About the Department
Sociological research attempts to improve the human condition
within the context of a strong tradition of social justice and human
equality. Society shapes attitudes, goals, hopes and aspirations, and
personal preferences. Society affects individuals, groups, and entire
nations. Yet at the same time that society is shaping the individual,
the individual is shaping society. In order to understand oneself and
others, to understand the world, to understand the future, one has
to understand society. Sociology is the discipline that studies groups
and societies—what they are, how they got that way, and what
impact they have.
Sociology is a field with diverse areas of study. These range from
the behavior of the individual as a social actor to the structure of entire
societies. Key topics include social psychology, socialization, deviant
behavior, group behavior, organizations and institutions, power,
inequality, and social change. Major social institutions, including the
family, education, religion, social welfare, medicine, work, politics,
leisure, and the media, are also explored in detail. To develop skills
for studying society, students are introduced to valuable techniques
such as survey research, sampling, observational methods, content
analysis, experimentation, interviewing, and computer applications
in research.