Society, Space and Power Doctorate

The Doctoral Program in Society, Space and Power (DESEP) is a unique proposal in the panorama of graduate programs in social sciences, since its proposal focuses on the crossroads of culture, space and power, which shape the framework in which social life is built, sustained and transformed, but without neglecting the historical dimension of the objects of study. Thus, beyond a traditional geographic notion, space is conceived as context, environment and setting, but also as a web of relationships, a network of interactions and a field of forces that guides the production and organization of geographic objects, of notions, representations and spatial practices, based on the meanings that a society establishes, puts into circulation and uses on a daily basis.

However, social processes, considered in their spatial and symbolic dimensions, require for their understanding, to take into account power, understood as resources that social agents bring into play to achieve their goals over time, so that the relationships between these agents are objectified, producing differential access to goods, services and the common heritage. Therewith, sustainability as an aspiration for a dignified life in a just society that allows the development of its members in healthy and safe environments, can be hindered or favored, depending on the way in which power is exercised in its various forms and at different times.

Photo taken by Víctor Medina

Objective

To train independent researchers with a multidisciplinary approach, capable of analyzing, interpreting and explaining border social processes and phenomena from the spatial and symbolic dimensions, observed from the logic of power either diachronically or synchronically, with the support of theoretical and methodological contributions and analytical categories common to geography, economics, sociology, communication, anthropology and history, who contribute with original research to the advancement of scientific knowledge and the improvement of social welfare as a path to sustainability.

Photo taken by Víctor Medina

Lines of Research

Power, time and meaning.

This line is oriented to analyze and interpret social processes from the symbolic dimension, taking into account the varied resources that social agents put into play in their interactions in structured contexts; processes that can be observed in different scales and configurations through time, such as: groups, organizations, communities, cities, territories or regions, in order to understand how specific spatialities are configured, and how the meaningful space can be constituted as an active medium and context of social life.

Space, society and sustainability.

The purpose of this line is to analyze social processes based on the production and social construction of space, with emphasis on the agents that have intervened in them, the capitals involved, the public policies that have been implemented, the access and management of available resources (natural, material and human), as well as the strategies that affect social welfare and the quality of life in border contexts.

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Academic Profile Information

Candidate Profile Alumni Profile

Program Structure

The study plan is structured around three main training areas: theory, research methodology, and specialization. The theory area aims to provide the student with the necessary knowledge to approach the object of study, reflect on it and handle the concepts useful for its explanation/interpretation according to the line of research in which the thesis work is located. On the other hand, the research methodology area aims to provide the student with useful
methodological tools to carry out quantitative, qualitative or mixed research work.

For the specialization area (thematic or instrumental), its objective is to facilitate the acquisition of skills for the application of methodology, for the analysis of information and the handling of technical support tools for the processing of qualitative or quantitative data, while deepening the specific topics required for the development of the thesis work, according to the area of emphasis in each line of research of the program. Of the 160 total credits of the program, 8 correspond to theories, 24 are methodology and research, and 38 correspond to specialization, which are distributed approximately equally between compulsory and elective learning units (36 and 34 credits, respectively). The thesis is worth 90 credits.

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Courses

Theoretical Area Courses

Learning Unit	Class Hours	Credits
Contemporary Social Thinking	2	4
Space(s), practices and meanings	2	4
Space, power and inequality	2	4

Research Area Courses

Learning Unit	Class Hours	Workshop Hours	Credits
Research Methodology I	2	0	4
Research Methodology II	2	0	4
Research Workshop I	0	4	4
Research Workshop II	0	4	4
Research Workshop III	0	4	4
Research Workshop IV	0	4	4

Specialization Area Courses

COURSE		CLASS HOURS	WORKSHOP HOURS	FIELD HOURS	CREDITS
Qualitative methods		2	0	0	4
Quantitative methods		2	0	0	4
Selected topics in qualitative methods		1	1	2	5
Selected topics in quantitative methods		1	2	1	5
Workshop on the preparation of scientific articles		1	3	0	5
Selected topics of sustainability		1	3	0	5
Selected topics of history		1	3	0	5
Selected topics of geography		1	3	0	5
Selected topics of culture		1	3	5	5
Geographic information systems		1	0	3	5
Qualitative data analysis workshop		1	2	1	5
Quantitative data analysis workshop		1	1	2	5
Other Thematic Specialization Courses		1	3	0	5
Typology of learning units	Characteristics of compulsory and elective courses

Teaching and learning methodology Evaluation criteria and procedures Relevant and updated bibliography.						Access the document

Faculty and Staff

Faculty of Human Sciences

Basic Academic Core

Full-time Scholars LGAC Power, Time and Meaning
Luz María Ortega Villa, PhD	View Curriculum	lucyo@uabc.edu.mx
Judith Ley García	View Curriculum	jley@uabc.edu.mx
Hugo E. Méndez Fierros, PhD	View Curriculum	hugomendez@uabc.edu.mx
Omar May González, PhD	View Curriculum	omay@uabc.edu.mx
Pedro Antonio Be Ramírez, PhD	View Curriculum	pedro.be@uabc.edu.mx
Ángel Manuel Ortiz Marín, PhD	View Curriculum	mortiz@uabc.edu.mx
Full-time Scholars LGAC Space, society and sustainability
Judith Ley García, PhD	View Curriculum	jley@uabc.edu.mx
Guillermo Álvarez de la Torre, PhD	View Curriculum	galvarez@uabc.edu.mx
Fabiola Maribel Denegri de Dios, PhD	View Curriculum	fdenegri@uabc.edu.mx
María de los Ángeles Zárate López, PhD	View Curriculum	maria.zarate@uabc.edu.mx
Luz María Ortega Villa, PhD	View Curriculum	lucyo@uabc.edu.mx
Carlos David Solorio Pérez, PhD	View Curriculum	david.solorio@uabc.edu.mx

Part-Time Professors

Faculty and Staff
The PhD in Society, Space and Power operates only with full-time scholars and visiting professors, and as the development of this graduate program requires it, part-time professors will be incorporated.

Academic Productivity


Research projects conducted by Basic Academic Core (BAC) members according to program research lines, 2013-2019.							View Document
Production per BAC member, 2015-2019							View Document

2019-2022 Tutors and Tutees

Tutor	Tutee	Student Number
Luz María Ortega Villa, PhD	Luis Manuel Serrano Dávila	169418
Fabiola Maribel Denegri de Dios, PhD	Gabriela Martínez Méndez	169740
Carlos David Solorio Pérez, PhD	Grisel Corral Aguayo	171382
Pedro Antonio Be Ramírez, PhD	Ana Cristina Vázquez Cuevas	162719
Ángel Manuel Ortiz Marín, PhD	Tracy Díaz Hernández	1100957
Ángel Omar May González, PhD	Elma Aurea Correa Neri	179792

Assosiation

The UABC currently has 156 general collaboration agreements with universities and research centers in 26 countries, which constitute the basis for the establishment of specific instruments that favor the strengthening of the graduate program proposed here. Particularly noteworthy are 10 agreements with universities in Germany, 28 with institutions in Argentina, 15 with universities and institutes in Brazil, with 17 universities in Chile, with 57 institutions in Spain, 18 universities in the United States of America (including the system of universities of California), and 12 educational centers in France, among others (UABC, 2017, n.p.).

Nationally, there are 65 general agreements and 48 specific agreements entered into by the UABC with higher education institutions and research centers, among which we can mention those established with the Metropolitan Autonomous University (UAM), University of Colima, Autonomous University of Ciudad Juarez, University of Sonora, University of Guadalajara and UNAM (UABC, 2017, n.p.). The Faculty of Human Sciences has agreements with institutions such as the University of Sonora, the Autonomous University of Coahuila, the Anahuac University and the University of Quilmes. Meanwhile, the professors and researchers members of the BAC have participated in various collaboration activities such as joint research projects, co-authored or co-edited publications, provision of research services to public agencies, participation in academic networks, membership in national and international associations of researchers, synodalities, lectures, evaluation of projects and graduate programs, among other actions, which have allowed them to establish connections that can be of benefit to the enrichment of the PhD in Society and Power Studies.

Convenios UABC

Faculty Linkages

Visiting Professors
Felipe Antonio Victoriano Serrano, PhD Autonomous Metropolitan University – Cuajimalpa Unit. He conducted the seminar «Subjectivity and power in contemporary thought. Authors, debates and perspectives», as part of the training of the scholars of the program and of the UABC in general.
Jesús Becerra Villegas, PhD Autonomous University of Zacatecas. He offered a training seminar for teachers under the title «Complex capitalism, the communication effect», which was also attended by graduates of bachelor’s degrees related to communication sciences.
Julieta Martínez Cuero, PhD Postdoctoral Fellow, School of Economics UNAM Delivered an update seminar on the internationalization of capital and the differences between the economies of Mexico’s northern and southern borders, which was aimed at members of the program’s core academic group and the general public.

Pre-registration

In the following link you can find the pre-registration document for the 2021-2024 call for the PhD in Society, Space and Power.

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Call

In the following link you will find the call for applications for the 2023-2025 promotion of the PhD in Society, Space and Power.

View Call

Registration fee

The registration fee for the program is:

18620.00 mxn.

Admission Requirements

The Graduate Studies Committee of the program is the body responsible for the applicant selection process. Admission to the graduate program will be subject to the provisions of Article 33 of the General Regulations for Graduate Studies of the UABC, in addition to compliance with the following requirements:

General Regulations for Graduate Studies

2ND PHASE. ATTEND AN INTERVIEW WITH THE PROGRAM’S GRADUATE STUDIES COMMITTEE

1st phase. Submit the following documents to the program coordination:
Application form of admission to the program.						Download Pre-registration
Curriculum vitae.						Free-form
Copy of bachelor’s degree and master’s degree.
Copy of bachelor’s and master’s degree transcripts.
Proof of understanding of a foreign language (preferably English) at a reading comprehension level.
Two letters of academic recommendation.						Download Form
Motivation Letter (original)
Research protocol within the framework of one of the program’s lines of research.						Download Protocol Guide
For foreign applicants, in addition to the general requirements to be submitted, the following must be presented:
Original birth certificate legalized by the Mexican Embassy in your country.
Carry out the revalidation process before the Ministry of Public Education (SEP).
Student visa for graduate studies in Mexico.
For applicants whose native language is not Spanish, certify proficiency in this language by means of a certificate issued by an accredited institution (original certificate).
Valid passport.

Based on the requirements established in the candidate’s admission profile, and according to the results of the selection process, the Graduate Studies Committee will determine whether the applicant shall be admitted to the program and, if so, a letter of acceptance will be issued by the Faculty of Human Sciences, in order to proceed with the regulatory registration.

Calendar
Under Construction					Under Construction

Costs
The costs for registration, credential issuance and library use will depend on what the institution establishes. For further information, please contact the program coordination.

Scholarships

UABC Scholarships

Conacyt Scholarships

Degree Completion

Continuation in the DESEP program shall be subject to the following conditions:

a) Submit a semestral report on the progress of the research project and other academic activities of the study plan. b) Maintain full-time and exclusive dedication to the program throughout its duration. c) Comply with other rules established by the General Regulations of Graduate Studies of the UABC.

To remain in the program, the student must maintain a general GPA of at least 80 (eighty), from 40% of the credits established in the program, in accordance with Article 35 of the UABC School Statute. If you are a Conacyt scholarship holder, you will be subject to the scholarship regulations of that organization.

Graduation Requirements

To graduate from the program, the student must complete all credits established in this study plan, have presented the progress of his/her research work in a national or international congress, have produced an article for publication in an indexed scientific journal, and carry out the defense of his/her thesis as established in the General Regulations for Graduate Studies of the Autonomous University of Baja California and in the complementary rules of the program.

Tutoring

Since this is a research-oriented doctoral program, the curriculum has been organized in such a way that progress in the proposed project is carried out under personalized supervision. From the first year, each student is assigned a tutor and tutoring committee, as well as a thesis director, all of whom will supervise and guide the student to achieve the goals established for each semester.

Indicators

Documents

Regulations

School Statute

General Regulations for Graduate Studies

DESEP Operation Manual

Forms


Pre-registration					Download Form
Academic recommendation form					Download Form
Research protocol guide					Download Form
Statement of student’s originality					Download Form
Review form ( of advisor, professor, thesis director)					Download Form
Semiannual research progress report					Download Form

Study Plan


Study Plan					View Study Plan

Anti-plagiarism Policy

The National Quality Graduate Program (PNPC) of the Ministry of Public Education (SEP) and the National Council of Science and Technology (Conacyt), is the body in charge of evaluating the quality of graduate programs in Mexico, and holds as a precept that institutions offering graduate studies guarantee that the academic productivity associated with such programs is carried out based on «ethical principles and integrality in the development of research projects of the academic core, theses and publications of professors and students» (SEP-Conacyt, 2018, p. 15). At the basis of such principles is respect for copyright, which is «the recognition made by the State to the creator of a work that may be disclosed or reproduced by any form or means, under the terms established by the Federal Copyright Law» (UABC, 2016, p. 4). In order to guarantee the respect of this right, it is important to have mechanisms aimed at preventing and avoiding omissions when mentioning the origin of an idea or results previously reported or published, since in addition to the legal implications derived from this, in case of plagiarism, the prestige of those involved and of the offering institution would be strongly damaged (SEP-Conacyt, 2018). Therefore, the present anti-plagiarism policy is applicable to academics and students of the PhD in Society, Space and Power, in the context of the development of courses and research projects related to this graduate program. + Read More

Useful forms to comply with the anti-plagiarism policy:
Statement of student’s originality
Review form (of advisor, professor, thesis director)

Contact

Faculty of Human Sciences
Ángel Omar May Gonzaléz, PhD Coordinator of the Doctoral Program in Society, Space and Power					(686) 557 92 00 and (686) 557 84 88 Ext. 45759		omay@uabc.edu.mx
Address Boulevard Castellón and Lombardo Toledano s/n Conjunto Urbano Esperanza 21350

Última actualización: 20 mayo, 2022

Society, Space and Power Doctorate