316 - ASA/NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Professional Workshop. The Value of Postdoctorates in Academic Career Trajectories: Should Sociology Follow the Natural and Physical Sciences Model?

Session Submission Type: Invited Session

Description

The postdoctorate is an institutionalized stage towards a faculty position the natural and physical science pipelines. In sociology, a field that has not traditionally used the postdoctorate as a stage in the academic career trajectory, there is increasing interest in the role of post¬doctoral training in the discipline. This workshop reviews what we know about the value of postdocs on sociological careers, based on two studies that compare those who participated in postdoctoral programs with a matched group of sociologists who did not. It investigates whether participating in a postdoctoral training program is more likely to result tenure-track positions at Research I universities; whether they increase the amount and importance of scholarly productivity; and whether they result in greater participation in scholarly networks compared to those who did not participate in postdoctoral programs. A major purpose of this research is to begin to answer a series of questions about the role that postdoctoral appointments play in PhD career trajectories and whether or not sociology should follow the model of the natural and physical sciences in institutionalizing this level of training.

Sub Unit

• Minority Fellowship Program

Session Organizers

• Roberta M. Spalter-Roth, American Sociological Association

• Jean H. Shin, American Sociological Association

Co-Leaders

• Roberta M. Spalter-Roth, American Sociological Association

• Jean H. Shin, American Sociological Association

Discussants

• Sarah Thebaud, Unviersity of California Santa Barbara

• Margaret Michele Gough, University of La Verne