社会学家研究的主题涉及人类行为的广泛范围：犯罪和惩罚，家庭的形成和解散，组织中的官僚主义，阶级之间的冲突以及全球性不平等。社会学关注个人的生活在多种社会环境中的嵌入方式，这些环境促进和限制了可能采取的行动的范围。这些环境包括世代，职业，性别，宗教，性取向，家庭，健康，民族，种族和种族等等。学生使用各种科学工具来研究和检查这些现象，包括收集和分析统计数据以及进行调查，焦点小组和深度访谈。
Sociologists examine subjects encompassing a vast array of human behavior: crime and punishment, the formation and dissolution of families, bureaucracy in organizations, conflicts between classes, and global inequalities. Sociology focuses on the way individuals' lives are embedded within multiple social contexts that facilitate and constrain the range of possible actions. These contexts include generation, occupation, gender, religion, sexual orientation, family, health, nation, race, and ethnicity among many others. Students study and examine these phenomena with a variety of scientific tools, including collecting and analyzing statistical data and conducting surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews.