Groups for Undergraduates and Alumni
Each campus has its own community of sociology program students. If you love sociology and want to meet and get involved with other students like you, consider getting involved with the St. George Undergraduate Sociology Students Union, The UTM Sociology and Criminology Society or the UTSC Students of Sociology. Alumni from our undergraduate programs are welcome to participate in the Sociology Alumni Association.
Groups for Graduate Students and Faculty
The Graduate Sociology Students' Association (GSSA) represents the interest of graduate sociology students by serving as a liaison between students and the department to ensure that concerns are heard; and by organizing social and academic events throughout the year. The GSSA can be contacted at uoftgssa@gmail.com. Teaching Assistants and graduate students teaching courses are members of CUPE 3902 unit 1. Faculty are represented by the University of Toronto Faculty Association.
Sociology Teaching Community
The Sociology Teaching Community seeks to cultivate intentional, respectful spaces where faculty and graduate students can share experiences and questions about teaching. Gatherings will take various forms, including topical discussions, short presentations, and graduate student-only sessions. Contact Kathy Liddle (kathy.liddle@utoronto.ca) and Mitch McIvor (mitchell.mcivor@utoronto.ca) for details
Area Groups
The department hosts a number of area groups that bring together faculty and graduate students working within specific Sociology subfields. These area groups typically meet several times a year, discussing each other’s work and sometimes inviting speakers from other universities. We currently have five active area groups, though some groups’ activity is on hold during the COVID-19 pandemic. The group leaders announce their events to the entire department but you may also contact the faculty member who coordinates the group to find out more about a specific group:
- Theory Workshop: Professor Vanina Leschziner or Professor Dan Silver
- The Feminist Salon: Professor Judith Taylor
- The Work, Stratification, and Markets Workshop: Professor Kim Pernell
- Race and Ethnicity Workshop: Professor Luisa Farah Schwartzmann
- Crime, Law, and Punishment Salon: Professor Chris Smith
Interdisciplinary Groups and Centres
Centre for Global Social Policy
Housed in the Sociology Department and led by Professor Ito Peng, the Centre for Global Social Policy brings together researchers and graduate students who analyze social policy issues from a global perspective. Currently, the work of the centre is focused on issues related to a large SSHRC-funded partnership grant studying gender, migration and the work of care.
Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy
Many of our faculty members also have affiliations with the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy. With a mandate to "deeply integrate research on global affairs with teaching and public education," the Munk School comprises more than 30 centres and institutes. Our faculty members are heavily involved in the Asian Institute, The Centre for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies, Centre for the Study of the United States, Ethnic and Pluralism Studies, the Centre for South Asian Studies, Centre for the Study of Korea, the Global Migration Research Institute, and the Trudeau Centre for Peace, Conflict and Justice.
The Centre for Criminology & Sociolegal Studies
Criminology and Sociology have close ties and many of our faculty members are affiliated with the Centre for Crimonology and Sociolegal Studies. There they collaborate with other faculty members who have primary affiliations in such departments as history, law, psychology, philosophy and political science.
Women & Gender Studies Institute
The Institute is dedicated to exploring the entangled work of gender, race and sexuality in identities, relations, practices, theories and institutions. Faculty from a wide variety of disciplines participate either as core faculty members or as affiliate faculty members of the Women & Gender Studies Institute.
School of Public Policy and Governance
Several of our faculty members are also involved in the School of Public Policy & Governance. The School seeks to bring together researchers, practitioners, and community members to contribute to policy debates, development, and discussion across many areas of expertise, both nationally and internationally. We also have faculty members cross-appointed with the Cinema Studies Institute and with the Institute for Life Course and Aging.
National and International Sociology Associations
Our faculty and graduate students are active members of several national and international academic associations. These include the Canadian Sociological Association, the American Sociological Association, the International Sociological Association and a number of area-specific organizations.