  the following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the discipline of sociology: sociology studies society"comte, auguste, a dictionary of sociology (3rd ed), john scott & gordon marshall (eds), oxford university press, 2005, isbn 0-19-860986-8, isbn 978-0-19-860986-5 using various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to understand human social activity, from the micro level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and social structure.giddens, anthony, duneier, mitchell, applebaum, richard. 2007. introduction to sociology. sixth edition. new york: w.w. norton and company. chapter 1.  == nature of sociology == sociology can be described as all of the following: * the study of society. * academic discipline &ndash; 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 &ndash; 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 &ndash; field of academic scholarship that explores aspects of human society. === essence of sociology ===  *positivism *antipositivism *structural functionalism *conflict theory *public sociology *social research *social theory *feminism == branches == {{columns-list|4| * analytical sociology * applied sociology * architectural sociology * behavioral sociology * chinese sociology * collective behavior * comparative sociology * computational sociology * critical sociology * cultural sociology * dramaturgical sociology * economic sociology * educational sociology * empirical sociology * environmental sociology * evolutionary sociology * feminist sociology * figurational sociology * historical sociology * humanistic sociology * industrial sociology * internet sociology * interpretive sociology * jealousy sociology * macrosociology * [[marxist sociology
Outlines Sociology_lists