Resources
Sociological Insight is dedicated to facilitating the research of undergraduates. We have compiled a list of helpful resources for your convenience. It is currently being expanded.It is divided into four sections. The first is relevant only to UT students. It consists of a host of excellent research opportunities provided by the University of Texas for its students. The second list consists of research opportunities for undergraduates across the nation. The third section lists important sociological organizations and useful online resources. And the fourth section lists some major datasets commonly used by sociologists.
Resources for UT Students
The Bridging Disciplines Programs (BDPs) at The University of Texas at Austin allow undergraduates to earn an interdisciplinary certificate through a course of study that integrates classroom, research, and internship experiences.
The University of Texas at Austin has a Web-based resource called EUREKA! to inspire undergraduate students to become involved in research and innovation and to enhance communication among faculty members across colleges and schools. The site features a university-wide directory of the research interests of more than 1,500 faculty members.
Office of Undergraduate Research
The Office of Undergraduate Research offers advising and other resources to help students participate in research opportunities Contact Lynda Gonzales, Undergraduate Research Coordinator, for more information.
The sociology honors program is a wonderful resource for UT sociology majors. It allows a student, under the supervision of a professor, to research and write an original paper on a chosen topic that is longer and more intellectually sophisticated than those normally written in undergraduate classes.
Sociology In Action is an organization aimed at promoting sociology as a way of approaching and thinking about social problems.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities
Research Experience for Undergraduates
This ten-week summer program, which is primarily funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation, offers ten very selective upper-division undergraduate students from both UT-Austin and from around the country the opportunity to study social demography through course work and a mentored research experience with senior PRC graduate students.
Council on Undergraduate Research - Posters on the Hill
The mission of the Council on Undergraduate Research is to support and promote high-quality undergraduate student-faculty collaborative research and scholarship. CUR believes that faculty members enhance their teaching and contribution to society by remaining active in research and by involving undergraduates in research. CUR's leadership works with agencies and foundations to enhance research opportunities for faculty and students. CUR provides support for faculty development. Our publications and outreach activities are designed to share successful models and strategies for establishing and institutionalizing undergraduate research programs. We assist administrators and faculty members in improving and assessing the research environment at their institutions. CUR also provides information on the importance of undergraduate research to state legislatures, private foundations, government agencies, and the U.S. Congress.
National Conference on Undergraduate Research
The National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR), established in 1987, is dedicated to promoting undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity in all fields of study by sponsoring an annual conference for students. Unlike meetings of academic professional organizations, this gathering of young scholars welcomes presenters from all institutions of higher learning and from all corners of the academic curriculum. Through this annual conference, NCUR creates a unique environment for the celebration and promotion of undergraduate student achievement, provides models of exemplary research and scholarship, and helps to improve the state of undergraduate education.
SouthEastern Undergraduate Sociology Symposium
This Symposium provides undergraduate students with the opportunity to participate in a professional meeting. Papers in any area of sociology are welcome. Students whose papers are accepted will give a 12-15 minute presentation of their research. The three best papers will receive an Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Research (1st place $100, 2nd place $75, 3rd place $50). All presenters will receive Certificates of Professional Participation. Abstracts of all presented papers are published in the Symposium Proceedings.
Sociological Organizations and Online Resources
American Sociological Association
The ASA is a non-profit membership association dedicated to advancing sociology as a scientific discipline and profession serving the public good.
National Honors Society for Sociology
This is the national honors society for sociology students. They hold one annual paper competition for undergraduates and one paper competition for graduate students. They have numerous resources for students interested in research.
The ASA Style Guide for papers is an excellent resource for researchers. It promotes consistency in academic publications and is easy to follow.
Online Dictionary of the Social Sciences
This comprehensive online dictionary provides definitions to thousands of sociological terms.
Datasets
The GSS contains a standard 'core' of demographic, behavioral, and attitudinal questions, plus topics of special interest. Many of the core questions have remain unchanged since 1972 to facilitate time-trend studies as well as replication of earlier findings. The GSS takes the pulse of America, and is a unique and valuable resource. It has tracked the opinions of Americans over the last four decades.
National Survey of Family Households
The NSFH was designed to provide a broad range of information on family life to serve as a resource for research across disciplinary perspectives. A considerable amount of life-history information was collected, including: the respondent's family living arrangements in childhood, departures and returns to the parental home, and histories of marriage, cohabitation, education, fertility, and employment. The design permits the detailed description of past and current living arrangements and other characteristics and experiences, as well as the analysis of the consequences of earlier patterns on current states, marital and parenting relationships, kin contact, and economic and psychological well-being. Interviews were conducted in 1987-88, 1992-94, and 2001-2003.
Association of Religion Data Archives
The Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) strives to democratize access to the best data on religion. Founded as the American Religion Data Archive in 1997 and going online in 1998, the initial archive was targeted at researchers interested in American religion. The targeted audience and the data collection have both greatly expanded since 1998, now including American and international collections and developing features for educators, journalists, religious congregations, and researchers. Data included in the ARDA are submitted by the foremost religion scholars and research centers in the world.
U.S. Census Bureau - American FactFinder
The FactFinder is a quick and easy tunnel to census data.
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research
CPSR maintains and provides access to a vast archive of social science data for research and instruction. To ensure that data resources are available to future generations of scholars, ICPSR preserves data, migrating them to new storage media as changes in technology warrant.
