Sociology (Thesis): Development Studies (M.A.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Sociology (Faculty of Arts)
Degree: Master of Arts
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The M.A. thesis must be on a topic relating to development studies, approved by the Development Studies Option (DSO) coordinating committee.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please refer to Visual Schedule Builder. A technical issue is causing the "Terms offered" field to incorrectly report "this course is not currently offered" for many courses in the Course Catalogue.
Thesis Courses (30 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SOCI 692 | M.A. Thesis 3. | 3 |
M.A. Thesis 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Fieldwork and data analysis on the thesis. Progress report to the supervisor. | ||
| SOCI 693 | M.A. Thesis 4. | 3 |
M.A. Thesis 4. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Fieldwork and data analysis on the thesis. Progress report to the supervisor. | ||
| SOCI 694 | M.A. Thesis 5. | 18 |
M.A. Thesis 5. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Completion, submission, and approval of the M.A. Thesis by the committee and the Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies Office. | ||
Required Courses (15 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| INTD 657 | Development Studies Seminar. | 3 |
Development Studies Seminar. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Special topics in international development studies. | ||
| SOCI 504 | Quantitative Methods 1. 1 | 3 |
Quantitative Methods 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An introduction to basic regression techniques commonly used in the social sciences. Covers the least squares linear regression model in depth and may introduce models for discrete dependent variables as well as the maximum-likelihood approach to statistical inference. Emphasis on the assumptions behind regression models and correct interpretation of results. Assignments will emphasize practical aspects of quantitative analysis. | ||
| SOCI 580 | Social Research Design and Practice. 1 | 3 |
Social Research Design and Practice. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Asking researchable sociological questions and evaluation of different research designs used to answer such questions. Development of cogent research proposals, including data collection procedures. Principles, dynamics, strengths and practical limitations of research designs. Examples from recent publications. | ||
| SOCI 600 | Qualitative Research Methods 1. 1 | 3 |
Qualitative Research Methods 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Overview of qualitative research design and modes of data collection, particularly observation, interviewing and focus groups. Students are required to design and undertake their own qualitative research project. Introduction to computerized tools for qualitative data management, transcription and analysis. | ||
| SOCI 652 | Current Sociological Theory. 1 | 3 |
Current Sociological Theory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of works in some major areas of Sociology with a focus on: antecedent thought and research in the area; the internal structure and consistency of these works; the validity of the major claims made; and the implications for future theoretical development and research. | ||
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All students must have taken these courses or take them during the first year of the program. Students granted an exemption from any one or more of these courses by the Graduate Studies Committee must substitute another substantive seminar in its place.
Complementary Courses (6 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| SOCI 502 | Sociology of Fertility. | 3 |
Sociology of Fertility. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An upper-level course that will cover the major theories and findings from the social scientific study of fertility behavior. Readings and discussion will focus on the causal linkages between social change and transitions in fertility behavior. We will examine contemporary and historical fertility behavior and transitions across the globe. | ||
| SOCI 506 | Quantitative Methods 3. | 3 |
Quantitative Methods 3. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Advanced statistical analyses focusing on advanced methods such as event history analysis and analysis of contingency tables. | ||
| SOCI 507 | Social Change. | 3 |
Social Change. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An examination of the major sociological theories of long term macro social change. Topics include why industrialization began in Europe instead of Asia, the divergence among societies in systems of class, gender, ethnic and racial inequality, and whether industrial society has entered a new post-industrial or post-modern phase. | ||
| SOCI 512 | Ethnicity and Public Policy. | 3 |
Ethnicity and Public Policy. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Major themes in the theoretical literature on ethnicity. Public policies with direct and indirect implications for inter-ethnic relations will be studied. Policies affecting areas such as language, education, immigration, employment and promotion, multiculturalism and welfare. Examples drawn from several multi-ethnic societies. Political, constitutional, and economic problems associated with these policy initiatives. | ||
| SOCI 513 | Social Aspects HIV/AIDS in Africa. | 3 |
Social Aspects HIV/AIDS in Africa. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Examination of the social causes and consequences of HIV/AIDS in Africa. Gender inequality, sexual behaviours, marriage systems, migration, and poverty are shaping the pandemic as well as how the pandemic is altering social, demographic and economic conditions across Africa. | ||
| SOCI 519 | Gender and Globalization. | 3 |
Gender and Globalization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Focus on the diverse forces of globalization that impact the lives of men and women. Critical analysis of key theories and concepts implicated in the intersection of globalization processes with gender dynamisms. | ||
| SOCI 520 | Migration and Immigrant Groups. | 3 |
Migration and Immigrant Groups. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Review of the major demographic, economic and sociological theories of internal and international migration. The main emphasis will be on empirical research on migration and immigrant groups. | ||
| SOCI 529 | Political Sociology 1. | 3 |
Political Sociology 1. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Key theories and empirical areas of political sociology. Major works relevant to each theme will be read and analyzed. Topics include: political socialization, the social psychology of political behaviour, class and politics, political organizations, elite studies. A research paper in one of the areas covered will be required. | ||
| SOCI 545 | Sociology of Population. | 3 |
Sociology of Population. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The classic literature of sociology of population. Drawing reciprocal linkages between social and population processes: Historical, family and labour force demography, demographic and fertility transitions, mortality, ethnic and race relations, gender, macro-structural interaction theory, and the relation of population and the environment. | ||
| SOCI 550 | Developing Societies. | 3 |
Developing Societies. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Comparison of alternative explanations of underdevelopment: the impact of social stratification, relations of domination and subordination between countries, state interference with the market. Alternative strategies of change: revolution, structural adjustment, community development and cooperatives. Students will write and present a research paper, and participate extensively in class discussion. | ||
| SOCI 555 | Comparative Historical Sociology. | 3 |
Comparative Historical Sociology. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The analysis of patterns of state and nation-building in historical and comparative perspectives with particular attention being given to methodology. | ||
| SOCI 560 | Labour and Globalization. | 3 |
Labour and Globalization. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The relationship between labour and globalization, focusing on globalization of production, working conditions, national labour responses, and the emergence of transnational campaigns for labour rights and new forms of private regulation. | ||
| SOCI 590 | Social Conflict and Violence. | 3 |
Social Conflict and Violence. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course examines recent theory and research on the comparative study of social conflict and political violence. Topics covered include the causes and consequences of international wars, state repression, civil violence, guerrilla warfare, and terrorism. | ||
| SOCI 601 | Qualitative Research Methods 2. | 3 |
Qualitative Research Methods 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Qualitative data interpretation and analysis. Coding, identifying themes and memo-writing. Students conclude their qualitative research project, writing up findings in the form of a publishable-quality paper. | ||
| SOCI 620 | Quantitative Methods 2. | 3 |
Quantitative Methods 2. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. This course provides an introduction to generalized linear models for analyzing categorical and correlated data. The main topics include: (1) logistic/probit models (including multinomial logit, logit models for ordinal data) and (2) Extensions to multilevel and panel data analysis. The exposition covers model specification,estimation, hypothesis testing, remedies for violations of statistical assumptions, and interpretation of the results. The emphasis is on applications of these models in social science research, and research articles in sociology are used to illustrate the application of these models and techniques. | ||
| SOCI 621 | Fixed and Random Effects. | 3 |
Fixed and Random Effects. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Fixed and random effect regression. Emphasis on longitudinal panel data and hierarchical data. | ||
| SOCI 622 | Event History Analysis. | 3 |
Event History Analysis. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Applied introduction to event history analysis, a set of statistical methods used to analyze changes from one state to another (i.e. transitions) and the effects of independent variables on the timing and likelihood of these transitions. | ||
| SOCI 623 | Latent Variable Models. | 3 |
Latent Variable Models. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Latent variable models attempt to explain complex relations between manifest/observed variables by simple relations between these variables and an underlying unobservable or “latent” structure. Topics include both cross-sectional (Latent Class, factor analysis) and longitudinal (Latent Transition/Hidden Markov, Latent Class Growth Analysis, Growth Mixture Models) versions. | ||
| SOCI 624 | Social Networks. | 3 |
Social Networks. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Social networks from various standpoints, including classical theory, formal models, methods for empirical analysis, and substantive applications. | ||
| SOCI 720 | Reading in Social Theory. | 3 |
Reading in Social Theory. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Supervised readings in social theory supervised by a member of staff. Topics will be chosen to suit individual interests. | ||
| SOCI 730 | Reading and Research. | 3 |
Reading and Research. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Supervised readings and research supervised by a memeber of staff. Topics will be chosen to suit individual interests. | ||