Outline of sociology

Template:Short description Template:See also Template:Sociology The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the discipline of sociology:

Sociology – the study of society<ref>"Comte, Auguste, A Dictionary of Sociology (3rd Ed), John Scott & Gordon Marshall (eds), Oxford University Press, 2005, Template:ISBN, Template:ISBN</ref> using various methods of empirical investigation<ref name="Classical Statements8">Template:Cite book</ref> and critical analysis<ref name="Classical Statements4">Template:Cite book</ref> to understand human social activity, from the micro level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and social structure.<ref name="Giddens Intro">Giddens, Anthony, Duneier, Mitchell, Applebaum, Richard. 2007. Introduction to Sociology. Sixth Edition. New York: W.W. Norton and Company. Chapter 1.</ref> Template:Toc limit

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.