Sociology is the scientific study of society, including patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture. Areas studied in sociology can range from the analysis of brief contacts between anonymous individuals on the street to the study of global social interaction. Numerous fields within the discipline concentrate on how and why people are organized in society, either as individuals or as members of associations, groups, and institutions. As an academic discipline, sociology is usually considered a branch of social science. Sociology is the systematic study of social life, social change and human behaviour in a social setting. It studies the social rules and processes that bind and separate people not only as individuals but as members of groups, associations and institutions. The sociological field of interest ranges from studying passing encounters and intimate small groups to the analysis of broader societal formations and global transformations. It deals with such diverse groups as families, voluntary associations, political parties, business enterprises forces that hold groups together and account for stability and order, as well as those which weaken and generate disorder and conflict, are explored. Sociology, thus, seeks to understand the causes and consequences of human behaviour; discover and explain the basic structure of human society and identify the conditions that transform social life. It attempts to gain a fundamental knowledge and understanding of social and human phenomena by searching for general, meaningful and predictable propositions about such phenomena. Sociology is a science which attempts to understand social action through a causal explanation of its course and effects. “Action” is the human behaviour to which the acting individual (or individuals) attaches a subjective meaning. Action in this sense may be either external or internal behaviour, failure or refrain. Action is “social” if the acting individual takes account of the behaviour of others and is thereby oriented in its course. “Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject-matter our own behaviour as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes.” In brief, sociology is a distinct social science, but it is not an isolated social science as the current trends indicate that every social science is depending more and more on inter-disciplinary approach, that is, historians and sociologists, for example, might even work together in curricular and search projects which would have been scarcely conceivable prior to about 1945, when each social science tendered to follow the course that emerged in the 19th century; to be confined to a single, distinguishable, though artificial, area of social reality.
Major Concerns of Sociology: Sociology is concerned with the study of human social behaviour and the influence of society upon this behaviour. More specifically, sociologists examine the behaviour of individuals as members of social networks and groups such as the family, the work group, organizations, communities, and societies. Sociologists also study the behaviour of social groups and organizations as they interact with each other. Through the synthesis of theoretical analysis and empirical research, Sociology provides a critical and systematic understanding of the processes which structure the society in which we live. Through focusing on the social patterns and forces which influence humans Sociology provides a counterbalance to the individualistic manner in which life in modern societies is often viewed. This means that for sociologists the lives of individuals can only be understood through studying the social context in which they live. Therefore, studying sociology enables individuals to understand the nature of patterns in groups and collective life in which they are a part of, for example families, youth cultures, workplaces, ethnic communities or society as a whole. As such the discipline of sociology examines that which constitutes our daily experience and social life. Sociology is a diverse discipline, which makes use of a range of theories and concepts. For example, it may view society as a series of exchanges and interactions through which people influence each other and create meaning; or it may regard society as a large-scale structure, which constrains and affects the way people think and act. Similarly it makes use of a range of different research methods: observations, interviews, statistics and textual analysis to name but a few.
Sociology is the scientific study of society, including patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture. Areas studied in sociology can range from the analysis of brief contacts between anonymous individuals on the street to the study of global social interaction. Numerous fields within the discipline concentrate on how and why people are organized in society, either as individuals or as members of associations, groups, and institutions. As an academic discipline, sociology is usually considered a branch of social science. Sociology is the systematic study of social life, social change and human behaviour in a social setting. It studies the social rules and processes that bind and separate people not only as individuals but as members of groups, associations and institutions. The sociological field of interest ranges from studying passing encounters and intimate small groups to the analysis of broader societal formations and global transformations. It deals with such diverse groups as families, voluntary associations, political parties, business enterprises forces that hold groups together and account for stability and order, as well as those which weaken and generate disorder and conflict, are explored. Sociology, thus, seeks to understand the causes and consequences of human behaviour; discover and explain the basic structure of human society and identify the conditions that transform social life. It attempts to gain a fundamental knowledge and understanding of social and human phenomena by searching for general, meaningful and predictable propositions about such phenomena. Sociology is a science which attempts to understand social action through a causal explanation of its course and effects. “Action” is the human behaviour to which the acting individual (or individuals) attaches a subjective meaning. Action in this sense may be either external or internal behaviour, failure or refrain. Action is “social” if the acting individual takes account of the behaviour of others and is thereby oriented in its course. “Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject-matter our own behaviour as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes.” In brief, sociology is a distinct social science, but it is not an isolated social science as the current trends indicate that every social science is depending more and more on inter-disciplinary approach, that is, historians and sociologists, for example, might even work together in curricular and search projects which would have been scarcely conceivable prior to about 1945, when each social science tendered to follow the course that emerged in the 19th century; to be confined to a single, distinguishable, though artificial, area of social reality.
Major Concerns of Sociology: Sociology is concerned with the study of human social behaviour and the influence of society upon this behaviour. More specifically, sociologists examine the behaviour of individuals as members of social networks and groups such as the family, the work group, organizations, communities, and societies. Sociologists also study the behaviour of social groups and organizations as they interact with each other. Through the synthesis of theoretical analysis and empirical research, Sociology provides a critical and systematic understanding of the processes which structure the society in which we live. Through focusing on the social patterns and forces which influence humans Sociology provides a counterbalance to the individualistic manner in which life in modern societies is often viewed. This means that for sociologists the lives of individuals can only be understood through studying the social context in which they live. Therefore, studying sociology enables individuals to understand the nature of patterns in groups and collective life in which they are a part of, for example families, youth cultures, workplaces, ethnic communities or society as a whole. As such the discipline of sociology examines that which constitutes our daily experience and social life. Sociology is a diverse discipline, which makes use of a range of theories and concepts. For example, it may view society as a series of exchanges and interactions through which people influence each other and create meaning; or it may regard society as a large-scale structure, which constrains and affects the way people think and act. Similarly it makes use of a range of different research methods: observations, interviews, statistics and textual analysis to name but a few.