so·ci·ol·o·gy[soh-see-ol-uh-jee]
siˈɒl
–noun
the science or study of the origin, development, organization, and functioning of human society; the science of the fundamental laws of social relations, institutions, etc.
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the above quote is from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?q=sociology&commit=find+quotes
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The study of science, math and language have been around for a very long time, for as long as humans have. It's impossible to argue with the fact that they are all necessities for the development of human beings. Without science and math, we wouldn't be the most technically advanced known species in the universe. Without language, we would all live in mass hysteria. Sociology on the other hand, was founded just a little over 200 years ago. It's considered a relatively new study, and a lot of people think sociology is a unnecessary field, that no one would be affected if sociology just disappeared. But is this true? Absolutely not. The following is a interesting article defining sociology in more depth and detail:
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 collectivities 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.
I found the above article at: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~socy/intro.html
I chose the following chapters from my textbook to research more in depth: Chapter 7: Deviance and Crime, Chapter 13: Families and Religion, Chapter 11: Gender, and Chapter 12: Sexuality. I chose these chapters for a few reasons. One being that I found them most interesting during my studies in Sociology 101, and two, because I feel the topics are all very important, and we can all relate them to ourselves. Please continue looking through my blog, I hope it's interesting!
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"If two people stare at each other for more than a few seconds, it means they are about to either make love or fight. Something similar might be said about human societies. If two nearby societies are in contact for any length of time, they will either trade or fight. The first is non-zero-sum social integration, and the second ultimately brings it."
— Robert Wrightthe above quote is from http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/search?q=sociology&commit=find+quotes
