Sociology
Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Loeb Building B742
Telephone: 613-520-2582
Fax: 613-520-4062
carleton.ca/socanth
The Department
Chair of the Department: P. Gose
Coordinator of Graduate Programs in Sociology: J.
Siltanen
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology offers programs
of advanced study and research leading to the M.A. and the
Ph.D. degrees in Sociology, and the M.A. in Anthropology. This section provides information on the degrees offered in the Sociology programs. For information about graduate Anthropology programs, visit the Anthropology program section of this Calendar.
The principal focus of the graduate programs in sociology is
the organization and development of contemporary societies in
comparative context and with particular reference to Canadian
society. The programs specialize in four fields: theory and methodology, stratification and power, cultural studies, and applied social research. See the department website for detailed descriptions of the fields and the variety of sub-fields sub-subsumed under these four areas. In addition, the Master of Arts in Sociology offers a concentration in quantitative methodology, and the Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology offers a collaborative specialization in political economy.
The anthropology program focuses on the social and cultural
other, including its popular and scholarly representations,
through current emphasis on three fields of study:
- the the anthropology of signs and symbols
- the anthropology of indigenous peoples
- the anthropology of development and
underdevelopment
The department strives to achieve a blend of research and
formal graduate instruction in its graduate programs.
Qualifying-Year Program
Applicants with general (three-year) bachelor's degrees may
be admitted into a qualifying-year program designed to raise
their standing to honours status. Students earning at least
high honours standing in their qualifying-year courses will be
considered for admission into the master's program.
Refer to the General Regulations section of this Calendar
for details of the regulations governing the qualifying
year.
Master of Arts in Sociology
Admission Requirements
The requirement for admission into the master's program is a
B.A.(Honours) (or the equivalent) with at least high honours
standing in sociology or a closely-related field. Where
relevant, previous professional experience will be taken into
account in determining an applicant's standing on
admission.
Application deadlines can be found at https://gsapplications.carleton.ca .
Program Requirements
Master's students in sociology are required to select and
follow one of the optional program patterns below, chosen in
consultation with a graduate adviser:
Thesis Program
5.0 credits including:
- 3.0 credits. Under certain circumstances one of the
courses may be selected from those offered at the senior
undergraduate level. SOCI 5005 and SOCI 5809 are highly
recommended, especially for students who at the time of
registration have not decided on a thesis topic;
- A thesis equivalent to 2.0 credits; and
- An oral examination on the candidate's thesis and
program.
Research Essay Program
5.0 credits including:
- 4.0 credits. Under certain circumstances one of the
courses may be selected from those offered at the senior
undergraduate level. SOCI 5809, is highly recommended,
especially for students who at the time of initial
registration have not decided on a research topic;
- A research essay equivalent to 1.0 credit; and
- An oral examination on the candidate's research essay
and program.
Course Work Program
- 5.0 credits excluding SOCI 5905. Under certain
circumstances one of the courses may be selected from those
offered at the senior undergraduate level; and
- Written and oral comprehensive examination in the
candidate's area of specialization and program.
Concentration in Quantitative Methodology
Students in either the research essay or thesis program
options may pursue a concentration in quantitative methodology.
For a concentration in quantitative methodology, courses
selected must include the following:
- SOCI 5005;
- SOCI 5809;
- At least 1.0 credit selected from: SOCI 5101, SOCI
5102, SOCI 5103 SOCI 5104, SOCI 5105, SOCI 5201 SOCI 5605;
and
- At least 1.0 credit in sociology at the graduate level
(not including those listed above).
Students in the Concentration in Quantitative Methodology
may apply for admission into a Cooperative Education option.
This option provides an opportunity for students to enhance
their educational experience through a work placement directly
related to their area of interest and expertise. Once admitted
into this option, students shall enrol in SOCI 5907. The
conditions of the placement are arranged with the student's
supervisor and the graduate coordinator. Grades for the
cooperative education placement are assigned in consultation
between the placement supervisor and the graduate coordinator.
Placements can be held for up to two academic terms and count
for 1.0 credit.
Transfer from Thesis to Course Work M.A.
Students who choose to change from the thesis to the course
work program must normally do so before registering for a third
term after initial, full-time registration, or before
registering for a fifth term after initial part-time
registration.
Academic Standing
A grade of B- or better must normally be obtained in each
credit counted toward the master's degree. With the
recommendation of the department, and permission of the Dean of
the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, a candidate may
be allowed a grade of C+ in 1.0 credit.
Ph.D. in Sociology
The substantive focus of the Ph.D. program is the
organization and development of contemporary societies, both in
a comparative context and with particular reference to Canadian
society.
The Ph.D. program in sociology normally will be undertaken
on a full-time basis; however in exceptional cases the
department will consider admission on a part-time basis.
Admission Requirements
The minimum requirement for admission into the Ph.D. program
is a master's degree (or the equivalent) in sociology, normally
with a minimum average of B+ in courses (including the thesis
where applicable), and with no grade below B.
Applicants who have deficiencies in certain areas may be
admitted to the Ph.D. program, but will normally be required to
complete additional course work.
Application deadlines can be found at https://gsapplications.carleton.ca . Program Requirements
The program requirements of the Department of Sociology and
Anthropology are:
- 10.0 credits including SOCI 6000, and a thesis
equivalent to a maximum of 7.0 credits or a minimum of 5.0
credits;
- Written and oral comprehensive examinations in two
areas of specialization;
- Presentation of a thesis proposal;
- Language requirements as stated below; and
- An oral defence of the thesis.
Comprehensive Examinations
Each Ph.D. candidate is required to write comprehensive
examinations in two of the following areas:
- Theory and Methodology
- Stratification and Power
- Cultural Studies
- Applied Social Research
Subjects of instruction and research subsumed under these
four areas are:
Theory and Methodology
- Logic of Social Scientific Inquiry
- Classical Social Theories
- Contemporary Social Theories
- Feminist Theories
- Research Methods (Historical, Qualitative, and
Quantitative)
Stratification and Power
- Occupations, Organizations, and the Labour Process
- Class Analysis and Social Stratification
- Political Sociology
- Race and Ethnic Relations
- Gender Relations
- Political Economy
- Canadian Society
- Social and Economic Development
- Citizenship Studies
- Governance, Regulation, and Law
Cultural Studies
- Communication and Popular Cultures
- Ethnographic Analysis
- Discourse Analysis
- Social Anthropology
- Social and Virtual Spaces
Applied Social Research
- Criminal Justice
- Health and Illness Policy
- Population Studies
- Sociology of Language
- Built Environments
- Education Policy
Upon petition to the sociology graduate program's
coordinator, an approved field in sociology or a related
discipline may be substituted for one of the options above. The
subjects of instruction and research subsumed under each of the
areas are indicative, and may be subsumed under more than one
area, depending on the analytic approach adopted.
The comprehensive examinations are to be completed after
course requirements for the Ph.D. have been completed.
Comprehensive examinations must be completed no later than two
years or six terms after initial full-time registration, and
four years or twelve terms after initial part-time
registration.
The thesis proposal is to be presented after comprehensive
requirements have been completed. Normally the thesis proposal
must be presented no later than two and one-half years or seven
terms after initial full-time registration and five years or
fifteen terms after initial part-time registration.
Language Requirement
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology requires each
Ph.D. candidate to demonstrate an understanding of a language
other than English. Although French is the preferred second
language, students may be permitted to substitute another
language if it is demonstrably relevant to their professional
interests. It is strongly advised, however, that all
English-speaking candidates be proficient in French. The
language requirements may be satisfied by a demonstration of
reasonable understanding, on sight, of material contained in
selected samples of sociological literature in that language.
Students may find it necessary or advisable to take a course in
the required language before undertaking the departmental
language examination.
Academic Standing
Candidates must obtain a grade of B- or better in each
credit, and Satisfactory on the comprehensive examinations, the
Ph.D. thesis and its oral defence.
Collaborative Ph.D. with a Specialization
in Political Economy
The Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Institute of Political
Economy offer a Collaborative Program in Political Economy at
the Ph.D. level. For further details, see the Institute of
Political Economy's Collaborative Ph.D. with a Specialization
in Political Economy section of this Calendar.
Graduate Courses
Not all of the following courses are offered in a given
year. For an up-to-date statement of course offerings and to
determine the term of offering, consult the class schedule at
central.carleton.ca
- SOCI 5000 [0.5 credit]
- Classical Sociological Theory
- Crucial sociological concepts and ideas by the founders
of sociology. Attention will be given to Marx, Weber,
Durkheim, Pareto, Comte, and Husserl.
- SOCI 5001 [0.5 credit]
- Selected Topics in Classical Theory
- Topic varies from year to year.
- Students should check with the Department regarding the
topic offered.
- SOCI 5002 [0.5 credit]
- Contemporary Sociological Theory
- Major theoretical perspectives in sociology, including
social behaviourism; social action theories such as
symbolic interactionism, phenomenological sociology,
ethnomethodology; and structuralist theories such as
structural functionalism, neo-Marxism and critical
theory.
- SOCI 5003 [0.5 credit]
- Selected Topics in Contemporary Theory
- Topic varies from year to year. Students should check
with the Department regarding the topic offered.
-
- SOCI 5005 [0.5 credit]
- Recurring Debates in Social Thought
- Recurring issues and debates in the discipline. Topics
such as the nature of social science; the objective world
versus social construction; questions of evidence, meaning
and measurement; agency versus structure; the relation
between research and praxis; knowledge and power, may be
considered.
- Prerequisite: restricted to M.A. students in sociology.
Others may be admitted by permission of the
Department.
- SOCI 5007 [0.5 credit]
- Social Change and Economic Development
- Critical examination of studies of change and
development in historical and contemporary national and
transnational systems.
- SOCI 5009 [0.5 credit]
- Philosophy of Social Science I
- Philosophy of language and the basic elements of
scientific method, such as the classification of the
sciences, the concepts of value, cause and probability,
induction and deduction, confirmation of hypotheses, and
the concept of truth.
- SOCI 5101 [1.0 credit]
- Research Design and Data Analysis
- An integrated approach to the problems involved in the
analysis of quantitative data, research design and
procedures.
- SOCI 5102 [0.5 credit]
- Statistical Methods I
- A course on multiple regression analysis, with a review
of basic statistical assumptions and techniques, followed
by a detailed discussion of multiple regression analysis as
a statistical technique.
- SOCI 5103 [0.5 credit]
- Statistical Methods II
- The focus will be advanced research methods. Topics
will include distributions, sampling distributions,
hypothesis testing, and non-parametric methods. There will
be an introduction to multivariate techniques, including
regression and loglinear models.
- SOCI 5104 [0.5 credit]
- Multivariate Analysis
- This course provides advanced instruction in methods
and statistics. Consideration will be given to multiple
regression, factor analysis, canonical analysis.
- SOCI 5105 [0.5 credit]
- Selected Topics in Social Research
- Topic varies from year to year. Students should check
with the Department regarding the topic offered.
-
- SOCI 5200 [0.5 credit]
- Comparative Social Systems
- Perspectives and research procedures employed by
sociologists in the systematic and explicit comparison of
data from two or more societies.
- SOCI 5201 [0.5 credit]
- Comparative Methods in Social Research
- Current analytical problems and applications of
comparative methods in social research. Students are
expected to participate in a group research project in
which one or more of these methods will be applied.
-
- SOCI 5204 [0.5 credit]
- Consuming Passions: The Regulation of Consumption,
Appearance and Sexuality
- Examination of the rise of consumption and private
pleasures and their regulation and self-regulation. (Also
listed as LAWS 5008.)
- SOCI 5205 [1.0 credit]
- Canadian Society
- A critical examination of sociological models of modern
societies and their relevance to Canada.
- SOCI 5206 [0.5 credit]
- Sociology of Occupations and Professions
- A consideration of the development of occupational
recruitment patterns and manpower problems in developed and
developing areas.
- SOCI 5207 [0.5 credit]
- Sociology of Formal Organizations
- A consideration of the forms and processes of
bureaucracy in modern society, government and
industry.
-
- SOCI 5209 [0.5 credit]
- Sociology of Science and Technology
- Study of the interaction among science, technology and
change in modern societies.
-
- SOCI 5300 [0.5 credit]
- Social Institutions I
- Topic varies from year to year.
- Students should check with the Department regarding the
topic offered.
- SOCI 5301 [0.5 credit]
- Social Institutions II
- Topic varies from year to year.
- Students should check with the Department regarding the
topic offered.
- SOCI 5302 [0.5 credit]
- The Labour Process
- A consideration of the organization of work and
production from feudal times to the present. The purpose of
the course is to analyze the labour process in advanced
capitalist societies by means of the historical comparative
method.
- SOCI 5303 [0.5 credit]
- Sociology of Education
- The relations between education and other social
institutions, the structure of educational opportunity,
educational systems and organizations, and the sociology of
learning.
- SOCI 5305 [0.5 credit]
- Police and Capital
- The idea of ‘police’ as a general historical project aimed at the fabrication of social order and the development of liberal philosophy, political economy and security. Contemporary public and private security provision considered in light of commodification, class conflict, and risk thinking. (Also listed as LAWS 5306)
- SOCI 5306 [0.5 credit]
- Cultural Studies
- The relations between cultural practices and other
social practices in definite social formations. Discussions
are grounded through the choice of specific Canadian
research on topics such as media, art, music, education,
pedagogy, etc.
- SOCI 5307 [0.5 credit]
- Psychoanalysis and Cultural Studies
- This course will examine the relationship between
psychoanalytic and sociological theory, focussing on the
work of feminist theorists.
- SOCI 5308 [0.5 credit]
- Feminist Analyses
- Current theory and research in recent feminist
analysis.
- SOCI 5309 [0.5 credit]
- Cultural Theory
- A survey of developments in European and North American
Marxist and Post-Marxist cultural theories of the past
quarter century.
- SOCI 5400 [0.5 credit]
- Political Sociology
- An examination of theoretical and empirical work on
selected aspects of the state, politics and political
behaviour, primarily in North America and Europe.
-
-
-
- SOCI 5404 [0.5 credit]
- Race, Ethnicity and Class in Contemporary
Societies
- Various theoretical approaches concerning the
persistence and re-emergence of ethnic and/or racial groups
are examined. Particular emphasis is given to the
intersection and overlap of ethnicity and race with social
class.
- SOCI 5405 [0.5 credit]
- Power and Stratification
- An examination of theories of elite behaviour, social
class, and ideology.
- SOCI 5406 [0.5 credit]
- Citizenship and Globalization
- Examination of debates about the changing nature of
citizenship in the context of globalization of capital,
culture and peoples. Employing post-Marshallian, political
economic, post-structuralist, post-colonial and feminist
perspectives, the seminar explores the emergence of
market-driven, hierarchical and cosmopolitan notions of
citizenship and transnational identities.
- SOCI 5407 [0.5 credit]
- Governance, Power, and Politics
- A survey of critical theories and concepts of
governance, and recent developments in political sociology.
Topics may include forms of capitalism, governmentality,
sovereign power, biopolitics, and citizenship. Also listed
as PSCI 5303.
- SOCI 5408 [0.5 credit]
- Feminism and Materialism
- Recent developments of feminist materialist theory and
analyses. Topics may include: the gender division of
labour; family and economy; gender and class; gender, race
and ethnicity; sexuality; reproduction; theory and
politics.
- SOCI 5409 [0.5 credit]
- The Politics of Social Movements and the
State
- Origins, ideologies, strategies and political
implications of social and popular movements in North
America and Western Europe. Attention is given to the
peace, feminist, gay, ecology, and anti-racist movements,
and the emergence of the New Right.
- SOCI 5500 [0.5 credit]
- Gender Formation and State Formation
- The role of states in the formation of gender
relations, in the context of class and race, and the
production of gender as an aspect of state formation. The
various levels of the state are conceived as both a site
and object of gender politics.
- SOCI 5504 [0.5 credit]
- Selected Problems in Political Economy I
- A selected topic from current research in political
economy. As the topic varies from year to year, students
should check with the Department regarding the current
offering. (Also listed as PECO 5501 and PSCI 5501.)
- SOCI 5505 [0.5 credit]
- Selected Problems in Political Economy II
- A selected topic from current research in political
economy. As the topic varies from year to year, students
should check with the Department regarding the current
offering. (Also listed as PECO 5502 and PSCI 5502.)
- SOCI 5600 [0.5 credit]
- Critical Discourse Analysis
- Examination of the relations between discourse, social
semiotics, extradiscursive semiotics and social
organization.
- SOCI 5605 [0.5 credit]
- Demographic Analysis
- Intensive study of analytical strategies and techniques
employed in demographic research. Attention is also given
to mathematical and statistical models used in demography,
which are relevant to research in other areas of
sociology.
- SOCI 5606 [0.5 credit]
- Selected Topics in Sociology
- Topic varies from year to year.
- Students should check with the Department regarding the
topic offered.
- SOCI 5607 [0.5 credit]
- Contemporary Theories of Crime and Social
Regulation
- Recent developments in theories of criminality and
social regulation. Particular reference will be made to the
regulatory mechanisms of both public and private spheres
within legal institutions, corrections, economic
institutions, and the family.
- SOCI 5608 [0.5 credit]
- Women and Work
- Issues concerning women and work, such as housework,
occupational segregation, part-time work, the changing
economic structure of work, wage inequality, and state
policies with respect to childcare, equal pay and work of
equal value, and affirmative action.
-
- SOCI 5707 [0.5 credit]
- Crime, Social Control and Social Change
- An examination of the role of the discourses and
ideologies surrounding crime, criminal processes, and
social change. Topics may include such issues as juvenile
justice, victimization, corporate crime, criminalization of
indigenous peoples, substance use and abuse.
-
- SOCI 5802 [0.5 credit]
- Departmental Seminar
- Topic varies from year to year. Students should check
with the Department regarding the topic offered.
- SOCI 5803 [0.5 credit]
- Critical Theory
- Recent developments in critical theory based upon its
initial formulation by the Frankfurt School, with emphasis
upon particular contemporary theories in a given year,
e.g., J. Habermas, H. Willems, etc.
- SOCI 5804 [0.5 credit]
- Modern Marxist Theory
- An examination of topics of theory and research in
modern Marxist literature; the central focus is on problems
of class analysis, the state, and politics in advanced
capitalist societies.
- SOCI 5805 [0.5 credit]
- Selected Topics in Sociology
- Topic varies from year to year. Students should check
with the Department regarding the topic offered.
- SOCI 5806 [0.5 credit]
- Selected Topics in Sociology
- Topic varies from year to year. Students should check
with the Department regarding the topic offered.
-
- SOCI 5809 [0.5 credit]
- The Logic of the Research Process
- An examination of the research process, including the
phases of conceptualization, choice of indicators,
sampling, data collection, and analysis. Published articles
will be studied as exemplars of the range of possible
research strategies.
-
- SOCI 5900 [0.5 credit]
- Tutorial
-
- SOCI 5905 [2.0 credits]
- Course Work Comprehensive in Sociology
- Available for students in a course work M.A. who by the
third term in their M.A. program have not yet completed
their written and oral examinations. Completion of this
course does not reduce the formal requirement of 5.0
credits.
-
- SOCI 5907 [0.5 credit]
- Placement in Sociology
- This course is required for students in the
Concentration in Quantitative Methodology who have been
admitted into the Cooperative Education option. This option
provides an opportunity to enhance educational experience
through work placement.
-
- SOCI 5908 [1.0 credit]
- M.A. Research Essay
- Students may enrol in this course for a maximum of
three consecutive terms of study, including one summer
term. Students must enrol in this course not later than the
beginning of the second full year of study.
-
- SOCI 5909 [2.0 credits]
- M.A. Thesis
-
- SOCI 6000 [1.0 credit]
- Doctoral Seminar
- An in-depth study of current research in sociology,
including an inquiry into research techniques,
conceptualization and attendant theoretical issues. This
course is required of all first-year doctoral students in
sociology.
- SOCI 6001 [0.5 credit]
- Selected Topics in Sociology
- Topic varies from year to year.
- Students should check with the Department regarding the
topic offered.
- SOCI 6900 [0.5 credit]
- Tutorial
- SOCI 6909 [7.0 credits]
- Ph.D. Thesis
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