sociology

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Systematic study of the origin and constitution of human society, in particular of social order and social change, social conflict and social problems. It studies institutions such as the family, law, and the church, as well as concepts such as norm, role, and culture. Sociology attempts to study people in their social environment according to certain underlying moral, philosophical, and political codes of behaviour.

Development
Sociology arose in the 19th century in an attempt to understand the far-reaching changes in human society due to industrialization, urbanization, and the development of new types of political systems. Although its primary focus is still on contemporary society, it makes comparisons with pre-industrial societies and draws on such related disciplines as history, politics, economics, psychology, philosophy, and anthropology.

Sphere of interest
As a social science, sociology deals with human behaviour in its social settings; in particular, it investigates how societies reproduce themselves, develop and change, and also the nature, causes, and effects of social relations and interaction among individuals, and between individuals and groups. Sociology is concerned with the regularities and patterns of human behaviour, and with such things as the family, law, the church, class, ethnicity and race, gender, poverty, politics, aggression, marriage, education, communication, work, social change, urbanism, health, and social movements. It employs such concepts as social organization, culture, norms, roles, values, symbols, and ritual.

Methods
Modern sociology uses several methods, including controlled experimentation, participant observation, and statistical analysis. It encompasses a variety of traditions and theoretical perspectives, including functionalism, structuralism, symbolic interactionism, Marxism, action theory, and critical theory. Current concerns include the development of more accurate and verifiable methodologies, how individuals relate to the structure of society, and also with environmentalism, internationalism, and postmodernism.

Uses
Since the 1970s, sociology has played an increasing role in the development of evaluation of government policies in such areas as health, education, and social welfare.

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