PhD in Sociology - Culture in Irvine United States | University of California Irvine

The social sciences' cultural shift has revitalized cultural sociology, generating some of sociology's most compelling research. At UCI, culture—whether understood as practices, symbols, discourse, or meaning systems—is examined within social interactions across various analytical levels. Key research areas include how culture is created, debated, and spread. Department researchers also emphasize demonstrating culture's empirical significance compared to other factors in explaining diverse social phenomena. UCI's cultural sociologists utilize diverse theoretical and methodological approaches, spanning macro-institutional world polity models to micro-level social psychology and interactionist views, and from investment flow time-series studies to online discourse analysis. This exceptional combination of research topics, macro-micro perspective integration, and advanced qualitative/quantitative methods distinguishes UCI's cultural sociology program.

Faculty research intersects with multiple departmental specialties, particularly political sociology/social movements, organizational studies, social stratification, global transformation, gender studies, race/ethnicity, and methodology. Collaborations extend to other UCI units including Anthropology, Criminology, Law and Society, Education, and Planning, Policy and Design.