Undergraduate Studies
at
Washington State University
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Experiential learning takes education out of the classroom and into the world. Experiential learning courses can help students apply academic learning in their communities and workplaces, or involve them in hands-on research. The Department of Sociology offers a variety of experiential learning opportunities. We strongly encourage students to take advantage of at least one of these opportunities while at WSU: Connecting Learning with Careers, Connecting Learning with Research, Connecting Learning with Communities.
Connecting Learning with Careers: Internship Opportunities
Capstone: Internship
The capstone internship helps students connect their theoretical knowledge and tools to life in the workplace. Students must have completed Soc 310 (theory), Soc 317 (research methods), and Soc 321 (statistics) before taking this course. Students should contact Christine Oakley to discuss their internship interests. This course fulfills the capstone requirement for sociology majors.
Soc 495: Internship
The general internship has two goals: 1) to provide opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in professional work environments related to their work and career interests, and 2) to provide working students with the opportunity to use sociological tools to reflect on their work experience. Depending on student interest and instructor requirements, any particular internship may reflect one or the other of these goals. Students may receive up to 12 hours of non-graded course credit. Students should contact to discuss their internship interests.
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Connecting Learning with Research: Research Assistantships
Capstone: Research Practicum
This course will be offered for the first time in Spring 2009. Students will engage in hands-on research with a member of the sociology faculty current conducting world class research. Topics will vary based on faculty research interests. Students must have completed Soc 310 (theory), Soc 317 (research methods), and Soc 321 (statistics) before taking this course. This course fulfills the capstone requirement for sociology majors.
Soc 498: Research Assistantship
The Sociology Department at WSU has a diverse and energetic faculty who are actively engaged in a variety of research projects. Their work provides opportunities for student training and research experience. Highly capable undergraduate students may apply for positions as research assistants for up to two semesters. The goal is to provide research experience for those interested in further graduate training. Students may receive 3 credit hours (repeatable for up to 6 credits) by registering for Soc 498. Interested students should complete an application (including faculty recommendations) in the spring the year before the desired assistantship will occur.
A variety of opportunities are available. For example, students may:
Work on Kim Lloyd's tombstone project. The primary purpose of the project is to use cemetery headstone inscriptions to discover the ways in which individuals express the salient roles in their lifetime. In essence, Dr. Lloyd is interested in understanding how social structural changes have affected what people view as the most important part of their identity. Under Dr. Lloyd's direction, a team of undergraduate and graduate work to retrieve and input cemetery data.
Join Christine Horne's lab group. Projects are diverse. Whatever the substantive issues, the lab group focuses on using experimental methods to understand them. The group includes both graduate and undergraduate students. Undergraduate research assistants will participate in lab group meetings and will be have opportunities to work with graduate students on all aspects of the experiments.
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Connecting Learning with Communities: Service Learning Courses Service learning courses offer students the opportunity to make a difference in the community. The Department of Sociology currently offers several service learning opportunities:
Soc 102: Social Problems
All sections of Social Problems include a 10 hour service learning component. Students may choose to complete the service learning component or to complete an alternative assignment. The course offers students an opportunity to connect their academic learning about social problems with what is happening in the community.
Soc 433: Urbanization and Community Organization
How we identify something as a “community” may reflect the processes of urbanization, the urban/rural divide, or the spatial locations of those who share certain characteristics. “Community” may also be reflected in and defined by the strategies used to bring about social change and ultimately social justice. Throughout the semester we discuss theoretical perspectives and empirical research on urbanization, community, organizing for social change and civic engagement. Experience-based learning grounds our theoretical debates in every day life. Participation in community related projects that advocate for social change enhance students' understanding of “classroom” materials, and reciprocally students' academic knowledge enables them to critically think about their civic engagement work.
Soc 496: Capstone: From Theory to Practice - The Sociology of Service
Students spend a lot of time in their sociology courses talking about social problems and the structural causes of those problems. They spend much less time discussing solutions and their own potential role in producing social change. This course takes theoretical knowledge from the classroom and into the community. Student connect theoretical approaches to solving problems with on-the-ground efforts in community-based organizations. Students also explore how they might increase their own capacity to contribute to their communities either as volunteers or as part of a career. Students must have completed Soc 310 (theory), Soc 317 (research methods), and Soc 321 (statistics) before taking this course. This course fulfills the capstone requirement for sociology majors.
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Contact us: soc@wsu.edu, Voice: 509.335.4595, Fax: 509.335.6419, Accessibility | Policies | Copyright
Sociology Department, PO Box 644020, Washington State University, Pullman, WA 99164-4020 USA
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