What is Sociology?
Sociology is the study of human social relationships and
institutions. Sociology’s subject matter is diverse, ranging from crime
to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions of race
and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and from
social stability to radical change in whole societies. Unifying the
study of these diverse subjects of study is sociology’s purpose of
understanding how human action and consciousness both shape and are
shaped by surrounding cultural and social structures.
Sociology is an exciting and illuminating field of study that
analyzes and explains important matters in our personal lives, our
communities, and the world. At the personal level, sociology
investigates the social causes and consequences of such things as
romantic love, racial and gender identity, family conflict, deviant
behavior, aging, and religious faith. At the societal level, sociology
examines and explains matters like crime and law, poverty and wealth,
prejudice and discrimination, schools and education, business firms,
urban community, and social movements. At the global level, sociology
studies such phenomena as population growth and migration, war and
peace, and economic development.
Sociologists emphasize the careful gathering and analysis of evidence
about social life to develop and enrich our understanding of key social
processes.
The research methods sociologists use are varied.
Sociologists observe the everyday life of groups, conduct large-scale
surveys, interpret historical documents, analyze census data, study
video-taped interactions, interview participants of groups, and conduct
laboratory experiments.
The research methods and theories of sociology
yield powerful insights into the social processes shaping human lives
and social problems and prospects in the contemporary world. By better
understanding those social processes, we also come to understand more
clearly the forces shaping the personal experiences and outcomes of our
own lives.
The ability to see and understand this connection between
broad social forces and personal experiences — what C. Wright Mills
called “the sociological imagination” — is extremely valuable academic
preparation for living effective and rewarding personal and professional
lives in a changing and complex society.
Students who have been well trained in sociology know how to think
critically about human social life, and how to ask important research
questions.
They know how to design good social research projects,
carefully collect and analyze empirical data, and formulate and present
their research findings. Students trained in sociology also know how to
help others understand the way the social world works and how it might
be changed for the better. Most generally, they have learned how to
think, evaluate, and communicate clearly, creatively, and effectively.
These are all abilities of tremendous value in a wide variety of
vocational callings and professions.
Sociology offers a distinctive and enlightening way of seeing and
understanding the social world in which we live and which shapes our
lives. Sociology looks beyond normal, taken-for-granted views of
reality, to provide deeper, more illuminating and challenging
understandings of social life. Through its particular analytical
perspective, social theories, and research methods, sociology is a
discipline that expands our awareness and analysis of the human social
relationships, cultures, and institutions that profoundly shape both our
lives and human history.
