar specifically designed to prepare them
to do a sociology-related project for an organization in the
greater Seattle area. We carefully select and build partnerships
with these organizations with the goal of involving our majors
on projects that use and develop their major skill-sets and
provide them with a holistic understanding of the discipline.
Practica projects are designed to address real issues facing
participating partners and their communities. As a result,
project outcomes have a direct impact on the organizations
and the communities they serve.
Sociology
student Robin Marolla interviews a health service provider
as part a Practicum in Health and Community research project
in partnership with Making Connections.
Benefits
for Students
Students
who take Practica courses benefit by developing an understanding
of what they want to do when they graduate, as well as what
they are capable of doing with their degree in sociology.
The practicum experience not only prepares students for the
career world by helping to develop the major skill-set, it
also prepares students for doing research and study in graduate
and professional schools.
In
Practica courses, students work in teams to complete sociology-related
projects for a partnering business or community organization.
Students also attend a class that provides training for these
projects as well as connects the Practica projects to current
sociological research in the field.
Practica are
designed to meet all 5 major learning goals of the sociology
undergraduate program. Students will be able to:
- Possess a coherent understanding of the sociological perspective;
- Possess analytic skills necessary to understand and evaluate
sociological arguments and relevant empirical evidence;
- Possess oral and written communication skills necessary
to effectively convey, explain and evaluate sociological
arguments and the empirical evidence relevant to them;
- Be prepared for meaningful careers in occumpations that
draw on a sociological background;
- Be thoughtful citizens of the world.
Students
in Practica courses have learned how to:
- Connect
their sociology coursework to the real world
- Design
and execute program studies/assessment
- Interview
study participants
- Survey
study participants
- Design, coordinate,
and conduct focus groups
- Code
data
- Analyze
data
- Write
professional reports based on Practica-designed studies
and current research
- Tutor
- Teach
- Incorporate
current research into practical strategies
- Navigate
and mediate between different personalities and needs in
businesses
- Solve problems
creatively
- Bridge
cultural differences
- Network
in a professional and intellectual community
- Assess
the effectiveness of their own professional ideas and actions
- Work
for social change and justice
- Impact
people in the community in positive ways
- Expand their resume
with skills learned above!
Time
Commitment:
Depending
on the practicum project, timelines and time spent on site
may vary. It's important to remember that projects are designed
to meet the needs of both students and partnering organizations.
Though it is technically a class, the practicum is structured
as though you are working in the "real world"--because
you will be.
In
general, students must commit to the following:
- Weekly
seminar: 2-4 hours/week plus coursework designed to prepare
students to execute sociology related projects;
- On-site work at
the partnering business or organization: minimum 25 hours/quarter
Special
note for research practicums:
In a research practicum,
everyone is expected to work together, as a research team,
to accomplish the research goals. The instructor will act
as a supervisor, guiding your work throughout the quarter.
Ultimately, however, you as a class are responsible for the
direction of this research and you will be expected to take
quite a bit of initiative in order to solve problems and get
things done.
When doing research,
students should not expect a rigid timeline. By nature, practical
reserach is not predictable; tasks may be more or less difficult
to complete than originally anticipated, and sometimes initial
findings might lead a researcher to generate new ways to answer
the research question. Students will not necessarily know
what work they will be expected to do from one week to the
next. If you need structure, this class is probably not for
you. If you need room to slack, this class is definitely not
for you. Though the expectations are high, the rewards are
also high if you are willing to put in the effort.
SOC
494 Practica credits are graded. They fulfill:
- 5 sociology credits
that can be applied toward the sociology major's advanced
coursework requirement
- 5 credits of Individuals
and Societies (I&S)
Students
may register for up to 2 different practica.
Only 5 credits can be applied towards the upper-division coursework
requirement.
Sociology
Practica are open to all Sociology Majors in period I. No applications are required to register. During period III
registration, classes may open to non-majors. To get on a
waitlist, or for more information, contact socprac@u.washington.edu.
All
practica are listed in the time schedule under SOC
494. There may be more than one practica listed with
different names under diffferent section numbers. If the sections
have the same name (such as the Practica in Education) that
means that these are different sections only; the content
in each section is exactly the same.
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