Sociology: What / Why?

What?

Sociology is the study of human institutions and the ways in which these social structures shape interactional processes between people, groups, and nation-states. What this means is that particular emphasis is given to the norms, values, and conventions, that structure social interaction both within and between societies. As such, sociology often entails the amalgamation of various social science disciplines from anthropology, economics, history, political science, and even psychology, to provide a robust explanation of the social universe that is interdisciplinary by its very nature. This is precisely why the sociological discipline requires its students to obtain an intimate knowledge of multiple social institutions – i.e., economy, polity, family, education, and religion – as well as their interconnection. As an academic discipline, sociology draws heavily on a wide range of scientific and humanistic perspectives. The result is that research in sociology relies on a variety of scientific tools such as historical-comparative research, in-person interviews, participant observation, survey examinations, statistical analysis, etc, to undercover the complex social processes underlying urban and rural life, familial patterns and relationships, social change, globalization, intergroup relations, social class, race and ethnicity, crime and the criminal justice system, environment and global warming, technology and communications, healthcare and illness, social movements, community responses to disasters, and other pressing contemporary social issues.

Why?

A degree in sociology opens a wide range of potential career prospects. In addition to gaining knowledge of the theoretical foundations of the literature, sociology majors are taught a wide range of practical skills that are required for success in an increasingly knowledge-based economy. Sociology courses provide the methodological foundations necessary for students to observe the social world around them and make informed decisions based on factual observations. These skills are highly applicable to an expansive variety of careers that require intimate knowledge of the social environment within which important decisions need to be made. In other words, jobs within the fields of education, politics, law, social services, business administration, marketing, etc, all necessitate an understanding of the larger social structure and the specific set of social relations that are required to make the correct decisions for success in each respective profession. Thus, although there are an endless number of jobs available for sociologists as a result of these highly transferable skills, according to the most recent job survey performed by the American Sociological Association, the top careers entered by holders of the bachelor’s degree of sociology include counselors, psychologists, management positions, marketing, researchers, etc. In addition, there are a growing number of sociology majors that are specializing in criminology in order to enter into a rapidly growing criminal justice field which includes occupations from law enforcement, probationary officers, and youth counselors, just to name a few.

Arguably most important is that sociology majors tend to be overwhelmingly satisfied with both their career as well as with their choice to obtain a bachelor’s degree in sociology. According to the American Sociological Association, approximately 95% of all sociology degree recipients were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their choice of sociology as a major. Additionally, this high student satisfaction rate is further shown by the fact that about 35% to 50% of students report a desire to continue their studies in sociology at the graduate level. It is no wonder that roughly 30% of sociology students cite “idealist” driven motivations for pursuing a bachelor’s in sociology while another about 70% state that a natural “attraction” to the discipline was their primary motivation.