MODULE 1
Introduction to sociology
What is Sociology?
Sociology is the scientific study of human activity in society. More specifically, it is the study of the social forces that affect human behavior and thought, including the things people do with and to one another. The activities sociologists study are age-old and too many to name, but they can include people searching for work, securing food, seeking the attention of another, adorning the body, celebrating, changing residences, listening to songs, traveling, burying the dead, and so on. These activities may involve just one or two people or billions of people.
Do you send text messages? Do you use WhatsApp, Telegram, Messenger, or other social media platforms to communicate? If so, you’re part of a more than 40-year journey of inventing and evolving a new form of “language.” This process began in 1969 with the first email, marking the inception of what we now call the Internet.
Sociologists view text messaging as a powerful social force that significantly shapes human relationships and activities. Globally, trillions of text messages are sent each year. Many of these are exchanged during moments when instant communication was once unimaginable—while driving, in class, at church, at parties, funerals, work meetings, dinners, protests, or even emergencies. Texting is just one of many social phenomena sociologists examine to understand how these forces influence our lives.
Putting social life into Perspective, Sociology is the systematic study of human society and social interaction. It is a systematic study because sociologists apply both theoretical perspectives and research methods (or orderly approaches) to examinations of social behavior. Sociologists study human societies and their social interactions in order to develop theories of how human behavior is shaped by group life and how, in turn, group life is affected by individuals.
Learn more on this video
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