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Sociology enables us to understand the structure and
dynamics of society, and their intricate connections to patterns of human
behavior and individual life changes. It examines the ways in which the forms
of social structure -- groups, organizations, communities, social categories
(such as class, sex, age, or race), and various social institutions (such as
kinship, economic, political, or religious) affect human attitudes, actions,
and opportunities.
The discipline also explores how both individuals and collectivities
construct, maintain, and alter social organization in various ways. Sociology
asks about the sources and consequences of change in social arrangements and
institutions, and about the satisfactions and difficulties of planning,
accomplishing, and adapting to such change. Areas studied in examining social
dynamics include: culture, values, socialization, cooperation, conflict, power,
exchange, inequality, deviance, social control, violence, order and social
change.
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