Sociology

Most of your classes will involve in-depth discussions and group work, and require substantial writing, which will challenge you academically and equip you with excellent communication skills. You also will become immersed in internships, faculty-mentored research and fieldwork.

Our curriculum meets a broad range of students’ interests, covering topics such as inequality, religion, education, medicine, media and popular culture, deviance, community, the environment, public policy and social work. Our faculty have also developed unique interdisciplinary courses on artificial intelligence, social identities and science, and inequality and social justice.

The Department of Sociology promotes community engagement and the application of sociology to real-life social problems and their solutions by arranging internships and field trips to learn about local community, environmental and human service organizations. Beyond academic coursework, the student-led Sociology Club engages with the local community through fundraising and volunteering activities.

Working closely with faculty, sociology students are actively involved in research. They learn about the research process through their coursework and then design their own study for the senior thesis. Many students receive financial support through Union’s Undergraduate Research Programs, making it possible for them to conduct local research as well as projects beyond campus, in cities, states and countries such as Miami, Arizona and Brazil.