064 - Departmental Management and Leadership Workshop. How to Build Sociology Majors’ Social Capital for Post-Baccalaureate Success

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Abstract

Half of senior sociology majors have parents with less than a college degree, and these majors may be the first member of their family to obtain a bachelor’s degree. These students need help in learning about the job market and graduate school and, they need resources and contacts to succeed in their job and graduate school searches. This workshop draws on three waves of data from the 2012-2014 ASA’s Bachelor’s and Beyond Survey. These data allow us to examine the resources and relationships, or lack of them, that students rely on to make the transition from undergraduates to the next stage of their lives, and to examine which methods are the most successful in ensuring that this transition results in a future job that reflects what they have learned as a sociology major. Our current research shows that students rely on a narrow range of ties, such as favorite faculty members and parents, for help in their searches. The workshop will provide suggestions for faculty members on how and where to find the resources and other types of ties that can build students’ social capital, especially for those whose parents have limited education, and help them in making successful post-college transitions.

Sub Unit

• Departmental Management and Leadership Workshop

Session Organizer

• Roberta M. Spalter-Roth, American Sociological Association

Leader

• Roberta M. Spalter-Roth, American Sociological Association

Co-Leader

• Nicole M. Van Vooren, American Sociological Association