What
is Sociology?
Sociology
is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and
consequences of human behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of
groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these
contexts. Since all human behavior is social, the subject matter of sociology
ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to
religious cults; from the divisions of race, gender and social class to the
shared beliefs of a common culture; and from the sociology of work to the
sociology of sports. In fact, few fields have such broad scope and relevance
for research, theory, and application of knowledge.1
Sociology
provides many distinctive perspectives on the world, generating new ideas and
critiquing the old. The field also offers a range of research techniques that
can be applied to virtually any aspect of social life: street crime and
delinquency, corporate downsizing, how people express emotions, welfare or
education reform, how families differ and flourish, or problems of peace and
war. Because sociology addresses the most challenging issues of our time, it is
a rapidly expanding field whose potential is increasingly tapped by those who
craft policies and create programs. Sociologists understand social inequality,
patterns of behavior, forces for social change and resistance, and how social
systems work. Sociology is an exciting
discipline with expanding opportunities for a wide range of career paths.
2
The
Sociology Program at University of North Carolina Wilmington offers a
comprehensive introduction to the study of human society and social
interaction. All sociology students take a core set of courses: Introduction to
Sociology, Research Methods, Data Analysis, and Social Theory. In these core
courses, students learn about the dynamics of how people socially relate to one
another and how society is organized. They also learn how to do research on
human populations by collecting and analyzing social data, using computer-assisted
technology.
At
UNCW, sociology students choose between two tracks: general sociology and
applied sociology. In the general sociology track, students complete the core
courses described above and choose an additional 24 hours of sociology courses
in such areas as socialization and the life course, population and ecology,
social institutions, social inequality and social change, and deviance and
social control. In their senior year, general sociology students complete their
own semester long research project under the direction of a sociology faculty
member.
In
the applied sociology track, students learn how to use sociology to inform real
life social issues. In addition to the
core courses above, applied sociology students take an Applied Sociology
Seminar and declare a sociological specialization. These specializations
include: human resources, health and aging, public relations and marketing,
community organization and planning, and criminology. Applied students select
18 hours of additional sociology courses in one of these specializations. In their senior year, applied students complete a
semester-long internship or practicum in which they gain hands on experience in
applying sociology by working with clients in the local community.
General and applied sociology students at UNCW learn valuable skills that will be directly transferable in today’s job market. Training in research skills and knowledge of social systems has wide application in a variety of settings including business, government, and social service agencies. The back page of this packet contains a list of sociological skills and professions which utilize them. If you want to learn more about sociology, we invite you to talk with any of the sociology faculty at UNCW. We also encourage you to contact one of our current students through the Sociology Club.
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American Sociological Association, www.asanet.org,
March, 2000