– Giddens, A., Duneier, M., Applebaum, R., & Carr, D., "The Essentials of Sociology"
Welcome to Sociology – the study of human societies. Sociology is a discipline that helps us to understand
our social world, while at the same time helping us to question the arrangement of
it. Sociology begins with the assumption that no one is an island; we are not simply
individuals with complete autonomy and self-determination, but rather social beings.
The sociological perspective asks us to explore a central paradox--that we both shape
and are shaped by the social world in which we live.
Sociology is a way of understanding the world that requires empirical research and what American Sociologist C. Wright Mills called a “sociological imagination,” the ability to connect our individual lives to the world around us, as well as to the lives of those with which we share this world.
The practice of sociology is often motivated by a desire to bring about social change and social justice. Because of this, sociology tends to be very interested in examining social inequality and calling into question practices and process that uphold it or create it.
There were over 5,200,000 Social Science degree holders in the USA in 2023 earning 70,000 a year on average. If you are interested in browsing career ideas within the field of Sociology or in getting work experience in contributing to social change, explore these resources:
Homefirst non-profit who serve the unhoused: https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/portal/D5CCEE08944274A96388058FB68F1A82/career-page?jpt=1e1765d4417f2342e1f04007270f825b
ASA Careers in Sociology:
https://www.asanet.org/careers-in-sociology/
Bureau of Labor Statistics:
https://www.bls.gov/ooh/field-of-degree/social-science/social-science-field-of-degree.htm