Research In Rural Sociology And Development

[Claribel Szwaja]

Aninterdisciplinary field, Development Studies draws from a wide range of disciplines, including sociology, economics, political science, human geography, anthropology, history, Indigenous and postcolonial studies, and the natural and technical sciences. Our doctoral students study in a range of contexts, some working directly with communities around the globe, others exploring large data sets or studying institutions as they seek to understand the complexities behind development and its impacts on people and the planet.

The program offers preparation for research, for the application of social sciences in government positions, the non-profit sector, consulting, and think tanks, and for college teaching in development studies and related fields.

For the Ph.D. degree, students are expected to demonstrate (1) a thorough knowledge of social theory in development studies, with special emphasis on theories in their major concentration, (2) knowledge of previous and current research pertinent to the concentration, and (3) knowledge of multiple research methods, including qualitative and quantitative, with special emphasis on research design, data collection, and analytical techniques relevant to study in the concentration.

Students are admitted into the Ph.D. program. If they do not have a M.S. degree in Development Studies or a related discipline, they will complete a qualifying paper or M.S. thesis as part of their training.

Research and study opportunities

Faculty in the field rely on a wide range of domestic and international funding to support research and graduate students. Graduate students also successfully apply for a wide range of internal and external grants for their fieldwork, such as the Wenner Gren fellowship, National Science Foundation and Fulbright fellowships.

Students and faculty members are actively conducting research around the globe, both in the United States and elsewhere. Although some doctoral dissertations are based on field-collected data, other candidates rely on rich secondary-data resources, working closely with the Cornell Institute for Social and Economic Research (CISER) and the various libraries on campus.

Faculty members also participate in other fields such as Natural Resources, City and Regional Planning, Anthropology, Crop and Soil Sciences, in the Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies, and in the area studies programs for Africa, Latin America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. Several of those programs have supported dissertation research overseas. The department is also home to the Polson Institute for Global Development, which funds assorted working group research initiatives in the U.S. and abroad.

Students in the field of Development Studies engage in theoretical and applied research, teaching, and outreach on the causes, dynamics, and consequences of social, cultural, political and economic change.

The program offers preparation for academic careers in development studies, sociology, rural sociology, geography and related fields, and for applied careers in development studies, including development work in the United States and other countries.

For the Ph.D. degree, students are expected to demonstrate (1) a thorough knowledge of social theory, with special emphasis on theories in their academic concentrations, (2) comprehensive knowledge of the body of work that is pertinent to their concentrations, and (3) knowledge of multiple research methods, with special emphasis on research design, data collection, and analytical techniques used in the discipline.

Learning Goals

Students in our field must be able to convey the results of their research in writing and through their spoken abilities. You will be given ample opportunity to prepare your research for presentation in coursework and eventually at conferences. It will be important to organize material for a clear and concise presentation and to adhere to time guidelines. When you are ready to present your work at professional meetings, we will encourage an in-house public presentation first, so that you can receive constructive feedback on the substance or your work and your presentation style.

It is critical that Development Studies scholars be aware of and able to adhere to ethical guidelines regarding the conduct and dissemination of their research, whether the research is an individual project or a collaborative one. Students in our program must take part in Institutional Review Board (IRB) training and any research involving human subjects must receive IRB approval before it is begun.

Proficiencies

A candidate for a Ph.D. in Development Studies is expected to demonstrate mastery of knowledge in theory and method and to be able to make original and significant contributions to the field upon completion of her/his degree.

Cornell University is located on the traditional homelands of the Gayogo̱hnǫɁ (the Cayuga Nation). The Gayogo̱hnǫɁ are members of the Hodinǫ̱hsǫ́:nih Confederacy, an alliance of six sovereign Nations with a historic and contemporary presence on this land. The Confederacy precedes the establishment of Cornell University, New York state, and the United States of America. We acknowledge the painful history of Gayogo̱hnǫɁ dispossession, and honor the ongoing connection of Gayogo̱hnǫɁ people, past and present, to these lands and waters.

This land acknowledgment has been reviewed and approved by the traditional Gayogo̱hnǫɁ leadership.

The Departments of Sociology and Community & Environmental Sociology (formerly called "Rural Sociology") conduct a combined graduate program designed to prepare students for scholarly research, teaching, or applied work. All major areas of sociological inquiry are represented in the curriculum. Through course work and the many opportunities for research training, the students are introduced rapidly to the research problems of the field. Most students participate in faculty projects and thus acquire the spirit and technique of productive scholarly work in an apprenticeship setting. At the same time, students are encouraged to pursue their own interests. Click here to learn more.

Our mission is to seek and transmit socio-economic knowledge to the citizens of Alabama and the world. We achieve this through our teaching, research and extension programs that work in conjunction with other departments in the College of Agriculture, industry and beyond. Click here to learn more.

Agriculture, Environment, and Development is an area of study in the Department of Sociology graduate program that engages research, teaching, and extension activities to help understand and solve problems related to agriculture and food, the environment and natural resources, development and social change, and rural and regional issues. The area of study is grounded in the disciplinary fields of rural sociology and development sociology, both of which share theory and methods with the larger discipline of sociology. Students engage in either independent or group research under the direction of faculty members. Students also work toward intellectual independence while developing an integrated grasp of the field. Click here to learn more.

We are a vibrant, dynamic program that develops and disseminates research on rural people and places both domestically and internationally. Our program faculty have core strength in the discipline of sociology and a commitment to conducting applied and interdisciplinary research with colleagues in the social, natural, and biophysical sciences

The Department of Development Sociology has a unique program profile that is unmatched by any other departments of sociology in the nation. The integrated package of scholarship on development, environment, population and community is its distinguishing characteristic and comparative advantage. Faculty and students in the department conduct theoretical and applied research, teaching, and outreach on the causes, dynamics, and consequences of social, cultural, political and economic change. Development Sociology majors study how societies develop and identify the social pathways that can help build a successful career. The department is well known for international, domestic, rural, environmental, agricultural, and population studies. Click here to learn more.

The interdisciplinary School of Environment and Natural Resources offers a rural sociology specialization to prepare students to engage in sociological research related to the core discipline as well as meaningfully contribute to multidisciplinary research across a range of environmental, food, agricultural, community, and development matters. The research done by our rural sociology faculty and students focuses on environmental well-being, sustainable development of natural resources, social and community quality of life, and the diffusion and impact of technology. Doctoral students can select from two tracks: Agriculture and the Environment, or Social Change and Development. Rural Sociology faculty members maintain ties to Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, and they form part of a larger cluster of social science faculty within the school. Click here to learn more.

Sociology is the study of how societies are organized and change, and how the organization of society and social changes affect individuals, groups, and communities. Faculty and staff in the Department of Community and Environmental Sociology provide a broad view of how forces such as new technologies, globalization, changing social values, public policies, and the rise of new social movements are related to each other. In addition, we study local and practical issues such as community change, the interaction of humans and the environment, applied demography, the social issues of science and technology, and the design of more locally oriented food systems. Click here to learn more.

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