This is an exciting time of dramatic social change, both nationally and internationally. At the same time, old hostilities based on ethnic solidarity are re-emerging and tearing the social fabric of various parts of the world. In these changes there are huge benefits for some and heavy costs for others. Sociologists try to understand these phenomena.
Sociologists study social organization.
For some, this means examining societies - how they are structured, how they work, and how they change. Other sociologists study how small social groups work and how they change. This includes the social networks that people form as part of their social life. Issues of race, class, and gender affect the opportunities and constraints faced by different groups in society. Sociologists study how people belong to families, groups, and organizations - how people develop identities and how their social organizations become real.