Social Theory and Practice (STP) (Major)

Before declaring the RC Social Theory and Practice Major (typically at the end of the sophomore or early junior year), students must complete the following prerequisites:

• RCSSCI 260: Understanding Power/Theorizing Knowledge and RCSSCI 290, a one-credit course taken in the same semester that helps them prepare their Individual Major Proposal (see third bullet).
  
  
• One other social science “gateway” course at the 200 or low 300 level chosen in consultation with the STP Major Advisor. The aim of the gateway courses is to introduce students to issues and approaches in the social sciences as well as to the ways questions are framed from different disciplinary perspectives.
  
  
• An Individual Major Proposal, which outlines the student’s own plan of study and is written in consultation with a faculty mentor assigned by the 290 instructor. The proposal should specify the intellectual rationale for the major, lay out the courses that the student might take, and indicate the kind of senior project the student may complete in the final semester or year. Students may continue to meet informally with their mentors throughout their years in the STP program, or they may choose another faculty mentor as their interests change.

All concentrators must complete the following requirements in addition to the prerequisites:

Two courses provide the institutional framework common to all students:

1. RCSSCI 301: The Origins of Social Science Thinking. This course focuses on the early development of political economy, sociology, and psychology in both Europe and the U.S.
   
   
2. A research methods course that includes a quantitative component, usually STATS 250, SOC 310, or ECON 404.

A minimum of 18 credits (at least six upper-level courses) providing the thematic framework for the major as tentatively outlined in the student’s proposal . These 18 credits include:

• A second social science theory course
  
  
• A practicum/community engagement course
  
  
• Electives

RCSSCI 460: Senior Project Seminar. Typically taken by all STP majors during the Fall of the senior year.

Completion of a Senior Project. This requirement, considered the culmination of the major, is usually completed through RCSSI 460 under the supervision of a faculty mentor. Students work closely with their respective faculty mentors, meeting regularly to discuss the projects and their writing. A Senior Project can take many forms:

1. One type of senior project stems from an internship or field study in the U.S. or abroad which synthesizes on-going involvement in a “real world” setting with critical and conceptual analysis and personal reflection. Typically, the project is documented in a written report of about 15-25 pages.
   
   
2. Another type of senior project is a more traditional semester-long thesis that explores themes from the student’s individual plan of study in the STP Major. The thesis is typically 30-50 pages in length, and either is organized around a series of analytical questions or makes an argument for a particular point of view or practical application.
   
   
3. Ambitious students with an overall GPS of 3.4 or higher may consider completing an Honors Thesis. This year-long empirical research and writing project of around 60 pages allows a student to pursue a particular set of original research questions developed by the student in consultation with his or her thesis advisor or other instructor (generally within the RC) who agrees to be the “first reader” of the finished work. The student takes the initiative to find a “second reader” (often outside the RC), who agrees to read and evaluate the final draft of the student’s work.