The graduate program offers a limited number of assistantships that consist of two basic types: teaching assistantships and research assistantships. Most of the positions provide full tuition as well as a stipend, but some provide various forms of partial financial support.
Teaching Assistantships
We currently offer 7 teaching assistantships. Six of these positions assist with the teaching of Introductory Sociology, which are large classes of up to 300 students. The additional position assists with the teaching of Human Sexuality, which is also a large class of up to 250 students. Teaching assistants attend the class, grade papers, hold office hours, run labs, and participate in a wide variety of teaching support activities.
Research Assistantships
The number of available research assistantships varies each year depending on grants and other funding available to Sociology faculty. Most of these positions involve students in community-based or university-based research with specific agencies and organizations which in the past have included Fan Free Clinic, Virginia Department of Health, VCU's Office of Student Assessment and Office of Student Health, Virginians Against Domestic Violence, and VCU's Center for Teaching Excellence.
In addition to working on projects with specific organizations, students may participate in research activities through the newly-formed Social Research Group. This group of Sociology faculty works on a variety of community-based interdisciplinary projects involving research and evaluation.
These research opportunities provide valuable opportunities to develop skills and expertise in all phases of the research process.
Participatory Action Research and Practicum Information
One of the distinctive features of a Practicum is its reliance on a research tradition known as "participatory action research" (PAR). This postmodern approach to inquiry requires social researchers to collaborate with community groups (social service organizations, grass-roots collectives, etc) directly involved in addressing social problems in their communities. The goal of this collaborative relationship is to allow both parties to take advantage of the special knowledge and skills that each brings to understanding and helping to resolve social problems. Organization members who are the front lines in dealing with problems can offer researchers their informed perspectives on the specific issues that need to be addressed and potentially unique insights about the nature and causes of these problems.
Academic researchers can draw on their disciplinary knowledge base and use their skills in data collection and analysis to generate research findings valuable to their community partners. In addition to increasing the validity and relevancy of research findings, such collaborative relationships serve to "democratize" social scientific research by allowing nonacademic community members to participate in the research process.
2002-2003
The 4th Graduate Research Practicum was organized around a study of affordable housing issues in the Richmond area. Dr. Nita Bryant, the '02-'03 practicum director, supervised graduate students Mathew Steele, Coleman Rose, and Jeremy Redford (see picture below) in a variety of projects designed to provide housing assessments for the United Way.
- Jeremy Redford's project focused on the relationship between relocation and public housing residents' life chances. Jeremy studied a public housing community in the Richmond area that is currently undergoing redevelopment through a Federal Program designed to create a mixed-income community.
- Coleman Rose studied the Latino population in the Richmond area, focusing on the relationship between home ownership and community participation. Coleman worked with professors from the University of Richmond to collect the data he used in his thesis.
- Matthew Steele’s practicum utilizes census data to understand how poverty, gentrification and housing availability affect housing affordability in Richmond’s Church Hill area.
2001-2002
The 3rd Graduate Research Practicum was organized around a study of domestic violence in Virginia. Dr. David Bromely, the '01-'02 practicum director, supervised graduate students Adam Alden, Rosita Alicea, Kendra Cover, and Mike Stern in a variety of projects designed to analyze data collected by domestic violence service providers / victims' advocates throughout the state from 1998-2000. The database, VADATA, represents efforts to standardize and centralize the collection of information on clients' needs, and on the incidence, nature, and context of domestic violence. In collaboration with service providers, students designed projects around a number of important issues.
- Adam Alden's research centers on the relationship between clients' age, types of violence experienced, and types of services requested.
- Rosita Alicea's project examines variations in the help-seeking behaviors of clients based on race, age, educational level, economic status, and parental status. It also explores the relationship between time elapsed from the precipitating incident and types of services sought.
- Kendra Cover's study focuses on the effects of witnessing domestic violence on children.
- Mike Stern's project examines contextual and structural factors related to the use of firearms in incidents of family violence.
2000-2001
The 2nd Graduate Research Practicum was organized around a study of social factors that impact the health and safety of economically disadvantaged children in Richmond and surrounding communities. Dr. Stephen Lyng, the '00-'01 practicum director, supervised graduate students Sonja Wynn, Amy Hearn, Carol Wells, and Jaime Maerten in a variety of projects focused on Improving the Health and Safety of "At-Risk" Children. Students collaborated with two local organizations, Youth Matters, and Children's Health Involving Parents (CHIP) Both of these organizations are at the forefront of efforts in Richmond to improve the life circumstances of "at-risk" children.
Following several meetings with representatives of Youth Matters and CHIP during the spring and fall '00 semesters, the Practicum students formulated their research problems, identified data sources and data collection tools, secured IRB approval for the projects, and developed thesis proposals. Each project dealt with an important issue relating to the health and well-being of children living in poverty.
- Sonja Wynn's project focused on the relationship between academic performance and resilience to risk behaviors in the context of a tutor/mentoring program initiated by Youth Matters several years ago.
- Amy Hearn's project centered on the influence of various social psychological factors on maternal-child relationships in families serviced by CHIP.
- Jaime Maerten assessed the impact of family services provided by CHIP on the parental competence of cognitively impaired mothers.
- Carol Wells is completing her examination of CHIP data to discern how former welfare mothers' return to paid labor, as a result of recent welfare reform legislation, is affecting the health and well-being of their children.
The graduate program offers a limited number of assistantships that consist of two basic types - teaching assistantships and research assistantships. Most of the positions provide full tuition as well as a stipend, but some provide various forms of partial financial support.
