This
breadth is what makes sociology so amazing. We can use the sociological
perspective to focus on broad features of society, such as social class,
gender, race-ethnicity, and then immediately turn our focus to the small-scale
level. If we look at two people interacting-whether quarrelling or kissing-we
see how these broad features of society are being played out in their
lives.
We
aren't born with instincts. We don't come into this world with preconceived
notions about what life should be like. At birth, we have no ideas of
race-ethnicity, gender, age or social class. We have no idea, for example,
that people "ought" to act in certain ways because they are
male or female. Yet we all learn such things as we grow up in our society.
Uncovering the "hows" and "whys" of this process
is part of sociology's fascination.
One
of sociology's many pleasures is that we study life in groups, whether
those groups be in some far-off part of the world or in some nearby
corner of our own society. We constantly gain insights into our own
selves as sociology makes visible the effects of society on each and
every one of us.
After
you take our introductory course, Individual and Society,
you can choose more advanced courses that focus on a particular aspect
of social life such as sexuality, health, family, mass media, technology,
sports, education, crime and punishment, gender, and more.
Adapted
from Henslin et al, (2004)
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