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Sociology

Sociology    Social and Cultural Anthropology    Demography

Sociology is the study of the structure of society and its associated changes. This includes the study of institutions, organisations and societies; their associated social behaviour and networks, as well as the human values, attitudes and manner of expression. Sociological attention focuses on societies at both the macro and micro level. This means that sociologists study global, national as well as more intimate social relationships.

The sociological perspective enables students to question everyday concepts. A fundamental advantage of the sociological perspective is that it has the potential to be critical. The perspective allows students to diverge from everyday ways of thinking and disclose research findings that point to hidden social problems. Moreover, the sociological mindset encourages sociologists to not only explore social problems with conventional approaches, but to also take steps towards new approaches that enhance our understanding of social behaviour. For these reasons, sociological thinking is invaluable in the planning and decision-making processes.

The focus of general sociology is the structure of society, as well as the theory and research that is related to social behaviour. After basic studies, the syllabus is structured so that students have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with at least two research areas of general sociology. In this way, students can select and specialise in areas such as gender, urban sociology, or perhaps sociology of the family, amongst others.

The objective of the degree studies is to prepare students as specialists in their field. Sociology graduates will acquire the necessary skills to independently find and analyse information related to social phenomenon observed in society. Furthermore, sociologists can also utilise their knowledge, using it to their benefit in many different occupational fields. Most sociologists work in planning, administration and the compilation of statistics. Many also work as researchers, or in research teams assisting decision-making bodies. Students of Sociology are often, also, employed as teachers in adult educational centres as well as working as journalists and in communications.