Karen Porter
Researcher

Karen L. Porter, Professor of Sociology, received her Ph.D. in 1985 from Syracuse University.  Karen joined the Division of Social Sciences at Alfred University in 1986, after having taught at Le Moyne College.  She teaches a wide range of courses in the major including introductory sociology, research methods, sociology of gender, sociology of families, and social welfare institutions.  Her articles have appeared in a variety of sociology and social science journals.  Karen has worked as a program evaluator for local community agencies, including a domestic violence victim services program, the county’s Office for the Aging, and an early education program for low income children.  Currently, she is affiliated with Alfred University ’s Rural Justice Institute, working on a grant to coordinate services to families and youth in a countywide collaborative approach to preventing youth violence.  

Karen promotes civic engagement in her classes by encouraging student researchers to get involved in the many opportunities to conduct field research or program evaluation in the community.