Sociology is the scientific study of society. It is a social science which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity. It focuses on the influence of our relationships around us and how they affect our behaviours and attitudes. For many sociologists the goal is to conduct research which may be applied directly to social policy and welfare, while others focus primarily on refining the theoretical understanding of social processes. Subject matter ranges from the micro level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and the social structure.

The traditional focuses of sociology have included social stratification, social class, culture, social mobility, religion, secularisation, law, and deviance. As all spheres of human activity are affected by the interplay between social structure and individual agency, sociology has gradually expanded its focus to further subjects, such as health, medical, military and penal institutions, the Internet, and the role of social activity in the development of scientific knowledge.

The range of social scientific methods has also expanded. Social researchers draw upon a variety of qualitative and quantitative techniques. The linguistic and cultural turns of the mid-twentieth century led to increasingly interpretative, hermeneutic, and philosophic approaches to the analysis of society. Conversely, recent decades have seen the rise of new analytically, mathematically and computationally rigorous techniques, such as agent-based modelling and social network analysis. Sociology should not be confused with various general social studies courses which bear little relation to sociological theory or social science research methodology.

Noun

sociology (plural sociologies)

1. The study of society, human social interaction, and the rules and processes that bind and separate people not only as individuals, but as members of associations, groups, and institutions

See also

• anthropology
• psychology

Sociology

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Sociology

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Quotes by Famous Sociologists

• Obviously something is wrong with the entire argument of "obviousness".
  • Paul Lazarsfeld, 1949, about the interpretation of results in social science as obvious.
  • "The American Soldier — An Expository Review", Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 377-404, 380
• "Myth does not set out to give lessons in natural science any more than in morals or sociology."
  • François-Bernard Mâche (1983, 1992). Music, Myth and Nature, or The Dolphins of Arion (Musique, mythe, nature, ou les Dauphins d'Arion, trans. Susan Delaney). Harwood Academic Publishers. ISBN 3718653214
• "Men were often called "breadwinners" because their income put food on the table... Although women were not usually called "breadservers," that was their role."
  • Leonard Beeghley paraphrasing Max Weber. Page 70 in The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States. 2008. ISBN: 978-0-205-53052-6 (not necessarily a famous sociologist, but a good quote)

Favorable views of Sociology

• The social sciences are granted eternal youth because findings must be revisited.
  • Leonard Beeghley paraphrasing Max Weber. Page 12 in The Structure of Social Stratification in the United States. 2008. ISBN: 978-0-205-53052-6

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Science: Social Sciences: Sociology: Academic ...
Anglia Ruskin University - Humanities and Social Sciences. Birkbeck College, University of London - Politics and Sociology

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Science: Social Sciences: Sociology: Academic Papers
See also: Science: Social Sciences: Criminology: Academic Papers (3) About Gender - A wide-ranging resource of essays and articles published by the Derby TV/TS Group ...

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Kids: School Time: Social Studies ...
See also: Kids: People and Society (5,532) Fact Monster - Sociology [ ] - Includes a short definition and an article on "The Evolution of ...