The Social Context View of Sociology

The Social Context View of Sociology provides a solid foundation upon which new students can fully understand the content of this discipline and an understanding of what the science of sociology contributes to our knowledge. The Social Context View of Sociology 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. Every student 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, blended family ), lives in a community (small town, urban center, hometown), goes to associations (university, hospital, military), communicates through a network (My Space, political network), and lives out their life in a society (Ecuador, America). By examining each of these levels, the social world suddenly becomes alive, real, and understandable.