Six Sub-Fields 3. These are a few of the questions that are asked by students of Comparative Sociology, a perspective of sociology that has become more prominent in recent years in response to the need to understand the rapid economic, political and social changes being experienced by many nations. Such comparisons can be made for a single time period or for several. Moreover, a single society can be compared at different time periods, e.g. 19th and 20th century Canada. The questions asked by comparative Sociologists are like those asked by all Sociologists, but the answers are sought by deliberately comparing different societies.
Comparisons can involve two, twenty, sixty or more societies.
Methods of comparison may vary depending on the number of societies chosen, the types of questions asked, the types of data available, the scope of theory or hypotheses to be tested, and so on. Some studies emphasize statistical data and quantitative analysis while others emphasize various forms of qualitative data and analysis. Students of comparative society, even though they may prefer one kind of analysis to another, are wise to become proficient in both methods. In a sense, the answer is just what a student learns in most Sociology courses. Courses in such fields as the family, complex organizations, and stratification, all provide data and analytical models which can be useful for comparative analysis.