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. Through the department-sponsored Terms Abroad programs, students may elect to study the roles and lives of women, technology, and economic development while living in Brazil. Some past research in Brazil has included studying a police station for battered women, the environment, the influence of Africa on Brazilian music and dance, and the Japanese and Jewish communities in S o Paulo. 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.
In Kenya, students may research health, women, and the environment while studying at the University of Nairobi. The department sponsors many student internships for academic credit. The six-member sociology faculty comprises scholars who have a firm commitment to teaching, publishing in their specialties, and continuing research. Our faculty have area research specialties in Africa, Brazil, and maritime communities. We focus on health and medicine, family and community life, crime and justice, the environment, women, work, and social groups.