Sociology should be looked at as being a subject that can be useful within any field. It is the type of course that can be applied in any setting as it is applicable to any type of group or individual situation. “It is a foundation to understanding almost all dimensions of groups, systems, organizations and social movements.” (Andrew Garabedian) In an interview done by a peer in my class, Garabedian would agree with my point that Sociology is extremely applicable to almost any field. Though it can be applied to any career, people with Sociology degrees tend to apply to jobs such as demography, law/social control, medical sociology, organizational analysis and social psychology as said by Stephen Richards. Obviously there are some careers that this type of degree would be more applicable to and the aforementioned are some of them. Going into law with a degree in this field would render the possibility of having a different view on situations, maybe even having an edge that other lawyers wouldn’t have. It is important to be able to look at situations from different angles and having a Sociology degree is a good way to go about adding one more angle to your arsenal. The more aware and understanding you are of the world you live in, the better equipped you will be to handle situations that arise. You will also be able to better evaluate situations and handle them better than someone without a degree as you have the advantage of studying human behaviours and why they do certain things. There are types of jobs that people with this type of degree tend to aim for, such as the ones listed previously, because they are the ones that would allow them to put their degree to the best use. But for those of us who have taken Sociology and gotten a job outside of the ones normally obtained, our degrees or courses can still be extremely useful. The knowledge of people individually as well as within a group will help us to better assess situations or to understand why someone may have done or said something. This tool can be useful in defusing situations and helping people to remain calm, or knowing what is needed to get people motivated or maybe how to help people become better leaders. It is useful in helping us better understand what is happening in the world around us, even within our careers. Sociologists are present in many different fields and careers because their degree is so flexible and therefore very useful to any career.

This concept comes to us from famed sociologist C. Wright Mills, the sociological imagination was defined as such; “the awareness of the relationship between personal experience and the wider society”. This theory is relevant for many reasons, for one, it definitely comes into play with the sociological perspective helping to strengthen one’s perception of society even more. What it means is basically to put yourself outside the box and see society from a further standpoint. Essentially to not look to closely, but places importance on taking a step back in order to effectively view the, “whole picture”. It’s more about observation than anything, really, allowing sociologists to view society from an unbiased and unprejudiced stance. Sociological aspects such as social norms and motives also have very much to do with this concept, explaining that factors among others such as these, lead to certain outcomes in society, or put another way, we can observe without doubt that action leads to outcome and there are many factors that support this. Factors that I am talking about are as mentioned norms and motives, “what we want to gain”, social context, (where, nationality, ethnicity, associations).

When you are first beginning to study sociology, this is something you will here time after time, again. So therefore, what exactly is the sociological perspective? Put simply, the sociological perspective is essentially how one would function cognitively as a sociologist would. However, it is not simply a single perspective one could learn and use properly, but multiple different perspectives intended to create a toolbox of cognitive methods used to think with this main, ‘sociological perspective’. That being said, there are many different sociological perspectives but for the sake of prioritizing, we will only be discussing the four major perspectives used by sociologists. The first major, theoretical perspective we will discuss is called the structural-functional perspective. The structural-functional perspective is defined as follows; using this perspective effectively means to view society as a complex, interconnected system where every aspect of it works together to function as a whole. This perspective is introduced to us by durkheim, father of the functional perspective. Another sociological method of thought is called the social conflict perspective, what this essentially means is that society is viewed as a system of unequal groups, because of this inequality society is inevitably doomed to consistently generate social conflict and change, (coined by famed sociological thinker, Karl Marx). The feminist sociological perspective defines itself as viewing society traditionally unequal between men and women, with its primary goal being to strive for equality between both. Finally, the last major sociological perspective is called the symbolic interactionism, this theory involves the relationship between society and self, suggesting society is full of actors with different roles, this role playing theory was first introduced by sociologist George H. Meade. Together, these four perspectives work to create a dominant, primary perspective in which we can effectively use the functions of all these theories.

The field of sociology is filled with undoubtedly some of the most influential people of all time. By exploring the uncharted or unknown areas of the field sociologists have been extending and expanding upon it with their extensive theories and research since the birth of the sociology. Influential, ‘fathers’, of sociology – if you will, are people such as Marx, Comte, Durkheim, Weber, Wright mills upon many others whose research that has given sociology the vast scope it has today. Take for example, essentially the founder of sociology, Auguste Comte. Comte is known as the three fathers of this social science, during the late nineteenth century he defined the term, ‘sociology’, when attempting to explain the specific stages all societies develop and progress through. Another major figure whose contributions must be recognized is the man named, Emile Durkheim. Durkheim is the youngest of the three fathers, surviving until the twentieth century, (1917), Durkheim is credited for essentially allowing the study of sociology to be seen as a science. Durkheim is known for his extensive research on how suicide correlates with social integration. Another prominent sociologist whose contributions hold great importance is C. Wright Mills, Mills research was primarily focused on social status and stratification, he is known for coining terms such as, ‘power-elite’, &, ‘sociological imagination’. Just as all others mentioned in this post, Mills contributions affected many other aspects of sociology aside from social stratification, however I do believe this is what he is most known for. Now as we have given credit where it is due, perhaps we also talk about a female sociologist.

Doris Y. Wilkinson is a female sociologist from the twentieth century known for her research regarding racial integration, among this she was also the first african-american person to graduate from the university of Kentucky with an undergraduate degree. There is a vast amount of other sociologists whose contributions to the field has given it the scope and conservatism it has today.

As defined by the Department of Sociology at UNC sociology, sociology is “the study of human social relationships and institutions”. Despite there being a textbook definition of this practice, it’s function still remains an abstract concept in our everyday lives. Sociology is much deeper than its simple definition, “to understand it correctly, it requires a lot of hard work, but when it is understood and full effort is put into it there’s a sudden understanding of happiness towards the subject itself, because it has now been clarified and understood.” (Connell, 2017) There are multiple perspectives involved in understanding the effects of sociology on our civilization. It serves as a tool to not only grasp how the society as a whole works, but what our individual roles are. These roles are pre-determined and shaped by a number of factors that influences us to act on decisions already made for us. These roles are important because they establish where we lie in social standings, deciding what friends we have, and what jobs and opportunities we have available to us. Every individual has a biography that is essentially a collection of events that has morphed them into the person they are today, understanding your own biography is crucial to understanding your role within society. As humans, it’s important that we follow the social scripts given to us for society to function as intended. The study of sociology is complex and dynamic, constantly developing aside humanity and recognizing the human contributions to our ever changing culture. 

It is common for people to misconceive Sociology and Psychology and being very similar subjects but they do ave different aspects that set them apart from one another. Mainly it is the fact that Sociology dominantly studies people with groups and cultures whereas much of Psychology studies the individual person. It is important to understand both of these subjects and how they affect you and the people around you in everyday life. But with Sociology we get to observe how people act within group settings as opposed to individually. This is important because we know already that people will act different in groups than they would by themselves. In Sociology we can look at how people would normally act and then observe them and how they act, react and behave in social settings or work places or even with their families. It is common for people to have different versions of themselves that they bring out and use depending on the situation and the types of people they are surrounded by. For example, people act differently with their families than they would at work or with friends. Though it is very common and most people do this, it is interesting to see how a person changes themselves to conform to what they believe is expected of them. Though there is overlap amongst the two fields of the study, the glaring difference, as already stated, is that Sociology examines a person within different groups, cultures and institutions while Psychology studies the individual themselves. A good way to think about it is that Sociology believes that outside forces mainly contribute to the shaping of a person and their personality whereas Psychology believes inside forces play the biggest role.

As the practice of sociology continues to change and develop, so do the careers opportunities available. Working as a sociologist involves using quantitative and qualitative methods to collect and analyze data. Most people are familiar with the more standard jobs involving sociology degrees like being a social scientist, policy analyst, journalist or social worker. Although these are the most common career fields people with sociology degrees tend to pursue, this doesn’t mean other options aren not available. In Reflections on the Academic Job Search in Sociology, “the authors emphasize the key methods a sociologist should take up in order to stand out from other applicants, these methods being “the sociological importance of identity work, self-presentation, and [understanding] interactional patterns in the job search process.” (27) These methods advise that if one desires to get hired, they must gather information on the specific field of work they are applying for, and during the interview, must demonstrate their knowledge on that specific subject, even if it is not their specialized field of study.” (Cotten, 2001) This allows sociology degree applicants to get the most out of their interview process, offering a higher chance of success with getting the job. When it comes to what employers are looking for, they “look for a sociology major in unusual fields, such as medical industry or construction settings, and the skills that they prioritize the most mainly concern people-management, as a lot of sociology graduates are currently employed in personnel positions, along with the basic skills, such as writing or editing.” (Watson, 1982) Possessing skills in these fields will give greater opportunity to find a career with a sociology degree. Graduates possessing strong interpersonal skills that are clearly conveyed during the interview process will likely have greater success finding a career with a sociology degree.

Having a foundational understanding of what sociology is and how people behave according to its laws is a good way to understand people and why they might behave the way they do. Sociology is extremely beneficial to the understanding of people and you need to interact with people almost every single day. Being able to take a step back and try and understand the situation and why things are happening the way they are is an important life skill to have and it is something you can begin to learn how to do while taking Sociology. This field of study gives you the opportunity to gain or hone skills that are important in day to day life as well as within situations you may not find yourself in often. Sociology gives “insights and skills necessary for both a richer personal life and a life of expanded possibility in the social world.” (Erickson) This shows the potential of the field to expand old skills and gain new ones in the context of social life. Having social skills is extremely important in order to fit in and adapt within society. Sociology plays an important role in the world and is therefore beneficial. It helps us to understand other peoples, cultures, beliefs, religions and environments. It encourages people to be more open minded and curious about other people. This is good because we have historically been living in a very closed minded society and world and open-mindedness is the first step to creating a more peaceful world. If people can become more open to other peoples beliefs it would make it possible for knowledge and understanding to come through and we would be that much closer to living peacefully with one another. Sociology is therefore a major contributor in the fight to get people to become more excepting of those around them who they may not agree with or understand. Allowing others to live their lives comfortably and peacefully amongst you whether you agree with them or not is necessary in keeping everyone safe. We are not there yet but Sociology can benefit the fight immensely. Therefore there are countless reasons why Sociology is beneficial to our world and it is something that should be introduced to everyone at some point in their life so they can gain a deeper understanding of the people around them and therefore the world they live in.