Sociology is a very interesting field of study but it has drawn the attention of only a few. Its focus is so diverse that it investigates everything from the most minute to the biggest issues of society. Sociology is defined as the scientific study of society, describing and analyzing patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture of everyday life. As a social science, it uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order, acceptance, and change or social evolution. The subject matter of sociology ranges from the micro sociology level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and the social structure. The different traditional focuses of sociology include, social stratification, social class, social mobility, religion, secularization, laws, sexuality, gender, and deviance. As all spheres of human activity are affected by the interplay between social structure and individual agency, sociology has gradually expanded its focus to other subjects such as health, medical economy, military and penal institutions, the internet, education, social capital, and the role of social activity in the development of scientific knowledge. The range of social scientific methods has also expanded.
How important is Sociology? It is very vital because Sociology helps us understand that the individual and the society have a dynamic relationship. While institutions impact the individual, people impact the society by their choices and the way they live their lives (American Sociological Society). Sociology teaches us that natural events may really have social causes. Instead of trying to understand human behavior by studying the individual, sociologists look at the wider context at the historical events and the sociological processes that channel individual behavior. Being a sociologist means using what the American Sociologist, C. Wright Mills called your sociological imagination. It means thinking yourself away from everyday experiences and discovering that many apparently purely personal events are the products of something vastly more substantial.