Research & Internships

SOC 499: Undergraduate Research

Every year, an increasing number of undergraduate students seek opportunities to be involved in research, often through their major department. Whether students work on an independent project or as a Research Assistant on a team project, they would register for SOC 499: Undergraduate Research, a variable credit course (2-5 credits/quarter) with meeting days/times TBD, graded CR/NC.

INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROJECTS

Some students may want to continue exploring a topic beyond what was possible in the classroom and do a deep-dive into some aspect of what was presented in class. We recommend that students discuss the possibility of a 499 project with the professor before the class ends. They may be ready to design an independent research project, find a faculty sponsor, and work closely with them on a quarter-long project see below for detailed information). The final project for this type of research is often a substantial paper, written in an academic style. This type of Independent study is normally open only to juniors and seniors. See below for details of what to include in a proposal for an independent research project. If students are not sure about who to approach they can can look at faculty areas of interest and/or ongoing research to find a faculty member or project that interests them.

Step 1: Find a faculty/graduate student supervisor or work with the person who invited you to join their project.

  • Prepare a written research proposal; make it as specific as possible. Proposals for independent projects must outline your research project and describe how it’s connected both to your own academic interests and to prior coursework. Describe the scope of the project; if the format is a research paper, discuss length, number of revisions (use the Sociology Writing Center as a resource), your literature review, and what style manual you will be using. If you are joining an existing research project, you will be signing a contract where duties have already been specified.
  • Email your selected faculty member to request a meeting time to discuss your proposed project. Offer to email or leave the proposal ahead of time, or to bring it when you meet.
  • At your meeting, pitch your project, taking care to demonstrate that you are self-directed, motivated, responsible, and capable.
  • Timeline: An independent research project sponsored by a Sociology professor or graduate student instructor/TA, should be finalized around the time registration for the upcoming quarter begins. If you approach someone for the first time after the quarter has started, chances are they will decline to work with you.

Step 2: Complete the SOC 499 Registration Form

  • You can pick up a hard copy of the SOC 499 Registration Form outside the Sociology Advising Office (SAV 203), or access it below.
  • When your faculty sponsor has signed your form and you have attached your research proposal, turn it in to the Sociology Advising Office and we will register you for the credits.

JOINING AN EXISTING RESEARCH PROJECT/TEAM

It is not unusual for students who are engaged and active learners to be approached about research opportunities based on their engagement in a class. If a student accepts an offer made, they would become part of an existing research project/teamThey might work on a current faculty research project, a joint grad student and faculty designed project, or assisting a graduate student with their dissertation research. For this type of project, you would not be expected to develop a proposal but rather sign up for an already existing contract outlining expectations, requirements, and deadlines.

SOC 499 REGISTRATION FORM

UW RDS Project Registration Form

Students seeking to continue their research assistant position in Summer 2023 or Autumn 2023 with Professor Zack Almquist for the UW RDS Project should use the form below. A 499 form is required for each quarter you will be working as an RA.

SOC 499 UNDERGRDUATE RA WITH PROF. ZACK ALMSQUIST REGISTRATION FORM

What steps can students take to be better prepared for research opportunities?

There are several things students can do early in their UW career to build skills and prepare themselves for research opportunities:

  • Familiarize yourself with the information and resources listed on the webpage for the Office of Undergraduate Research. Think of this as a mini-research project where you explore the contents, one tab at a time; take notes, write down ideas and, for questions note where or whom you might contact for answers.
  • Sign up for the 1-credit course Research Exposed! offered by the Office of Undergraduate Research in autumn quarter every year.
    • The final session of that class is a presentation of the Undergraduate Research Tutorial, originally conceptualized and created by UW Librarians. This is a resource worth bookmarking so you can easily find it for future reference.
  • Be an engaged, active learner and do well in your sociology courses. Academic performance matters but so do engagement and enthusiasm. Make sure your attendance is near perfect for both lectures and quiz sections. Show up for office hours both with the instructor of the class and your TA. This will give your professors and TAs opportunities to get to know you. It’s not unusual for students who are engaged and active learners to be approached about research opportunities based on their engagement with the class. See section above JOINING AN EXISTING RESEARCH PROJECT/TEAM for more details.
  • Develop research skills. A good first step can be to learn MS excel because it’s common for researchers to keep track of data in spreadsheets. Next, take advantage of free introductory courses offered by the Center for Social Science Computation and Research (located on the ground floor of Savery Hall). The center offers FREE introductory coding courses using R Studio (the industry standard for data analytics), as well as an introduction to Python (a commonly used coding language).

How to Find Internships

Internships are a great opportunity for students to explore the professional world of work with guidance and mentorship from their internship site supervisor(s). Many internships allow students to explore, contribute to, and grow in community organizations in Seattle and King County, while city and federal agencies offer students insight into the work that is done at established government entities. Both unpaid and paid internships are eligible for academic credit.

AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS THAT LIST MULTIPLE INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

INDIVIDUAL AGENCIES & ORGANIZATIONS THAT OFFER INTERNSHIPS FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS

AARP Fraud fighter, Senior Wish and other programs Volunteering around Seattle, WA - AARP

Asian Counseling Referral Services (remote opportunities) Volunteer - ACRS

Bridge Disability Ministries Bellevue Get Involved - Bridge Disability Ministries : Bridge Ministries – Helping People with Disabilities

Centilia Cultural Center - El Centro de la Raza

Childhaven Partnerships - Childhaven

City of Seattle Parks and Recreation Volunteer - Parks | seattle.gov

Communities in Schools of Greater King County Volunteer - Communities In Schools of Greater King County (ciswa.org) Communities In Schools of Greater King County | United Way of King County (uwkc.org)

Downtown Emergency Service Center HOST, PACT or SAGE program (experience with MH) Volunteer – DESC

Family & Friends of Violent Crime Victims Volunteer Opportunities - Victim Support Services

HEP C Program Get Involved - Hepatitis Education Project

Jewish Family Service (open to all) Individuals - Jewish Family Service (jfsseattle.org)

Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust - Connecting Ecosystems & Communities (mtsgreenway.org)

New Beginnings Volunteer – New Beginnings

Northeast Seattle Together Become a Volunteer - North East Seattle Together (nestseattle.org)

ROOTS Young Adult Shelter (rootsinfo.org)

Salvation Army

Seattle Emergency Management Volunteer Services - Emergency Management | seattle.gov

Sound Internships are accepted throughout the year Internship/Volunteer/Extern Opportunities - Sound

Treehouse Treehouse - Volunteer With Us (treehouseforkids.org)

Urban League Volunteer - Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle

Volunteer Opportunities - Refugee Women's Alliance (rewa.org) -virtual opportunities listed

INTERNSHIPS WITH A LEGAL FOCUS

American Civil Liberties Union of Washington
206-624-2180 complaints and referrals
P.O. Box 2728; Seattle, WA 98111-2728
Helps with complaints regarding civil liberties legal issues. Written complaints preferred, but answering machine gives information about when they accept complaints by phone.

Central Area Motivation Program
206-812-4945
722 18th Ave., Seattle 98122
Helps restore suspended driver's licenses, even for accounts already in collection. Helps arrange payment schedule.
For homeless and at-risk youth. Legal education in civil and criminal law. Legal representation in civil, but not criminal cases.

Housing Justice Project (HJP) of South King County
206-267-7090 (information line only, cannot take messages)
Conference Room 1281, Kent Regional Justice Center, 401 4th Avenue North, Kent
Free legal help to eligible low-income tenants who would otherwise appear without legal representation at their eviction hearings at Kent Regional Justice Center. First come, first served. Open 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. M-F. Verified 04/08

Housing Justice Project (HJP)
206-267-7090 (information line only, cannot take messages)
Room W314 in the King County courthouse at 3rd and James
Free legal help to eligible low-income tenants who would otherwise appear without legal representation at their eviction hearings. Individuals who have a Show Cause Hearing on the same day as their visit to the HJP receive priority. Services include information and educational materials about the eviction process; referrals; legal advice; negotiations; and representation at eviction hearings. Serves North King County and Seattle residents. Open 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. M-F. No appointment required. Verified 04/08

King County Dispute Resolution Center
206-443-9603
1-888-803-4696
Conflict resolution for King County residents, by trained volunteers. Divorce/domestic mediations, mobile home park mediations, neighborhood problems, employer/employee issues where a union is not involved, landlord/tenant issues, etc. (more details on their website). All services low cost, sliding scale. Voluntary and confidential. Does not handle problems involving violence of any kind or alcohol or drug abuse. 9am-5pm M-F.

Lawyer Referral and Volunteer Legal Services
206-623-2551
900 Fourth Ave. #600, Seattle 98164
A service of the Seattle/King County Bar Association. Some free legal services and referrals. M-F 8am-5pm.

Legal Action Center
206-324-6890
100 23rd Ave, Seattle 98144
For low-income people throughout King County. Free legal assistance for low-income tenants with an eviction notice. Legal help with landlord/tenant problems, debtor/creditor problems related to past or present tenancies, and referrals in other matters. M-F 9am-12pm and 2-5pm.

Preparing Your Internship Application

A strong application will showcase your individual strengths and respond directly to the specific internship’s requirements and prompts. The UW Career Center offers many resources on putting together resumes, writing effective cover letters, and preparing for interviews, as well as individual appointments with a Career Coach.

Students can also schedule review sessions with Susanna Hansson and/or the Writing Center Instructor (not available during breaks) for feedback on cover letters and resumes. Email our general advising email, asksoc@uw.edu, to schedule an appointment and/or make a Writing Center appointment at calendly.com/writesoc.

SOC 404 and SOC 399 COMBO

Students who apply for 3- or 6-month internships in autumn quarter, can earn academic credit through the Sociology Practicum course, SOC 404, offered winter quarter. For students with 6-month internships, the department can facilitate registration for SOC 399 in spring quarter. A student’s internship should ideally be confirmed before they register for courses.

  • SOC 404 is a seminar style in-person course. In winter quarter 2024 it meets once a week on Wednesdays from 2:30-4:50PM. It’s extremely important that your schedule allows you to attend the class in person every week.

Students practice applying sociological concepts to their work experiences. Through readings, projects, papers, discussions and presentations, students consider how Sociology informs and enriches their internship experience. For Sociology majors SOC 404 can count as an upper division elective (or lower division elective). For non-Sociology majors, SOC 404 counts as an SSc course. Email asksoc@uw.edu for an entry code when you have secured an internship.

SOC 399: Undergraduate Internship

For students who find internships for Summer and/or Autumn quarter when the SOC404/SOC399 course combo is not offered, the Sociology department offers SOC 399: Undergraduate Internship as a stand-alone course. SOC 399 can be taken for between 2 and 5 credits, depending on how many hours the student spends at the internship site each week. The general guideline is that you spend 3 hours per week at your internship for each credit you will earn. If you sign up for 5 credits of SOC399, you should be spending 12-15 hours at the internship site every week. SOC 399 is graded CR/NC.

It is the student’s responsibility to secure the support of a Sociology professor.

A faculty member must supervise the academic component (See point 1. below) of your internship. The most natural "fit" is a faculty member whose research topics match the mission and goals of your internship. You might also approach faculty with whom you already have a working relationship.

Timeline: Ideally an independent internship sponsored by a Sociology professor or graduate student instructor/TA, should be finalized around the time registration for the upcoming quarter begins. If you start late and try to finalize an internship after the quarter has started, chances are your proposed faculty sponsor will decline.

Before you approach a faculty member, make sure you are well prepared.

  1. Prepare a written research proposal; make it as specific as possible. Proposals must outline an academic project connected with the internship, not just describe your internship. You earn academic credit not for your internship work, but for a scholarly project connected to it (e.g., a paper, etc.).
  1. Email your selected faculty member to request a meeting time to discuss your proposed project. Offer to email or leave the proposal ahead of time, or to bring it when you meet.
  2. At your meeting, pitch your project, taking care to demonstrate that you are self-directed, motivated, responsible, and capable.
  3. Timeline: An independent internship sponsored by a Sociology professor or graduate student instructor/TA, should be finalized around the time registration for the upcoming quarter begins. If you approach someone for the first time after the quarter has started, chances are they will decline to work with you.

Complete the Necessary Paperwork
You can pick up the relevant forms at the Sociology Advising Office (SAV 203). When you have completed the registration form, turn it in to Sociology Advising, and an entry code will be provided for you. It will be your responsibility to register yourself. The number of credits you receive from your internship is based on the number of weekly hours you dedicate to your internship site. The general guideline is that you spend 3 hours per week at your internship for each credit you will earn. If you sign up for 5 credits of SOC399, you should be spending 12-15 hours at the internship site every week.

SOC 399 REGISTRATION FORM
Along with completing the SOC 399 Registration Form, your site supervisor must complete a Site Evaluation at the end of your internship. Give your supervisor the form (downloadable below) and have him or her send it to the address listed.

SOC 399 SITE EVALUATION
You can receive 2-5 credits of SOC 399 depending on the work you arrange with your faculty sponsor. The general guideline is 3 hours per week, per credit received. All credits in SOC 399 are graded C/NC. You can count up to 5 credits of SOC 399/499 (Independent Research credits) toward the Sociology Elective Requirement.

 

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