Prompted Blog Posts 10: What is my field and my future in this field?

What Is Sociology?

Sociology is:

the study of society
a social science involving the study of the social lives of people, groups, and societies
the study of our behavior as social beings, covering everything from the analysis of short contacts between anonymous individuals on the street to the study of global social processes
the scientific study of social aggregations, the entities through which humans move throughout their lives'
an overarching unification of all studies of humankind, including history, psychology, and economics

Famous Sociology Majors
Though your parents may not believe it, there are thousands of accomplished people with BA, MA, and PhD degrees in sociology, who are not necessarily Sociologists with a capital “S.” Below is a list of just a few.
Politics:
Wellington Webb, mayor of Denver
Brett Schundler, mayor of Jersey City
Annette Strauss, former mayor of Dallas
Rev. Martin Luther King
Roy Wilkins, former head of NAACP
Rev. Jesse Jackson
Rev. Ralph Abernathy
Shirley Chisholm, former Congresswoman from NY
Maxine Waters, Congresswoman from LA
Barbara Mikulski, US Senator from Maryland
Tim Holden, Congressman from Pennsylvania
Cardinal Theordore McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, DC
Saul Alinsky, father of community organizing<
Saul Bellow, novelist
Ronald Reagan (double major in sociology and economics)
Emily Balch, 1946 Nobel Peace Prize winner (a social worker and social reformer)
Francis Perkins, social reformer and former Secretary of Labor
Richard Barajas, Chief Justice, Texas Supreme Court
Michelle Obama, wife of Barack Obama
Arts:
Saul Bellow, novelist
Regis Philbin, TV host
Dan Aykroyd, actor/Blues Brother
Robin Williams, actor/comedian
Paul Shaffer, bandleader on David Letterman Show (and before that, Saturday Night Live)
Dinah Shore, singer
Ruth Westheimer, the “sex doctor”
Kalpen Suresh Modi, White House Liaison for Arts and Humanities
Sports:
Alonzo Mourning, Miami Heat
Bryant Stith, Boston Celtics
Brian Jordan, Atlanta Braves
Joe Theisman, NFL quarterback
Eric Bjornson, Dallas Cowboys
Bobby Taylor, Eagles cornerback
Ahmad Rashad, Sportscaster

PayAbout this section

Sociologists

Median annual wages, May 2012

Sociologists

$74,960

Social scientists and related workers

$69,290

Total, all occupations

$34,750

 

 

Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment Statistics

The median annual wage for sociologists was $74,960 in May 2012. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $43,280, and the top 10 percent earned more than $129,760. 

Most sociologists work full time during regular business hours.

     


http://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/sociologists.htm#tab-1 
(Quite important website for understand this career)