The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the discipline of sociology: Sociology – the study of society using various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to understand human social activity, from the micro level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and social structure. Nature of sociology Definition Sociology can be described as all of the following: The study of society. Academic discipline – body of knowledge given to - or received by - a disciple (student); a branch or sphere of knowledge, or field of study, that an individual has chosen to specialise in. Field of science – widely recognized category of specialized expertise within science, and typically embodies its own terminology and nomenclature. Such a field will usually be represented by one or more scientific journals, where peer reviewed research is published. There are many sociology-related scientific journals. Social science – field of academic scholarship that explores aspects of human society. Essence of sociology Overall Sociology Key themes across sociological research Society Globalization Human behavior Human environmental impact Identity Industrial revolutions 3 & 4 Social complexity Social environment Social equality Social equity Social power Social stratification Social structure Branches of sociology Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary fields involving sociology History of sociology History of sociology Timeline of sociology Theoretical perspectives in sociology Approaches Positivism Positivism (Empirical sociology) Critical realist Critical realism Structural Structuralism Challenging structure Social interactions Behavioural Psychoanalytic sociology Social justice Critical theory Applied Pure sociology Ecological Human ecology Levels of analysis Methodology and methods in sociology General sociology concepts Sociology by location Sociologists List of sociologists Sociological publications Sociology journals Magazines Sociology books Sociological associations Sociological associations Academies Related fields See also References External links SocioSite, a directory of sociology resources Sections of American Sociological Association Research Committees and Themes of International Sociological Association, AIS Comités de Recherche de l'Association internationale des sociologues de langue française, AISLF Liste des réseaux thématiques de l'Association Française de Sociologie, AFS Sociology Sociology lists Sociology