FPP SESSIONS Sociology Department

Fall 2017-2018

FPP Session #1
Monday, October 16, 2017
10:30 am to 12:00 pm
Room: TBA

Navigating the IRB Application Process

Many students would agree that the IRB application process is a bit confusing, and at times,
disempowering. Is this a process that is different than a dissertation proposal? What are the
different steps involved? When do you start? How do your research focus and methodological
choice dictate preparation and submission time? How much time, realistically, do you need to
devote to the preparation, submission, and revision of your application? This informative panel
will discuss ways to write a successful application that would bypass delays, which would then
allow you to start working on data collection as soon as your proposal has been successfully
defended.
This session will focus on planning for and drafting an IRB application which makes for an
easier and smoother revision process. Andrew London, Associate Dean and Sociology
Professor, will discuss IRB proposals, specifically, how they differ from your dissertation
proposal, what are the documents needed to conduct research and their creation (informed
consent, assent, letters of cooperation), and how to navigate the revision process that will follow
your initial submission. Aaron Hoy, PhD Candidate in Sociology, will give attendees valuable
advice and share additional insights on his own IRB application submission journey. This
session will also give participants time to ask questions about their own IRB applications.

FPP Session #2
Thursday, October 19, 2017
4:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Room: Max 303

Crafting a Sociological Syllabus

You have a month to prepare a syllabus for your first class as the instructor on record! So how
do you build a syllabus? Scratch that! How do you build an effective syllabus? What material will
you choose as core readings? Will you focus on just sociological texts, or will you take an
interdisciplinary approach? How do you craft a syllabus that communicates more than just a
schedule of readings and assignments? How do you position and understand yourself in relation
to your chosen curriculum?
Whether it is a new preparation for a class that is based on your dissertation research or a
Sociology 101 course, preparing a syllabus sounds like an intense process. Jackie Orr,
Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Associate Professor, Sociology, as well
as the 2017 Laura J. and L. Douglas Meredith Professor for Teaching Excellence, will talk about
developing a syllabus, planning and choosing readings, choosing assignments and class
activities and building the infrastructure (sections/subsections) of this document. A syllabus is
not only a blueprint for your students to follow but a public statement of your own research
interests as well as your own sociological vision. How do you use your syllabus to invite
students to a discipline that advocates for the use of a sociologic imagination? In fact, what is
the task and the promise of a syllabus? Jackie will also explore with participants not only the
pedagogical but also the theoretical, methodological and substantive choices involved in the
creation of a text that not only informs students but invites them to be co-creators of knowledge
with you. Angie Mejia, PhD Candidate in Sociology, will also share her experiences and insights
in developing curriculum using her dissertation research as well as insights from her activist
work.

FPP Session #3
Monday, November 27th, 2017`
10:30 am to 12:00 pm

The Academic Peer-Review Process and You

Imagine this: You have submitted your first article to an academic journal. Seven weeks later
you receive an email: Subject: Accepted. The body of the email: with major revisions. What?!
Why!? Why!? Why?! They never told you, and by they, we mean your faculty advisor, that this
process takes as long, possibly longer than writing the article! What are the timelines involved
when working on an R&R? What are you being asked to rewrite, review, add, remove, consider
or amend? What do you work on first: the editors comments or the reviewers suggestions?
How do you deal with conflicting reviewer requests? Are you being asked to rerun a date set?
Or do you need to rethink your theoretical framework altogether? How do you draft a successful
memo addressing your resubmission?
Please join Becky Schewe, Assistant Professor in the Department of Sociology, and Janet
Wilmoth, Professor in the Department of Sociology and Director for the Aging Studies Institute,
for a conversation on responding to and reworking a journal paper for a revise and resubmit
request from a journal editor. You will learn the steps involved in an R&R response as well as
different ways one can approach the process. In addition to sharing their own experience with
revising and resubmitting journal articles, they will share insights on the other side of the
process: what do reviewers and editors expect to see when receiving your initial submission?
What do they want to see in your submission and re-submission response and memo to the
response? Becky and Janet will also discuss the benefits and considerations when being asked
and choosing to serve as a peer-reviewer for an academic journal while being a Ph.D. student.

For more information, please contact Angie Mejia, FPP Sociology Coordinator, amejia@syr.edu