Jacqueline Phillips

Statement of Research Interests and Methods Knowledge

Research Interests: Gender, Russia, culture, ethnic groups, ethnography, social stratification, power

HSE’s International Master’s in Comparative Social Research is the ideal program for
pursuing my research interests.
My primary interest is in systems of social inequality across ethnic groups in Russia,
particularly in regard to gender. I believe that incorporating Russian values into international
comparative research is important because it challenges conventional social discourse to
reexamine an often western-centric legacy. In addition, I would like my research to recognize the
diversity of values in Russia by investigating norms throughout a variety of cultural groups.
Besides inequality, I am also interested in studying how gender is socially constructed by
“doing” masculinity and femininity in everyday life and the way in which those performances
reflect the wider cultural context.
My other interests include the underlying power relations embedded in social interactions
and the resulting forms of social control whether through subtle stigmatization or outright ridicule
of deviant behavior. To me, one of the most meaningful methods of demonstrating this is through
the cross-cultural comparison of meanings associated with behaviors deemed acceptable and not
acceptable in different societies.
In my prior studies as a Sociology major and Marketing minor, I utilized a variety of
research methodologies, both qualitative and quantitative. In my sociological research methods
course, I developed a research proposal, executed a small-scale survey, and analyzed the data
using SPSS, testing seven hypotheses. Similarly, in a course on marketing research methods, my
team performed a semester-long research project using survey and analysis with SPSS for a local
non-profit organization (YMCA) to advise in the development of a new nutrition program. I also
completed a course in social statistics, which emphasized testing hypotheses, parametric and
nonparametric statistics, multivariate analysis, data transformation and manipulation using SPSS.
In several other courses, I completed minor projects using participant observation as well
as narrative interview, which I transcribed myself. As a leader of a grassroots organizing club
called CHANGE, I worked with a group of four students to design and administer a survey to a
random, stratified group of students in order to assess my college’s social climate. The project
was approved by the Institutional Review Board and the results were used by the college
administration to develop communication channels and improve the social atmosphere on
campus.

July 2014