Internships, Scholarships, Fellowships,
and Other Opportunities
Department Colloquia, Lectures, "Brown Bag" Luncheon Discussions, Regional Sociology Meetings, etc.
The department office maintains a bulletin board for information of interest to sociology majors. The bulletin board is located in front of the department office (316 and 317 Berkey Hall). Announcements are also posted in the main office (316 Berkey) relating to current sociological events here at MSU and the surrounding area, including nearby colleges and universities. For off-campus meetings such as the Michigan Sociological Association or the North Central Sociological Association, departmentally-sponsored cars can be arranged for student transportation.
Ruth Hamilton Award
The Ruth Hamilton Award is made annually to a sociology major rising to junior status with an exceptional academic record. The annual stipend attached to this award is $200.00. Recipient names will be placed on the Ruth Hamilton award plaque in the department office.
Dean's Assistantships - College of Social Science
For undergraduate students pursuing a degree program in the College of Social Science, the Dean's Assistantship provides a stipend of approximately $2,500-$3,000 for the junior/senior year for a student to "conduct research or some other scholarly activity which might serve to highlight his/her academic program." In addition to full awards the committee sometimes offers half or quarter awards to proposals which merit funding. Candidates will be nominated by the sociology department at the end of the junior year. Assistantships will be awarded on the basis of the student's academic record and a review of the application. In the past winners have generally had GPA's over 3.6, but there is no absolute minimum GPA. Nominees are typically engaged in challenging programs, often taking honors courses when eligible or available. A letter of support from their faculty sponsor is required.
Sociology Senior of the Year Award
Annually, one graduating senior sociology major who will participate in the May graduation ceremony is chosen to represent the sociology department by being recognized as senior of the year in sociology.
Dean's Advisory Committee (for graduation)
Each year, one graduating senior is chosen by the sociology department to be its representative on this committee that plans the College of Social Science graduation exercise.
Other Possible Awards
College of Social Science Distinguished Scholarships
Ernest G. and Phyllis C. Green Black Alumni Scholarship
Charles Hayden Kelly Scholarship
Bulletin boards with a variety of information on course offerings, job opportunities and graduate programs are located outside the department office in 316 Berkey Hall.
The College of Social Science maintains an office offering internship opportunities that are available each semester, including summer. These internships can be arranged by the undergraduate coordinator in Lansing or in other areas. The office is located in Room 201 Berkey Hall, phone (517) 355-6676. Alternatively you can take internship credit as SOC 498. See the undergraduate secretary in 316 Berkey Hall for an application form for SOC 498.
Opportunity to Serve as an Undergraduate Representative to a Departmental Committee
Two undergraduate representatives are asked to volunteer for each of three regular committees, resulting in six openings for undergraduate representatives each semester. Other students are welcome to volunteer as back-ups when regular representatives are unable to attend meetings. The representatives serve at Departmental meetings, Advisory Committee meetings, and at Undergraduate Education Committee meetings of the Department of Sociology. If you are interested in this activity please contact the undergraduate program coordinator.
American Sociological Association
You can join the American Sociological Association as a student member. This membership allows you to receive one of the professional journals published by the ASA (such as the American Sociological Review ), plus the monthly newsletter, Footnotes , which contains information about activities and people in the discipline. Website: www.asanet.org/student/career/major.html
Independent Readings (Soc. 496), Research (Soc 497) or Internships (Soc. 498)
If you have an area of interest in sociology that you want to explore in depth or for which no class is offered, you may wish to enroll in SOC 497 , Individual Research Project. In these courses, you work closely with a professor in the department who agrees to supervise your program of study or research. SOC 497 enables students to pursue personal interests through independent study.
If you want to do readings on a special topic you should enroll in SOC 496. A student interested in getting internship credit for either volunteer or paid work should enroll in SOC 498 . Application forms for these specially arranged courses are available from the undergraduate secretary in 316 Berkey Hall. The student and the supervising faculty member of their choice must fill out and sign the application and return it to the undergraduate secretary.
SOC 497 and SOC 496 are for variable (1-3) credits, and may be taken for a maximum of 6 credits each. SOC 498 is for 3 cr. and may be taken for a maximum of 3 cr. All three courses, SOC 496 , SOC 497 and SOC 498 require a prerequisite of at least 19 cr. of SOC courses and approval of the department.
Alpha Kappa Delta
Alpha Kappa Delta (AKD), Gamma of Michigan Chapter, is a non-secret, democratic, international society of scholars dedicated to the ideal of "investigating humanity for the purpose of service." AKD seeks to acknowledge and promote excellence in scholarship in the study of sociology, the research of social problems, and such other social and intellectual activities as will lead to improvement of the human condition.
AKD was founded at the University of Southern California in 1920 and became affiliated with the Association of College Honor Societies in 1967.
More than 50,000 lifetime members are affiliated with more than 500 chapters of the Society. These are persons with academic records showing excellence in sociology. AKD provides numerous services to its members.
To become a member of AKD, sociology majors must be at least junior level, have an overall GPA of at least 3.0, have a sociology GPA of at least 3.0, and have taken at least four sociology courses. Students should contact the sociology department undergraduate advisor's office at: (517) 355-6640 to determine eligibility.
