Sociology

Younger, Latino and Moderate California Republicans Diverge from Party Line on Immigration Policies

November 24, 2025

Illustration of politics and immigration policy

While California Democrats are nearly unified in their views on current immigration enforcement strategies, Latino Republicans and party moderates, especially women, are most likely to diverge from the GOP majority, according to a study co-authored by a UC Merced researcher. The analysis of an...

Recent sociology Ph.D. alumnus Alejandro Zermeño is now an assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Sociology Boasts 11 Tenure-Track Faculty Placements in Its Short History

Just seven years after it began offering graduate degrees, UC Merced’s Sociology Department has already begun shaping the future of the professoriate by placing 11 of its graduate alumni in...

Virtual Symposium Connects Biometric Surveillance Experts and Community

The UC Merced Community and Labor Center invites the public to the Biometric Surveillance, Immigration and Labor Virtual Symposium on Friday, May 6, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Two panels of...

Organizers give a presentation during Worker Week of Action.

Report Makes Case to Provide Unemployment Benefits for Undocumented Workers

Tens of thousands of undocumented immigrant workers in California could receive aid from an unemployment benefit system if the state approves the program. UC Merced's Community and Labor Center...

Honduras Elects First Female President; Study Shows How Protests Affect Change

Hondurans cast their votes in the presidential election over the weekend, and the majority decided to elect opposition candidate Xiomara Castro to lead the Central American country. Nasry Asfura, the...

Community and Labor Center Accurately Forecasts Voter Preferences in Fresno Within 1 Percentage Point

A partnership among UC Merced's Community and Labor Center and several Fresno area community groups was able to predict accurately the Fresno results for the gubernatorial recall election held...

Interdisciplinary Humanities Ph.D. student Sabrina Rawson

Incoming Grad Students Awarded Inaugural Inclusive Excellence Fellowship

As part of its commitment to inclusive excellence in graduate research and education, UC Merced has awarded its new Chancellor’s Fellowship for Inclusive Excellence to four incoming Ph.D....

100 Sociology Undergraduate Students Trained in Survey Research

More than 100 sociology undergraduate students got the opportunity to conduct research about social movements and civic engagement in Central America. A UC Merced professor, along with...

Central Valley Caravan to Provide Labor Rights Information to Farmworkers

Farmworkers can learn more about their labor rights and workplace safety protections as a mobile informational caravan makes multiple stops across the Central Valley this weekend. UC Merced's...

Alicia Garza speaks during a virtual event to honor her with the Spendlove Prize.

Alicia Garza, Civil Rights Activist and BLM Co-Founder, Honored with Spendlove Prize

While this year's ceremony looked quite different from years past due to the coronavirus pandemic, the presentation of the Alice and Clifford Spendlove Prize in Social Justice, Diplomacy and...