"The way to do field work is never to come up for air until it is all over." --Margaret Mead

All Criminology and Sociology students will complete some kind of field work in SOC 496, Applied Research. Over the years students have worked at a variety of placements. some of the most popular are listed here:

 

 

 

 

            

Raleigh Police Department and many other law enforcement agencies.

Students complete an internship of 90-150 hours in both the Sociology and Criminology majors. Double majors in Sociology and Criminology only need to complete one internship. Criminology majors may work with police, victim advocacy groups or even with the courts or prison system. Sociology students may work at social justice agencies for the poor, for reproductive rights, homeless shelters, etc.

Students complete several steps to set up their internships and then to complete them.

A. The semester BEFORE the internship (SOC 496), the student must complete the Internship Interest Form listed here and then meet with the major advisor and have the form signed and approved. The student may contact agencies to ask about possible internships, but final approval is given through the program. This must be done the semester prior to the work, since many agencies require criminal background checks, training (which may or may not be included in the hours toward the internship) or simply only place students at certain times of the year.

B. Once the student knows where she is going to complete her field work, she will complete a small literature review on a topic related to the field the agency is located in. This must be completed by the end of the first two weeks of the internship (SOC 496), but some students may choose to complete the work before the semester begins. This assignment will be given when the Internship Interest Form is turned in.

C. During the internship the studentwill send weekly field notes about the field work to the instructor of SOC 496. These notes are a summary of the work completed that week and some of the sociological or criminological questions or observations the student has made in the field. Here is an example of field notes.

Read the field notes of a student from the Summer of 2011 here.

D. After completing field work, the student will write a paper incorporating field experiences and major theories in the field of Criminology or Sociology.

E. Finally, the student will present content from her final paper to the department faculty and other students in SOC 496 and the programs. These presentations are done during the final exam period listed for SOC 496.