Sociology 2008-2009
Overview
Ours is a complex and multi-faceted world that cannot be studied and analyzed solely through books and lectures. While students need a rigorous intellectual path of academic study, it is important to combine this with individual and group research and internship/field experiences. Such experiences increase first-hand awareness of what shapes the lives of people throughout the world.
Change rarely happens in an isolated fashion. Whether the system is political, economic, or social, the results of change often reach far beyond the boundaries of a local community or nation. It is the interrelated and interactive nature of the world system that is the focus of the Department of Sociology’s nationally and internationally comparative “hands-on” education in the major. Our students develop a wide range of skills and a background of knowledge that enables them to critically analyze ideas and theories, put ideas and theories into quantifiable contexts, examine many points of view concurrently, identify social patterns and changes close to home and far away, and systematically and courageously search for answers to common problems.
CURRICULUM
The curriculum in sociology is interdisciplinary and dedicated to hands-on research, fieldwork, and comparative perspectives on society. All department majors who concentrate in sociology are required to take Introduction to Sociology, Social Research Methods, History of Sociological Thought, and a two-term Senior Thesis.
Beyond these required courses, departmental majors may select one academic track from five options. These academic concentrations (tracks) ensure students an integrated learning experience within the major. These include Crime and the Legal System; Diversity and Change; Community Life, the Environment, and Public Policy; Health and Illness; and General Sociology.
STUDENT-FACULTY RESEARCH AND INTERNSHIPS
A key component of faculty involvement in student education is the opportunity for students to work directly with faculty on research. The Department of Sociology has been particularly involved in collaborative research with students. Some examples are given below.
Professor Ilene Kaplan has conducted research with Union students on fishing communities and marine life. They have worked together at Union and at the Wood’s Hole Oceanographic Institution on Cape Cod. Her students have also conducted research with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, the National Marine Fisheries Service, and human service agencies in the Capital District of New York State.
Professor David Cotter has organized different student research projects in Schenectady, many of which are associated with the sociology methodology course that he teaches. These include projects on poverty, hunger, and urban problems.
The department sponsors many student internships for academic credit. These include Capital District human service agencies, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the U.S. Department of Commerce/National Marine Fisheries Service.
TERMS ABROAD
As part of Union’s Marine Studies Term Abroad, students go to marine communities in Bermuda, Newfoundland, and Cape Cod. They study marine policy, marine biology, and environmental studies. Students also learn to navigate and sail on a schooner expedition.
The Department of Sociology encourages students to participate in Terms Abroad programs and to combine them with research projects they would like to pursue.
THE FACULTY
The sociology faculty is composed of scholars who have a firm commitment to teaching, publishing in their specialties, and continuing research. Our faculty have research specialties in environmental policy, urban studies, gender roles, race relations, and maritime communities. We focus on health and medicine, family and community life, crime and justice, the environment, women, work, and social groups.
Ilene M. Kaplan
Joseph C. Driscoll Professor of Sociology and Marine Policy
Sociology Department Chair
Ph.D., Princeton University
Marine policy and the maritime environment, family, personality, gender roles, community, mass media, environmental studies. Field research/focus: Fishing communities and environmental policy, socio-economic public policy
David A. Cotter
Associate Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., University of Maryland
Methods of social research, community, stratification
Jenny Marks Dillman
Adjunct Professor of Sociology
M.S.W., SUNY-Albany
Crime and justice, social problems
Melinda Goldner
Associate Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., Ohio State University
Medical sociology, race relations, gender roles, public health
Janet Grigsby
Visiting Associate Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., Yale University
Family, women and fertility, social problems
Deidre Hill-Butler
Assistant Professor of Sociology
Ph.D., Clark University
Gender roles, Africana studies, family. Research focus: African-American women and society
Laura Moffitt
Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology
M.S.W., SUNY-Buffalo
Social work, human services
Linda Relyea
Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology
M.S.W., State University of New York at Albany
Social work, domestic violence, aging