What is sociology? Why do we study sociology?

Sociology is the study of societies and the way that they shape people's behaviour; beliefs, and identity... Probably the most important thing about sociology is that it enables us to make sense of the rapidly changing world that we live in. Some of the main changes that we have seen recently in Britain have been:

-an economic transformation, as old industries have declined and service occupations have rapidly expanded
-changes in family life as more people have begun to live on their own, more women have found employment in paid work, and divorce rates have continued to rise
-the transformation of work by information technology and the spread of more flexible and less secure forms of part-time and temporary work
-increasing inequalities as more people have experienced poverty and exclusion, and the gap has widened between rich and poor...

Perhaps most fundamentally of all, sociology enables us to understand ourselves. The way that we think, behave, and feel, indeed our very sense of identity, is socially produced. People often speak of human nature as though deep within us there lies some reservoir of natural impulses that determine the way that we behave. There is, however, no such thing as human nature, for the way that we think, behave, and feel is shaped by what sociologists call the process of socialization. This provides us with language, gives us our values and beliefs, establishes our identity, and so turns us into members of society.