Outline of sociology

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Sociology
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Society portal

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the discipline of sociology:

Sociology – the study of society^[1] using various methods of empirical investigation^[2] and critical analysis^[3] to understand human social activity, from the micro level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and social structure.^[4]

Nature of sociology

Definition

Sociology can be described as all of the following:

• The study of society.
• Academic discipline – body of knowledge given to - or received by - a disciple (student); a branch or sphere of knowledge, or field of study, that an individual has chosen to specialise in.
• Field of science – widely recognized category of specialized expertise within science, and typically embodies its own terminology and nomenclature. Such a field will usually be represented by one or more scientific journals, where peer reviewed research is published. There are many sociology-related scientific journals.
  • Social science – field of academic scholarship that explores aspects of human society.

Essence of sociology

Overall

Sociology

Key themes across sociological research

• Society

Branches of sociology

Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary fields involving sociology

History of sociology

• History of sociology
• Timeline of sociology

Theoretical perspectives in sociology

Approaches

Positivism

• Positivism (Empirical sociology)

Critical realist

• Critical realism

Structural

• Structuralism

Challenging structure

Social interactions

Behavioural

• Psychoanalytic sociology

Social justice

• Critical theory

Applied

• Pure sociology

Ecological

• Human ecology

Levels of analysis

Methodology and methods in sociology

General sociology concepts