Department Chairs Conference. Studying Sociology / Doing Sociology: Connecting the Dots to Meaningful Employment Outcomes for Majors

Session Submission Type: Meeting

Description

Larger student loan burdens, the continuing effects of the Great Recession, and a more diverse student body mean that students (and their parents) are considering the employment implications of their college choices even before setting foot on campuses. The proportion of first year students who say their decisions about where to go to college were influenced by the types of jobs an institution’s graduates are getting is at an all-time high (HERI 2016). The United States Department of Education’s “College Scorecard” includes post-graduation earnings for institutions, and some institutions are reporting alumni’s earnings data at the program level. Departments need not view this increased emphasis on employment outcomes from the perspective of the trend toward vocationalism. Employer surveys suggest that graduates need have both specific skills and broad knowledge to be competitive on the job market (AAC&U 2014). They need to think critically, work through complex problems, communicate effectively, work in a multicultural context, handle ambiguity and contribute to innovation (AAC&U 2013).
This is a good approach for sociology in which there is notable correspondence between the concepts and skills sociology programs teach and the learning outcomes today’s employers report they are seeking. But many sociology programs still need to become more effective in highlighting these connections and in helping students both to develop a vocabulary that describes their sociological knowledge and skills and to demonstrate their experience applying those skills to real world problems. Our students can be well positioned to graduate into positions in the workforce that both make use of their sociological skills and help to improve the communities in which they live and work.

This year the ASA Department Chairs Conference will explore the ways departments can better demonstrate the links between the major and employment without losing their grounding in liberal learning; help students develop fluency in describing the real-world applicability of their major; and consider how to facilitate opportunities for students to gain experience in responding to complex real world problems.

In addition to plenary presentations and roundtable discussions linked to this year’s Chairs Conference theme, the conference will also help department chairs—both new and experienced—develop their leadership and management skills in core areas of responsibility such as: running effective department meetings, managing budgets, conducting faculty performance reviews, evaluating non-traditional scholarship, responding to MCAT 2015, preparing for program review, and strategies for course scheduling to maximize student learning. Concurrent roundtable sessions during the conference are designed to allow Chairs from the full range of academic institutions—from PhD-granting to BA-liberal arts—to find topics in each session that are appropriate in their context.

Sub Unit

• Meetings

Participants

• Margaret Weigers Vitullo, American Sociological Association

• Jaime Hecht, American Sociological Association

• Sally T. Hillsman

• John W. Curtis, American Sociological Association

• Nicole V. Amaya, American Sociological Association

• Michael Kisielewski, American Sociological Association