For those of you wondering what exactly it is that I am studying, simply put Sociology is the scientific study of society and social life. Yes, this means that it is a VERY broad discipline encompassing all subjects you can think of within society ranging from religion to crime/deviance to education, the media, race, gender, and even work and the division of labor just to name a few. You name it, it has has probably been studied by some sociologists a various points in time. My particular interests are in community/urban sociology as well as in the sociology of tourism.
A graph regarding the the social construction of social problems, for example |
I love this quote by sociologist Armand L. Mauss, an LDS scholar, which I believe sums up the foundation of our discipline quite nicely for others to understand (and if you get a chance to read it, his story of how he got into academia and balances his academic and religious life is quite amazing as well).
A fundamental philosophical premise of sociology (and other social sciences) is that truth and knowledge are, by definition, socially constructed. That is, every society, community, and even every family constructs its own understanding of what is true and real through an ongoing process of negotiation across generations and between reference groups. As individuals, the only truth and reality we learn in growing up is what has been constructed in our families, communities, and nations before we were born. To a social scientist, this process of social construction is the only operative source of truth and knowledge available to us. There might be, in the mind of God, or in the ultimate design of the universe, a final, ontological, absolute reality, but such is not available to mere mortals, and thus much depends ultimately upon faith. The only reality we have by which to live our lives is socially constructed. During our lifetimes, it will be subject to change, so it is relative not only to culture but also to time and place.I hope I have been able to shed some light on the field of sociology here today, and if anyone has questions or comments, please do not hesitate to make them known.
Very interesting post, Tippe. I, too, was pretty limited in my understanding of what Sociology is so it's good to have my mind expanded a little bit. Thanks for the post!
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