Sociology Concepts and Approaches

What is the main focus of sociology?

• The study of ancient civilizations and their rulers.

• The study of how people and societies are formed and influence each other.

• The study of individual human behavior and mental processes.

• The study of Earth's physical features and environment.

Which of the following is a question a sociologist might ask?

• How do different political institutions change the cultural norms of a society?

• What is the average rainfall in the Amazon rainforest?

• Who was the first president of the United States?

• How many planets are in our solar system?

How does sociology approach the study of racial and ethnic groups differently from a world history class?

• Sociology focuses on the dates of historical events, while history focuses on social structures.

• Sociology explains how racial and ethnic groups are constructed and why inequalities exist, while history describes past discrimination.

• Sociology only studies ancient societies, while history studies modern ones.

• Sociology examines individual experiences, while history examines group experiences.

When studying an individual's well-being, how does a sociologist's approach differ from an economist's?

• An economist studies how neighborhoods and communities affect well-being, while a sociologist studies wages.

• A sociologist studies how neighborhoods and communities affect well-being, while an economist studies how wages affect well-being.

• Both sociologists and economists study the same factors in the same way.

• Economists focus on individual choices, while sociologists focus on global markets.