Areas of specialization are: comparative and historical sociology, population studies, medical sociology, economic sociology, social psychology, sociology of religion and culture, and social networks and stratification. Our mentorship approach to graduate education allows students to have a close working relationship with faculty members. Research productivity is high, and most students publish by the time they graduate. Students also have the opportunity to receive teacher training and gain teaching experience. Duke provides extensive computer support services, a first-rate research library, and a comprehensive collection of social science data bases. Graduate study is further enhanced by opportunities to participate in many interdisciplinary programs and centers at Duke, such as the Population Research Institute, the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, the Center for Social Demography and Ethnography, the Center on Globalization, Governance and Competitiveness, the Duke Network Analysis Center, Kenan Ethics, and the Social Science Research Institute.