Sociology, M.A.

Z2022-2023 Graduate Revise Program Request

completed

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Introduction
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  • Welcome to the University of West Georgia's curriculum management system. 

    Please TURN ON the help text before starting this proposal by clicking  next to the print icon directly above this message. 

    Your PIN is required to complete this process. For help on accessing your PIN, please visit here.

    The link to the shared governance procedures provides updates on how things are routed through the committees. Please visit  UWG Shared Governance Procedures for Modifications to Academic Degrees and Programs for more information.

    If you have any questions, please email curriculog@westga.edu.


    **CHANGES TO PROGRAMS MUST BE SUBMITTED 9-12 MONTHS IN ADVANCE OF THE DESIRED EFFECTIVE TERM**

  • Modifications (Check all that apply)*
  • If other, please identify.
  • Desired Effective Semester*
    Scroll to the bottom and choose Fall, Spring, or Summer.
    Desired Effective Year*
Routing Information
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  • Routes cannot be changed after a proposal is launched. 

    Please be sure all fields are filled out correctly prior to launch. If a routing error is made it can result in the proposal being rejected and a new proposal will be required. 

    Please refer to this document for additional information: UWG Shared Governance Procedures for Modifications to Academic Degrees and Programs.

    If there are any questions or concerns regarding the routing of your proposal please contact curriculog@westga.edu.

  • School/ Department *
  • Is this a School of Nursing or School of Communication, Film and Media course?*
    Is this a College of Education Program?*
  • Is this change a Senate ACTION and/or INFORMATION item? Please refer to the link below.*

  • List of Faculty Senate Action and Information Items

Program Information
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  • Select Program below, unless revising an Acalog Shared Core.

  • Type of Program*

  • IMPORT curriculum data from the Catalog by clicking icon in the top left corner. To search for courses select the "PREFIX" filter. To search for programs select the "NAME" filter. 

    NOTE: The fields below are imported from the catalog. Edits must be made in these fields in order for the changes to be updated correctly in the catalog. 

    • Program Name
    • Program Description
  • Program Name*
    Sociology, M.A.
    Sociology, M.A.
  • Program ID - DO NOT EDIT*
    19
    19
  • Program Code - DO NOT EDIT
    19
    19
  • Program Type*
  • Degree Type*
  • Program Description*
    UWGs MA in Sociology fuses advanced training in research methods with a focus on social justice. Our degree equips you with the tools you need to advocate for vulnerable populations. Our students want to change the world and we equip them with the research capabilities to diagnose and confront the social problems that exist in our communities. Social advocacy is not commonly associated with survey research, participant observation, or statistics, but these are the building blocks for investigating and later confronting the race-, gender-, and class-related injustices that exist in our communities. Developing competence in a variety of research methods can help you advance your career in a wide range of fields, including child advocacy, health advocacy, social justice education, community organizing, environmental justice, and non-profit organizations. Admission The Sociology Program considers the quality of an application to the M.A. program in its entirety. Applicants will be considered on a competitive basis and thus simply completing an application does not guarantee admission to the program. To apply to the program, a student is ordinarily expected to have a bachelors degree in sociology or a related discipline from an accredited academic institution. Applicants to the Sociology M.A. program must have: - A minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 - A 750-word personal statement, which includes the applicant's relevant academic and/or professional background and reasons for seeking the degree - Three letters of recommendation - A current resume or curriculum vitae Applicants may be admitted provisionally and considered for regular admission. To apply or to learn additional information about the application process, please contact the Sociology Program: http://www.westga.edu/sociology. Program Requirements The core courses for the Master's program consist of nine hours in theory, research methodology, and statistics. To satisfy the theory requirement, students must take SOCI 6305 or another 6000-level theory course approved by the program's Head of Graduate Studies. To satisfy the research methodology requirement, students must take SOCI 6013 or SOCI 6613. To satisfy the statistics requirement, students must take SOCI 6003 or another graduate level statistics course approved by the program's Head of Graduate Studies. Students who have not taken an undergraduate theory course in sociology must enroll in SOCI 5053 prior to enrolling in SOCI 6305.  Students accepted into the program may choose either Plan I (Thesis) or Plan II (Applied Track). Under Plan I (Thesis), students must complete 21 hours of elective course work beyond the core requirements. Under Plan I students must also take three hours of Thesis Preparation (SOCI 6882), and three hours of thesis work (SOCI 6999). A thesis is required under Plan I. Under Plan II (Applied), students must register for 3 credit hours of additional research methods coursework, 3 credit hours of Internship (SOCI 6286), and 3 credit hours of Applied Project (SOCI 6986). Courses that will satisfy the methods requirement include: SOCI 6660, SOCI 6613, SOCI 6275, and SOCI 5015. Graduate research methods courses in other departments can be taken to fulfill this requirement with approval from the Head of Graduate Studies. Students under Plan II must complete 18 credit hours of elective course work. Students opting for the Applied Track must constitute a three-member committee to approve and oversee the completion of a major initiative associated with their internship. Under either plan, students must complete a minimum of 36 hours, one-half of which must be at the 6000-level. A total of six hours may be selected from courses outside the Master's program in Sociology. Requirements Plan I Plan II Core Courses 9 hours 9 hours Elective Courses 21 hours 18 hours Thesis Preparation 3 hours N/A Thesis 3 hours N/A Internship N/A 3 hours Additional Research Methods N/A 3 hours Applied Project N/A 3 hours Total Hours 36 hours 36 hours Final Project Thesis Internship Project Learning Outcomes Upon completion of this degree program, students will be able to: Demonstrate a mastery of communicating in writing how sociology contributes to an understanding of social reality Demonstrate a mastery of sociological theories   Demonstrate a mastery of methodological approaches within sociology Demonstrate a mastery of the diversity in society  
  • Status*
  • Program Location*
Curriculum Information
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  • Prospective Curriculum*

  • PROGRAM CURRICULUM

    **IF NO COURSES OR CORES APPEAR IN THIS SECTION WHEN YOU IMPORT, DO NOT PROCEED. Contact curriculog@westga.edu for further instruction.

    This section allows departments to maintain the curriculum schema for the program which will feed directly to the catalog. Please click here for a video demonstration on how to build your program curriculum.

    Follow these steps to propose courses to the program curriculum. 

    Step 1 - Deleting Courses

    In order to delete courses that you are removing the courses from you program, please follow these steps:

    • First, delete the course from the core it is associated within the curriculum schema tab. For removing courses click on the  and proceed.
    • Next, delete the course from the list of curriculum courses tab. For removing courses click on the  and proceed.

    Step 2 - Adding New Courses

    In order to add courses to your program, you must first add all courses to be included in the program of study through the view curriculum courses tab

    • If this new program proposal includes the UWG undergraduate General Education Curriculum, scroll to the top of this form and click on the  icon to import the "University of West Georgia General Education Requirements."
    • For courses already in the catalog, click on "Import Course" and find the courses needed.
    •  For new courses going through a Curriculog Approval Process click on "Add Course"-- a box will open asking you for the Prefix, Course Number and Course Title.

    NOTE: A New Course Request proposal must also be submitted along with the New Program Proposal if the course is new. 

    Step 3 - Adding Courses to Cores in the Curriculum Schema

    To add courses to the cores (sections of the program of study, e.g., Semester 1, Semester 2, etc.) in the curriculum schema  click on  "View Curriculum Schema."  Select the core that you want to add the course to.  When you click on "Add Courses" it will bring up the list of courses available from Step 2.

Justification and Assessment
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  • Rationale*
    After having several students complete the "Applied Track" of the Sociology MA, we have found that students are more successful at their internship (SOCI 6286) and internship project when they do them in two semesters, rather than concurrently in the same semester. This modification adds a new course, SOCI 6986 - Applied Project, to the Applied Track. After completing their internship in the 3rd semester of the MA, students on this track will take SOCI 6986 in their 4th semester to complete their project. Due to this change, Applied Track students will only take 18 credit hours of electives (reduced by 3 credit hours to make room for 3 credit hours of SOCI 6986). This modification also adds SOCI 5015 - Analyzing and Visualizing Data as one of the options for the additional research methods course for the applied track. Adding another option will aid students in completing this requirement and in obtaining the methods training that is most appropriate for their personal and professional goals. I have also added paragraph breaks to make this section of the catalog easier to read. I have attached a Word document showing how the revised requirements will appear in the catalog. This modification will not change any courses used in the current assessment plan. I have not submitted an assessment plan; I was advised by Amanda Thomas that an updated plan is not necessary since the courses used for assessment are not changing.
  • If making changes to the Program Learning Outcomes, please provide the updated SLOs in a numbered list format.

  • SACSCOC Substantive Change

    Please review the Policy Summary and Decision Matrix
    Send questions to rakins@westga.edu

  • Check all that apply to this program*
  • SACSCOC Comments
    To submit new tracks/concentrations together with a new program, list them here. For instance, "New Tracks/Concentrations: name 1, name 2, name 3....

  • REQUIRED ATTACHMENTS

    ATTACH the the following required documentsl by navigating to the Proposal Toolbox and clicking  in the top right corner.

    1.) Program Map and/or Program Sheet

    For advising purposes, all programs must have a program map. Please download the program map template from here, and upload.

    Make sure to upload the new program sheet that reflects these changes. When uploading both the old and new program for reference, please ensure that you distinctly mark them and upload as one document.

    2.) Assessment Plan

    All major programs must include an assessment plan. Stand-alone minors must have an assessment plan as well.  A stand-alone minor is a minor that can be earned in a program that does not offer an undergraduates degree with a major in that discipline (for example, a student can earn a minor in Africana Studies but cannot complete a bachelor's degree with a major in Africana Studies). Minors in a discipline where a corresponding major is offered, are not required to include an assessment plan.

    Please download the assessment template from here complete, and upload.

  • Program Map*
  • Assessment Plan*

  • LAUNCH proposal by clicking  in the top left corner. DO NOT implement proposed changes before the proposal has been completely approved through the faculty governance process. 

  • FINAL TASK: After launching the proposal, you must make a decision on your proposal. Select the  icon in the Proposal Toolbox to make your decision.

  • User Tracking

    Help: Show Original: This option displays the proposal as it appeared at launch. No markup will be visible on the form. There will be no differentiation between fields that contain imported content and content that was created or selected by the originator by hand.

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    Help: Show Current with Markup: This option displays the proposal with all of its current content marked to show different editors. Text fields that include imported content are indicated by a blue highlight, and may also include additional changes within, indicated by each editor’s unique color. Fields containing selects, checkboxes, radio buttons, or widgets (such as the curriculum) provide an activity log above the field, indicating each editor’s selection and unique color.

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