Skip to main content

Department of Sociology

Immersion and Study Abroad

Immersion is… A deeper, more complex education that integrates classroom knowledge with experience. Immersion Vanderbilt provides undergraduates with the opportunity to pursue their passions and cultivate intellectual interests through experiential learning beyond the classroom, culminating in the completion of a final project. More information can be found on the Immersion Vanderbilt website.

STUDY ABROAD

Study abroad is one of our most popular Immersion options. Study abroad programs typically offer courses in the sociology of the host country, many of which can count as electives toward undergraduate degrees in sociology and environmental sociology. Vanderbilt offers study abroad opportunities in over 40 countries across the globe. Please visit the Global Education Office for more information about studying abroad.

RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIPS

Work with a sociology faculty member on a research project and take at least two advanced sociology classes. The research experience involves a commitment of approximately 150 hours during one academic year (about 5 hours per week) with weekly meetings with the faculty adviser. These are unpaid or voluntary research hours; in some cases, paid research may be available to students who continue after completing the Immersion project. Students will write a final report that includes a summary of their research. Questions about Immersion? Contact an Immersion coordinator.

INTERNSHIPS

Internships in civic, corporate, cultural, government, health, media, political, research, social welfare, and other organizations can allow students to gain experience that builds on and extends their sociology education. Students who secure their own internship may add a credit-bearing academic research component. Two courses are required:

  • SOC 3880 provides course credit for the hours the student works as an intern.
  • SOC 3881 is an independent study under faculty guidance, in which the student reads, researches, and reflects on the sociological issues connected to the internship. Visit the Vanderbilt Career Center to learn more about possible internships.

Eligibility: To qualify for an internship, the student must have completed two courses in the sociology department as prerequisites. The student should take at least one sociology course that is thematically related to the internship, such as a health-related course for health-related internship.

Note: The sociology department does not offer internship placement services. Students are responsible for finding their own internship and securing a faculty adviser.

HONORS RESEARCH

Honors research is a popular Immersion option. Read more about the Honors Program.

IMMERSION PROFILES

Sociology students have completed Immersion projects on topics such as healthcare access for LGBT+ populations in Africa, and comparative analyses of prison sentencing and time served.

Beier (Nina) Liu ’26

Experiencing Structural Inequality: A Marginalized Community Simulation

An internship with the Juvenile Court of Nashville and Davidson County gave Beier the opportunity to bridge classroom learning with community engagement. Working with Judge Sheila Calloway and Professor Katherine Carroll, she helped develop and facilitate a marginalized community simulation that illustrated the systemic challenges faced by families. Her culminating presentation and portfolio connected that work to her studies in public policy and sociology, highlighting the relationship between inequality, policymaking, and the justice system. Nina (Beier) was a double major in Sociology and Public Policy Studies and graduated with High Honors in Sociology.

Elle Stephenson ’26

Impact of Medicaid Expansion on Cancer Detection and Health Outcomes for AI/AN Women

As a Lewis Scholar with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Elle completed a Tribal Health Research Internship with the Southern Plains Tribal Health Board. She researched the impact of Medicaid expansion on cancer outcomes for American Indian and Alaska Native women, using epidemiological data to examine health disparities, and presented her findings at the CDC Lewis-Ferguson Student Showcase. The experience combined her interests in public health research and health equity. Elle was a double major in Sociology and Medicine, Health, and Society.

 

Kermina Wadeh ’26

Political Sociology in the Tennessee State Capitol

Kermina interned at the Tennessee Capitol, where she explored how policy is shaped through legislative processes, political dynamics, and even personal relationships. Working with Professor Laura Carpenter, she used her Immersion project to examine those first-hand experiences through the lens of sociology, exploring how power and inequality shape the legislative process. The internship helped her connect classroom ideas to real institutions and affirmed her interest in work that combines policy, law, and social analysis. Kermina was a double major in Sociology and Medicine, Health, and Society. 

 

 

Questions about Immersion in sociology? Contact the department’s Immersion Coordinator.