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Welcome
to the sociology studies section of
this website! This section is crated to help all those who are interested in
the study of sociology. As you explore the information in this section of
the website you will be to answer most of your commonly asked questions, and
also have an in-depth overview of the discipline, as well as an idea of the
different directions a career in sociology can take you.
Take
your time to explore the content of this section; it is carefully structure to
train you on sociology mastership. The contents range from elementary, minor,
major and professional sociology studies. Each of the
topics contains a wealth of information to make your study worth while.
"Although social change cannot come overnight, we must always
work as though it were a possibility in the morning."- Martin Luther King, Jr.
Sociology is defined as the study of the social world around us, the
social causes and consequences of human behavior. Over the years sociologists
have invested painstaking efforts to investigate the structure of groups,
organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. Fundamentally,
all human behavior is social, and in the light of this fundamental consciousness,
the subject matter of sociology ranges from the family to
the anonymous crowd, organized crime to organized religion, from inequality
along the lines 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. It is a subject with a wide coverage and approach,
which has the potential to enable understand yourself and the society at large.
Sociology put forwards a unique way of observing and understanding
the social world in which we dwell. It looks beyond taken-for-granted
views of reality to provide deeper, more illuminating and challenging
understandings of social life. Sociology expands our awareness of social relationships, cultures, and
institutions that profoundly shape our lives and human history through the
approach:
·Analytical perspective.
·Theoretical approaches.
·And research methods.
The
study of sociology will also help you to understand more clearly the forces
responsible for shaping the particulars of our own lives. The ability to see
and understand this connection between large-scale social forces and personal
experience, offers invaluable academic preparation for our personal and
professional lives in an ever-changing society. This is what C.
Wright Mills called "the sociological imagination,"
The study of sociology
can help you understand the patterns of human interdependence that shape your
daily life. Many of the pleasures and pains you encounter in life is a function
of the fact that you depend upon others for what you want. You depend on
friends, parents, sisters, brothers, employers, musicians, technicians,
caterers, photographers, cooks, furniture makers, fashion designers, dry
cleaners, etc for the enjoyment of the services provided by them. However, it
is important to note that you are not the only one in this game of
interdependency. If you look beyond yourself to the lives of others you will
notice that the same is true for them. At the heart of sociology is the
fact of human interdependence. This goes a long way to affect what you
want and what you get from others, who you are, what you can do, what you must
do, and how much pleasure and pain comes your way as you play the game of the
relationships of interdependence.
THE GOALS OF SOCIOLOGY STUDY
This
course will introduce students to the discipline of Sociology, its perspective,
its basic concepts and principles, its methods of analysis and its major
sub-fields. Through this introduction it is expected that students will begin
to think in ways that take into account the social realm of thought, including
the impact of social forces, social constraints, and social structure on an
individual's thoughts and behaviours.
The goals of the course are to encourage students to begin to think critically
about the social world, to examine various life issues with a sociological
lens, to 'problematize' social issues, and to spark the sociological
imagination - "the ability to see the relationship between individual
experiences and the larger society" (C. Wright Mills, 1959).
Sociology is the
scientific study of human interaction and the body of knowledge which has
been accumulated through that study. Sociology study is a survey of
concepts, theories, research, and ideas which comprise the core of body
knowledge. In addition to learning the core of the discipline you will come to
appreciate and acquire certain values and ways of thinking about human
interaction which is often called "the sociological perspective."
Through
this perspective you will train yourself to derive the intellectual enjoyment from
life through an enriched understanding of the social world. Scientifically, the
purpose of this study is to describe what sociology is, what
Sociologists
do and how to understand your environment and human behavior in order to
contribute your quota in helping making the society a better place for all.
Secondly,
by studying
sociology, you will learn a way of analyzing world events and human
behavior through sociological methods and techniques.
Thirdly,
the
study of sociology will present a clear overview of the sociological
perspective in a way practical to the everyday experiences of your life.
Fourthly,
the
study of sociology will enable you to understand that individuals are
products of their social environments. Who they are, what they believe, what
they strive for, and how they feel about themselves are all dependent on others
and the society in which we live.
Fifthly,
the
study of sociology will enable you to make occasional references to
other cultures (cross-cultural) by highlighting, through comparison,
distinctive aspects of Nigerian society that might otherwise be taken for
granted.
Sixthly,
the study of sociology will help you reinforce, and value such basic learning
skills as:
1. Self-discipline, as
applied to study habits, meeting deadlines, and completing assignments.
2. Reading, writing,
studying and comprehending the English language.
3. Independent and critical
thinking. You will acquire the conceptual foundations which will allow you to
successfully complete additional courses in sociology.
Lastly, the study
of sociology will also help you gain important skills. You will learn specific
marketable skills, such as how to use statistical software. More generally, you
will learn how to engage in critical analysis, an ability that will serve you
well irrespective of your future career.
STUDY COMPETENCIES AND OBJECTIVES
As
you engage yourself with the habit of exploring the contents of this section
you will be able to do the following:
·Demonstrate critical thinking skills and improve writing for
better expression of our analyses of social life.
·Identify sociological concepts and understand research methods in
analyzing social behavior.
·Appreciate social diversity - both within your own culture and
across cultures and societies by using sociological perspectives and
sociological imagination.
·Explain history and development of Sociology as a science and a
discipline.
·Apply sociological concepts and theories to your personal and
social lives.
·Analyze the major social institutions (economics, government,
religion, education, and families) and their significance.
·Explain the dynamics of population, urbanization, ecology, medicine,
health, and environmental issues.
·Analyze the socialization process, gender roles/stratification,
and how we become social beings.
·Explain social stratification/social inequality, race, ethnic
relations, and aging in Nigeria and other societies.
·Explain interaction, group dynamics, bureaucracy, and social
structure.
·Define, explain, and understand sexuality, deviant and collective
behavior.
·Analyze the importance and dimensions of social change.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES IN SOCIOLOGY
People who get a
B.A. in sociology are often employed in the helping professions, in business,
and in various public welfare positions, especially those dealing with social
programs and their implementation.
Career
opportunities for students with a degree in sociology include:
People who work in
these fields often have to make decisions based on analysis of social trends
and phenomena. The study gives professionals some of the grounding in
methodology and technique that they need to do their work. The good news is
that the sociology section is loaded with topics that are uniquely suited to
help you develop the skills you need for a successful 21st century career.
The
sociology section shall provide sound and quality information on the following
areas. Just take your time to explore!
1.What is sociology 2.Studying sociology 3.The origins of sociology 4.Introduction to sociology 5.The nature of sociology 6.Government and the economy 7.Communities 8.Population 9.What sociologists do 10.School of sociology 11.The
sociological perspective 12.Sociological
theories 13.Culture
14.Interaction
and social structure 15.Socialization
16.Social
inequality 17.Social
inequality: gender & race 18.Deviance
and crime 19.Social
institutions: the economy & politics 20.Conducting
sociology research 21.Sociology career
opportunity 22.Modern
sociology. 23.Urban sociology 24.Economy, work and organization 25.The conjunction of biological and social relationships: the
family and gender 26.Social identity: age, class, gender and race 27.Social norms and deviance 28.Religion and belief
systems 29.Organizations and bureaucracy 30.Society and the environment 31.People, health and sociology of the body 32.Sociology of
sex, gender and power. 33.Research
methods 34.Statistics
for the social and behavioral sciences 35.Social
problems 36.Racial
and ethnic relations 37.Sexual
relationships, marriage and family 38.Sociology
of violence 39.Health
and illness in contemporary society 40.Social
gerontology: aging and society 41.Sociology
of communication & media 42.Sociology
of film 43.Gangs and
organized crime 44.Sociology
of migration and immigration 45.Personality
and social interaction: the sociology of everyday life 46.Sociology
of sports 47.Death,
dying and bereavement 48.Cultural
anthropology 49.Sociology
of work 50.The
sociology of intimacy 51.Minority
and group relations 52.Art and
anthropology in Africa 53.Intercultural
relations 54.Sociology of
international development 55.Social movements 56.Quantitative
analysis of social data 57.Political
sociology. 58.Multiculturalism,
immigration and citizenship 59.Global health
systems. 60.Social meanings
of home. 61.Inequality and
social justice. 62.Poverty and
public policy 63.Women, work and
family 64.20th century
revolutions. 65.Capitalism,
prosperity and crisis 66.Love, romance, intimacy
and dating. 67.Drugs and
pharmaceuticals in society 68.Organizations in
society. 69.Markets and
management. 70.Prisons 71.The sociology of
globalization. 72.Sociological
imagination. 73.Sociology of
emotions. 74.Society. 75.Political
sociology: power, politics, and protest. 76.The sociology of
work. 77.Democracy and
democratization in developing countries. 78.Betwixt and
between: identity and development in multi-racial adolescents 79.Religion and belief systems 80.Society and the environment 81.Functionalism 82.Marxism 83.Feminism 84.The new right 85.Managing
cross-cultural training skills 86.Understanding
and managing diversity 87.Data
analysis and statistics in the social sciences 88.Research
techniques in the social sciences 89.Sexuality,
marriage and the family 90.Medical
sociology 91.Sociology
of the professions 92.Contemporary
thinking on global perspectives 93.Technology and
social change 94.Class, status
and power 95.Victims
and society 96.Sociology
of adolescence 97.Sociology
of education 98.Juvenile
delinquency 99.Deviance:
perspectives and processes 100.Juvenile
justice 101.Criminology 102.Sociology
of corrections 103.Marketplace
activities 104.Occupational
sociology 105.Mass
communication 106.Health,
illness and society 107.Sociology
of mental disorder 108.Millennialism
and violence 109.Religion
in sociological perspective 110.Cults
& new religious movements 111.Field
research methods 112.Sexuality
and the law 113.Policing
in a democratic society 114.Waterloo
region as knowledge society 115.Complex
organizations 116.Cyberspace
and social life 117.Comparative
health care systems 118.Power
and parenting 119.Custodial
and rehabilitative institutions 120.Sociology
of law 121.Good
and evil in social relations 122.Theoretical
perspectives on gender 123.Sociology
of knowledge 124.Classical
sociological theory 125.Contemporary
sociological theory 126.Knowing
& acting: social theory from early Greeks to the present. 127.Symbolic
interaction and ethnographic research. 128.Educational
theory and practice. 129.Liberal
arts education and knowledge society. 130.Quantitative
methods. 131.Sentencing
as a social process. 132.Sociology and
computer. 133.The three
sociological perspectives 134.Stratification
(inequality) 135.Poverty and
unemployment 136.Race and
ethnicity 137.Political institutions &
democracy
The power of Sociology in helping you better manage your environment and
interact with people in a mutually beneficial manner cannot be over emphasized.
It will challenge you to see the world through the lens of different cultures
and communities and give you opportunities to collaborate with others in
developing multi-cultural and global understandings. Sociological methods can
help you build strong math and science skills. Preparing papers about social
problems and the theories and evidence that can help us solve them; will foster
the strong writing and presentation skills you need to succeed.
Sociology
enables us to understand the
structure and dynamics of society, and their intricate connections to
patterns of human behavior and individual life changes. It examines the ways in
which the forms of social structure -- groups, organizations, communities,
social categories (such as class, sex, age, or race), and various social
institutions (such as kinship, economic, political, or religious) affect human
attitudes, actions, and opportunities.
The discipline
also explores how both individuals and collectivity construct, maintain, and
alter social organization in various ways. Sociology asks about the sources and
consequences of change in social arrangements and institutions, and about the
satisfactions and difficulties of planning, accomplishing, and adapting to such
change. Areas studied in examining social dynamics include: culture, values,
socialization, cooperation, conflict, power, exchange, inequality, deviance,
social control, violence, order and social
change.
Sociologists study social change, use scientific
methods to find empirical answers to complex social questions. Studying
sociology can help you foster your creativity, innovation, critical
thinking, and analytic problem solving and communications skills.
If
you find this session helpful, kindly send in your comments and
feedback by making use of the comments box. We also welcome any
suggestion on how to make this session more resourceful.
For personal consultation contact
me. You can also take advantage of our courses
and helpful resources to improve on your self, career and
or profession.You can also visit our E-store for more product
information that will be of immense assistance in your study of communication.
