Outline of Sociology - Nature of Sociology

Nature of Sociology

Sociology can be described as all of the following:

  • The study of society.
  • Academic discipline – body of knowledge given to - or received by - a disciple (student); a branch or sphere of knowledge, or field of study, that an individual has chosen to specialise in.
  • Field of science – widely-recognized category of specialized expertise within science, and typically embodies its own terminology and nomenclature. Such a field will usually be represented by one or more scientific journals, where peer reviewed research is published. There are many sociology-related scientific journals.
    • Social science – field of academic scholarship that explores aspects of human society.

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