PHD RECRUITMENT 2016/2017
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY, FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES, UNIVERSITY OF MACAU
The Department of Sociology is recruiting several PhD students for the 2016/2017 academic
year. The application deadline is February 29 of 2016 but students can apply any time from now
to the end of February 2016. Please visit the Admissions page of the website of the Graduate
School (http://www.umac.mo/grs/) for information about the application requirements and
procedures. Areas of concentration include:
Substance Abuse Disorder and Its Prevention and Treatment. Teaching and research in this
area will concentrate on identifying patterns and trends of substance use disorder, testing and
developing theories of addictive behavior, assessing substance abuse prevention and treatment
programs, and exploring new and more effective ways to reduce the problem of drug use and
misuse. Students will take part in program evaluations and survey/interview projects conducted
in the greater China area and become an active member of a multidisciplinary team at University
of Macau committed to promoting evidenced-based drug control policy through high-quality
research. (Potential supervisor: Spencer De Li)
Family Processes and Child Developmental Outcomes. The study plan in this area focuses on
the influences of family relationship, parenting practice and other familial factors on child
developmental outcomes including academic achievement, psychological wellbeing, social
competency, and delinquent involvement. Students will have opportunities to play an active role
in empirical research conducted in Macao and mainland China, and contribute to the
development of theories and effective parenting practices based on the collection and analysis of
large-scale qualitative and quantitative data. (Potential supervisor: Spencer De Li)
Comparative Criminology and Criminal Justice. PhD students in this direction will focus on
research that extends Western criminological and criminal justice theories and research to Asian
contexts. Student will need to build a solid knowledge of Western theories and research first and
then conduct research that compares some aspects of the crime and justice between West and
Asia or within Asian countries. Specific topics will be developed under the supervisor. (Potential
supervisor: Jianhong Liu)
Crime and Justice in China. Student will focus on examining some aspects of crime and justice
in China. A large amount of literature has been developed in this area, students will select
particular topic of interest under the guidance of the supervisor. The emphasis will be to examine
the applicability of dominant theories under Chinese contexts and elaborate the theory or practice
to Chinese context. (Potential supervisor: Jianhong Liu)
The Sociology of Intellectuals and the Sociology of Ethnic Studies. We plan to research the
role of intellectuals in ethnic studies and ethnic policymaking. Preferences will be given to those
with academic training in sociology, anthropology, or political science, and with ethnic language
abilities. (Potential supervisor: Zhidong Hao)
Juvenile Delinquency and Juvenile-police Relations: Teaching and research in this area will
focus on juvenile delinquency in general. Specifically, it concentrates on the
following: prevalence of juvenile delinquency, correlates of delinquency, and juvenile-police
relations. It also studies theories of juvenile delinquency and delinquency prevention
strategies. Students will have opportunity to get involved in research projects conducted in China
and learn skills on survey conduction and data analysis. (Potential supervisor: Ruohui Zhao)
Quantitative Research Methods. The study plan in this area focuses on statistical methods in
social research and non-experimental studies, for example categorical models, multilevel models,
survey research methods, and advanced structural equation models. Students will be trained
through various research projects in one or more areas of sociology that employ quantitative data.
(Potential supervisor: Tianji Cai)
Gene and Environment Interplay. The focus of this area is to understand the interplay
between social environment in which one is embedded, such as family process, school process,
peer groups etc., and one’s biologically propensity on behavioral / health outcomes. Both
methodological and substantive issues in this area will be covered. Students will have
opportunities to work on research projects in various areas. (Potential supervisor: Tianji Cai)
Family Violence. This area focuses on an understanding of various types of family violence in
both Western and Eastern settings, particularly intimate partner violence (IPV). The
understanding includes the estimates of prevalence, severity, theories, myths, and evidence of the
realities and controversies in the field. Cross-cultural patterns, prevention policies and treatment
of family violence are reviewed and compared. The ultimate goal is to provide sound policies
based upon evidence in order to improve the well-being and quality of life for local residents.
(Potential supervisor: Shih-Ya Kuo).
Crime, Policing and Social Control in China. This area of concentration aims to examine the
most updated form of policing and social control in urban China. We are particularly interested
in exploring crime and victimization of the marginal population such as street vendors, taxi
drivers and other types of urban poor and how they are treated in criminal justice system.
Potential supervisor: Xu Jianhua)
Financial Assistance. Research assistantships are available for qualified applicants.
Currently, PhD research assistantship offers a monthly stipend of up to MOP 12,500 plus
subsidized on-campus housing.