The study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. Sociology tends to focus on industrialized societies, human behavior in groups, how groups form, how they are organized, how they interact and how they change. Start your research with:
Research Tips
Consider these questions:
- Who is the focus of my research topic (adolescents, men, college-aged women, elderly, etc.)?
- What phenomenon I am searching for (social media, brainwashing, the effects of advertising, etc.)?
- What do I want to focus on within sociology (options for resolving the issue, socio-economic factors, prevalence, etc.)?
Why narrow my topic?
Answering the above questions will get you keywords (concepts or terms) to search with. Be specific in your searches so that you are not bombarded with too many results.
Add these words or phrases:
- social issues (e.g., brainwashing and “social issues”)
- social context (e.g., addiction and “social context”)
- group behavior (e.g., homeless and “group behavior”)
Additional social issues databases
Opposing Viewpoints (Gale In Context): Pro/Con articles on a variety of issues; includes statistics, and supporting reference and periodical sources.
Reference Sources
FilmsOnDemand: Sociology
Credo Topics: Sociology
OpenStax “Intro to Sociology” 2nd edition contains comprehensive coverage of core concepts, foundational scholars, and emerging theories in sociology.
Ted Talks: Sociology RSA Videos: Shorts and animations from the Royal Sociological Society
Browse the Stacks
Useful Things
ASA Topics
Through Sociology, we study our behavior as social beings, covering everything from the analysis of short contacts between anonymous individuals on the street to the study of global social processes. ASA Topics web pages provide various lenses through which to explore those studies, their findings and the questions that they trigger.
Undergraduate Resources from the ASA. Thinking about majoring in Sociology?
ASA Blog “Contexts”- America’s White Hands of Death
- Antiracism is a Constant Struggle
- Vaccines, Masks, and Routine Disruptions during COVID-19
- Police Officers Need Liability Insurance
- Intimacy on the Mats and in the Surf
Features interesting, informative, and most of all entertaining commentary from sociologists around the United States
- The Panopticon and Protest Surveillance
- Is College for Jobs or Expanding the Mind: Why Not Both?
- Bandage, Sort, and Hustle: What is it like to be an Ambulance Worker?
- Who Gone Check Me Boo? The Backlash to Women and Power
- YouTube, Upward Mobility, and Inequality
Sociological Images
Sociological Images encourages all kinds of people to exercise and develop their sociological imagination by presenting brief discussions of compelling and timely imagery that span the breadth of sociological inquiry.
Podcasts
Oxford University Department of Sociology
Sociology Podcast Series (from Sage Publications)
ASA Style Guide
American Sociological Association (ASA) Style Guide is available at the Reference Desk. Purdue has produced some basic information on ASA Style for citations. Your instructor may want you to use another style. Be sure to check first.