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Sociology

Sociology Major and course information

Essay Writing Guide

Undergraduate courses with their own web pages

Sociology Connections

How is Sociology Taught at ANU

Sociology is one of the social sciences along with anthropology, economics, political science, human geography and certain other fields. The fundamental question of sociology is "How is society possible?" How is it that individual humans with their differing and competing needs and desires manage more often than not to work together cooperatively?

In broad terms, sociology is about the groups and organisations which make up human society. It is about social forces which work to hold groups together or to weaken them. And it is about the processes which change the way societies function as time passes.

Sociology at the ANU is located within the Faculty of Arts. Students study sociology as part of a BA degree or possibly as part of a combined degree involving another faculty. Also associated with Sociology is the Population Studies Program which offers several units in demography, the study of human populations.

Applications of Sociology and Career Prospects

Sociology provides our best means of understanding how society works and how it influences our personal lives. It contributes to investigating and solving social problems on a local, national and international level. Sociology graduates develop careers in many fields including migrant and ethnic affairs, market research, services for the aged, community development, welfare policy and administration, women's issues, staff training and development, youth and family services, workforce research and health services. The kind of work that graduates do varies widely but frequently involves research into social issues, the development of policies and plans, social administration and the evaluation of social programs.

Sociology graduates find employment in federal, state and local government departments, in community service organisations, and in private enterprise, for example firms doing social research and consultancy.