Building the sociological imagination through a cumulative curriculum: Professional socialization in sociology

This paper examines the professional socialization of undergraduate sociolo gy majors with a focus on research training. The first section of the paper argues that strong professional socialization requires a cumulative curric ulum that provides students with a solid set of research skills designed to build the sociological imagination. Next, the paper presents data that exp lore the structuring of research training in the undergraduate major nation wide and the extent to which this training follows recommendations on "stud y in-depth" within our discipline. Finally, a case study is presented that illustrates how to integrate research training throughout a cumulative curr iculum in undergraduate sociology.