U N I T 1 SOCIOLOGY, SOCIETY AND THE MEDIA In this Unit you will learn about the aims of sociology and how it studies the impact of media and technology on society. We will also consider how social networks have influenced our lives. A. WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY? Sociology is an exciting and illuminating field of study that analyzes and explains important matters in our personal lives, communities and the world. At the personal level, sociology investigates the social causes and consequences of such things as romantic love, racial and gender identity, family conflict, deviant behaviour, aging and religious faith. At the social level, it examines and explains matters like crime and law, poverty and wealth, prejudice and discrimination, schools and education, business firms, urban communities and social movements. At the global level, it studies such phenomena as population growth and migration, war and peace, and economic development. The research methods used by sociologists are varied: they observe the everyday life of groups, conduct large-scale surveys, interpret historical documents, analyze census data, study interactions, interview members of groups and conduct laboratory experiments. The research methods and theories of sociology provide powerful insights into the social processes which 1 Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Correct the false ones, quoting the relevant information from the text. T a. Sociology does not care about individual behaviour. b. The law can take advantage of sociological investigation. c. Large scale events can be analyzed by sociology. d. Sociology does not rely on data analysis. e. There is no link between social processes and personal experiences. 140 F