What do Brown vs the Board of Education (which desegregated schools) and Obergefell vs Hodges (which legalized gay marriage) have in common? Both Supreme Court Cases relied on sociological research in making decisions to increase equality. At UIndy, you'll have many opportunities to participate in in-depth research studies. Our sociology faculty have a long tradition of collaborating with both graduate and undergraduate students on research projects. It is applied, real world research that involves students in:
We offer a concentration in social research that provides students with the opportunity to develop their quantitative and qualitative research skills beyond an introductory level through course work, and then apply that knowledge through individual research projects supervised by faculty, or team projects in collaboration with faculty. Some research projects are integrated into coursework, giving students direct experience in the strategies and concepts they are studying. In recent years, we have:
The Community Research Center provides sociology students with many opportunities for real-world research. In addition to conducting research, the CRC has secured both internal and external grants to pay stipends to student research assistants and provide travel to national conferences.
Watch Zak Mitiche and Dr. Amanda Miller's collaborative research.
The following is a sampling of the faculty-student collaborations and various products of that work over the past several years.
I was able to develop my own intellectual trajectory that was focused on my scholarly interests instead of just being on a faculty's research project. I particularly enjoyed seeing our research team’s work making meaningful impact not just on scholarship but also on local communities, which I see as an important part of doing public sociology.
