Current and newly accepted graduate students in Sociology, Applied Sociology, Sustainability Studies, and Dementia and Aging Studies may apply. Students who are not majors and applicants who are not yet accepted are not eligible for GIA positions. Please be advised that summer positions are limited, and current GIAs are given priority for these positions.
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INFORMATION ABOUT GRADUATE INSTRUCTIONAL ASSISTANTSHIP APPLICATIONS AND SELECTION
Deadline: April 1 for Fall, October 1 for Spring
(Students may send in applications after the deadlines in case a position becomes available at a later date)
The Director for Graduate Programs in Sociology, in consultation with The Graduate Steering Committee and Sociology Department Chair, appoints graduate instructional assistants (GIAs) using the following guidelines.
1. Similar to scholarships, GIA positions are competitive. Just because a student applies does not mean she or he will receive a GIA position. We always have more applications than available positions.
2. The Sociology Graduate Steering Committee and Graduate Advisor evaluate several items as we consider potential GIAs:
A. Application to the program (including GPA, statement of purpose as a writing sample, and recommendation letters)
B. Faculty comments about students (positive and/or negative): Our assessment of your skills, maturity, civility, and professionalism during our meetings with you, email conversations, in our classes, with other students, etc.
C. Students’ academic performance in our classes
D. Students’ availability: If a student says that she or he is only available on certain days or at certain times, or, only available 2 or 3 days a week, then the application is not competitive and the student will not receive a GIA. Just like with any other 5 day a week job, students who are GAs must be available 5 days a week. Some GIAs must come in 5 days a week while others come in less.
3. Applicants must understand that GIA positions, once given, are not guaranteed. GIAs are evaluated each semester by their supervising faculty members, the graduate director, and faculty with whom they are taking classes. GIAs can be fired during the semester in which they are employed or not hired after one semester (or more) of being a GIA for violating any Sociology department, Graduate College, or University rule or policy, which includes Title IX violations, Honor Code violations, and lack of professionalism with any person associated with the university, among other reasons.
4. Applicants must understand that no two GIAs will be doing the exact same tasks for their supervising faculty members. Applicants must be willing and available to engage in a variety of required duties including attending the supervising faculty member’s undergraduate classes, taking attendance, attending lectures, shredding documents, copying exams, tutoring students, grading papers or other course work, doing research, and doing guest lectures, among other things.
5. Depending on future budgets, it is very likely that we will have very few or no summer GIA positions in summer 2021 and subsequent summers.
6. The Graduate Steering Committee and graduate director may make exceptions to any of these guidelines at their discretion (except for official Graduate College guidelines, which rarely allow for exceptions).
7. Per Graduate College policies: GIAs must have a minimum of 3.0 and be enrolled in 9 hours of coursework each fall and spring. GIAs cannot be hired if they have a conditional acceptance; students must be unconditionally accepted in order to work as a GIA.
8. All students who have received GIA positions must be available to be on campus two weeks prior to the first day of classes.
9. Preference will be given to GIA applicants who have a background in sociology at the undergraduate and/or graduate levels.
10. The department tries to fund all GIAs for 4 semesters if the budget permits and the student is doing satisfactory work according to faculty evaluations. In rare cases, some students can be awarded more semesters depending on department needs, budgets, the quality of the GIA’s work, and satisfactory progress in the program.
