Rice granted $6.4 million to create Houston's first Sociology Ph.D. in 2011

By Cindy Dinh     8/21/08 7:00pm

Not to be overshadowed by the well-established programs in other Rice departments, the social sciences department is increasing its visibility with a new Ph.D. program in sociology. A $6.4 million grant from the Houston Endowment will establish the first sociology Ph.D. program in Houston, which begins with the 2011 incoming class.The sociology department's Center on Race, Religion and Urban Life, as well as the work of sociology professor Stephen Klineberg and his annual Houston Area Survey caught the atten-tion of the Houston Endowment.

"They wanted to do something transformative for Houston by funding an academic program that would benefit Houston," CORRUL Director Michael Emerson said.

The sociology department was one of the few departments at Rice without a Ph.D. program.

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"It'll certainly make it a more holistic education for the other social sciences departments," Emerson, a sociology professor, said.

Students in the program will have a more urban focus in their study, thanks to the resources already in place from CORRUL. The graduate program will expand upon some of the assignments seen at the undergraduate level. Emerson said Ph.D students will be able to tap into CORRUL's resources and links within the city.

For example, in an urban sociology course, students are required to immerse themselves in neighborhoods to study them.

"They volunteer in the schools, come to meetings, go to houses of worship," Emerson said. "They make the neighborhoods theirs."

Besides the opportunity to study a particular neighborhood and work on the Houston Area Survey, the program will cater to a student's interests and area of study. Students can study health disparities, family, race, immigration, religion and other urban issues.

"We wish to bridge the divide between academic and public sociology," Emerson said.

Research and findings may be used to inform politicians, community organizers and other members of the community. The program will stress how to write as an academic and also how to translate findings into terms community members would understand.

"At the graduate level, we want to be the best at it, since we've established so many connections already and have a good track record," Emerson said.

Emerson hopes to see the new Ph.D. program amongst the top 20 in the nation in terms of research.

"Although the sociology department is small, the more people doing research will mean more opportunities for undergraduates to get involved," sociology major Ariela Schachter said.

Emerson said the program's goal is to produce research that improves the lives of citizens and work toward humane and sustainable cities.

"From my understanding, there will be more focus on community research which will have a greater impact on Houston," Schachter, a Baker College senior, said.

For now, the department is working on getting accredited, hiring faculty and developing a curriculum to welcome the first class of graduate students in 2011. Emerson estimates that by 2015, the target class size will be 25 students.

The $6.4 million grant will be used over a span of seven years. After that period, the university will continue funding the program.

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