Students in our department also have a variety of opportunities to do independent research. These include an upper-level research seminar in which students design and implement their own study, a senior honors thesis in which a student works with a faculty advisor on a project chosen by the student, and readings and research courses in which a student and a faculty member explore a specific topic of mutual interest. In addition, students occasionally serve as research assistants on ongoing faculty research projects.
UVM sociology students are encouraged to build on their coursework by taking advantage of additional opportunities tailored to their specific skills, interests, and goals.
-
An inside look at the criminal justice system
A visitor to sociology professor Ellie Miller’s “Race, Gender & Crime” class last year made a deep impression on Taline Torossian ‘19. It was Susan Randall, founder and owner of VTPrivateye, who talked to students about how her Burlington firm helps public defenders assemble cases for indigent clients who can’t afford to hire their own attorneys.
“I was really intrigued by the work they did so I applied for an internship there last semester. The next thing I knew I was going to their office every Monday and Wednesday, doing research for their clients,” Torossian said.
Each week, she met with Randall and other members of the team to go over current and pending cases. Then she plunged into background checks, making record requests, and poring through public records. Each case represented a mini-research project, capped by a report for the public defender to give shape and substance to each defendant’s story.
Cases she spent hours researching might only receive a five-minute hearing before a busy judge struggling to get through the days docket.
“One thing Susan told me which really hit home is that this work brings some humanity into one of dozens of cases a judge may have seen that day. The client isn’t just another docket number—they are a person of consequence.”
Read more of Taline's story
Can I do an internship for sociology credit?
The internship coordinator for the department is Professor Alice Fothergill. Presently, the only way for students to get sociology credit for an internship is through Professor Fothergill's spring semester course, SOC 3991. Internship Seminar in SOC. The course allows students to participate in internships in local organizations for the spring semester. Generally, internships require ten hours a week of service in the agency site for three hours of course credit. Sociology requires a rigorous scholarly component as well, including bi-weekly meetings, a sociological literature review, and a final paper. Students who want an internship experience but do not need sociology credit might consider registering for CAS 2920 Communities of Practice or CAS 2991 Internship. For more information on sociology internships, contact Alice Fothergill at alice.fothergill@uvm.edu.
Does UVM offer a criminal justice degree?
No, but the sociology department offers a concentration in Crime and Criminal Justice. We offer courses on Deviance & Social Control, Global Deviance, Criminal Justice, Crime, Sociology of Law, and Corrections. One can certainly explore that interest and gain expertise within the sociology major. There is also a minor in Law and Society which is describe here: https://catalogue.uvm.edu/undergraduate/artsandsciences/sociology/lawandsocietyminor/