Download What is Sociology?

institutions, bureaucracies, small groups,
interpersonal relations, social movements,
collective behaviour, social classes, and social
conflict.
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The General Sociology class is introductory in
nature and aims to provide tools and knowledge
to understand how society is made possible, how
it works, how it reproduces and changes.
What is Sociology?
S
ociology, as a discipline, attempts to
understand how society is made possible,
how it functions, and what sustains it.
To appreciate how society operates, one must
study social institutions such as the family,
education, work, religion, and the state.
Sociology is the scientific study of the structure
of society and its associated changes. This
includes the study of institutions, organisations
and societies; their associated social behaviour
and networks, as well as the human values,
attitudes and manner of expression.
Sociological attention focuses on societies at
both the macro and micro level. This means that
we sociologists study global, national as well as
more intimate social relationships.
Sociology is the study of social life, social
change, and the social causes and consequences
of human behavior. Therefore, we attempt to
explain patterns of collective social behaviours
of groups and societies
As human behavior is primarily social, sociology
can range from the study of sexuality to
criminology to social welfare or to contemporary
issues in corporations, families and business.
By applying scientific methods we conduct
research to suggest possible problem-solving
strategies for society's problems. We build
theories
about
societies,
communities,
To study Sociology is to develop a critique of
the foundations of society which are often taken
for granted by people in everyday life. Some
questions addressed during the course are: why
people migrate? Why so few women are at the
top of their profession? Why poverty exists?
What explains inequality in our societies?
The sociological perspective will enable
students to question everyday concepts. A
fundamental advantage of the sociological
perspective is that it has the potential to be
critical. The perspective will allows students to
diverge from everyday ways of thinking and
disclose research findings that point to hidden
social problems.
Moreover, the sociological mindset encourages
to not only explore social problems with
conventional approaches, but to also take steps
towards new approaches that enhance our
understanding of social behaviour. For these
reasons, sociological thinking is invaluable in
the planning and decision-making processes.
The course therefore will encourage students to
examine the social conditions of human pursuits
through instruction in a number of substantive
areas such as the formation of social identities,
cultures and ideologies, sex and gender, crime
and deviance, marriage and the family, work and
organization, migration and transnationalism,
modernization and social change, etc.
The course begins by presenting the various
strains of sociological thought. and with an
overview of both qualitative and quantitative
research methods.
A final part of the course focuses on the
fundamental importance of politics for
understanding and dealing with the pressing
challenges of our times.