ABSTRACT
This chapter offers an overview into the discipline of sociology. As an introductory chapter, it provides readers with a fascinating taste of what a study of sociology involves: the relationship of the individual to the social world; insights into taken-for-granted aspects of our lives; how and why we make choices about the way we live; the social influences and patterns which influence those choices, and how to explain social and cultural change. This introduction traces the history of the discipline and provides a detailed discussion of ‘public sociology’ and what it entails. As sociology is relevant to people’s lives, it is inevitable that it also involves public issues. These give rise to critiques of society such as current injustices and inequality, problems with government, the decisions made in corporate boardrooms and by advertising companies. By exposing and analysing social influences and patterns, sociology helps us understand the political, cultural, and economic factors which shape our lives both personally and collectively. It fosters a questioning approach as to why things are the way they are and what alternatives exist.
