A vital part of the major in sociology involves learning and practicing the methods of sociological research; we therefore offer a variety of opportunities for students to conduct research. If you are interested in pursuing an individualized research experience, you should first contact your advisor or an appropriate faculty member to discuss a research plan and agenda, including funding for summer research and conference presentations. Research outcomes and avenues for funding are listed below.
After completing the two required research methods courses and completing faculty-led qualitative and quantitative research, sociology majors utilize those skills to design and implement an independent research project in the capstone seminar. Many students also complete independent studies; recent projects have included:
- The Americanization of Denmark: Conceptualizing the Globalization of Culture
- Chinese Identity in Singapore
- Expectations of Possible Relationships: Romanian Online Personal Ads
- Exploring the Various Influences of Alcohol Consumption and Drinking Patterns
- Historical Views on Capital Punishment
- HIV/AIDS Among the Elderly
It is not uncommon for students to co-author research publications with their faculty. Such hands-on experience with research gives you a significant competitive advantage when you apply for a job or graduate school. For example, recent collaborative research has resulted in the following co-authored peer-reviewed publications:
- In 2021, Professor Alecea Standlee and Emily Wielk ’20 co-published a peer-reviewed article in Qualitative Sociology Review entitled ‘Fighting for Their Future: An Exploratory Study of Online Community Building in the Youth Climate Change Movement.’
- In 2019, Professor Voon Chin Phua and Keyana Moody ’17 published ‘Online Dating in Singapore: The Desire to Have Children’ in the peer-reviewed journal Sexuality & Culture.
- In 2016, Professor Craig Lair, together with Chad MacLeod ’14 and Ethan Budgar ’14, published ‘Advertising unreasonable expectations: Nanny ads on Craigslist’ in the peer-reviewed journal Sociological Spectrum.
Sociology majors and minors often present their independent and collaborative research at a variety of prestigious regional, national and international conferences. Students have presented papers or posters at the following conferences in recent years; college funds are available, on a competitive basis, to defray costs of attendance. Student members of Alpha Kappa Delta may also receive funding as a group to present their research at a national or regional conference.
- Eastern Sociological Society (ESS) annual meeting
- American Sociological Association (ASA) annual meeting
- ASIANetwork annual conference
- Undergraduate Asian Studies Symposium
- Society for Scientific Study of Sexuality annual conference
- International Colloquium on Tourism and Leisure
- Digital Humanities Fellowship
The Digital Humanities Fellowship program is a paid, residential, summer research fellowship. Fellows learn Digital Humanities tools and methods, both independently and as part of a structured curriculum, and apply them to a public-facing digital project. Applicants propose a research question or topic based in humanistic inquiry to explore issues related to advocacy, social justice, or community engagement, and/or uses materials in Musselman Library’s Special Collections and College Archives. Fellows participate in a community of practice and share their learning experiences throughout the duration of the fellowship. Recent sociology majors have completed projects on representations of patriotism in US war propaganda and the history of diversity at Gettysburg College. - Kolbe Research Fellowship
The Kolbe Research Fellowship supports mentored undergraduate research at Gettysburg College. The 8-week summer program allows students to advance their scholarly or creative interests through a research project in close collaboration with a faculty mentor during the summer before a student’s sophomore, junior, or senior year. - Millard E. Gladfelter '25 Prize
The Millard E. Gladfelter '25 Prize is awarded annually by a committee of faculty members to one student with junior standing, possessing excellent scholarship in the social sciences. With respect to this award, the Endowment specifies that “social sciences” will also include the fields of Environmental Studies and American History. The prize is to be used for summer research study and a capstone or Honors project during the senior year “on a topic concerning national political, economic or social problems or issues.”