The Social Context View of Sociology

Every student taking Introduction to Sociology is a member of a population (male, female, Black, white), exists within a collectivity (sociology class, concert member, crowd), belongs to a social class (upper, middle, lower), interacts in a group (peer group, work group), comes from a family (two parent family, single parent family, blended family) lives in a community (small town, urban center, hometown), goes to an association (university, hospital, military), communicates through a network (MySpace, political networks), and lives out their life in a society (America, Iraq, Sweden). By examining each of these levels of social organization, the social world suddenly becomes alive, real, and understandable. "I get it" is a common reaction to this approach. The Social Context View of Sociology provides a solid foundation upon which new students can fully understand the discipline of sociology. The approach is different from other introductions to sociology in that it helps students order their knowledge in a unified manner by examining nine levels of social organization and provides an immediate insight into the relevance to their lives.