Introduction to Sociology

This free online course is designed to help you develop a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of sociology. The course kicks off with an introduction to sociology, in which you'll learn how to define and describe sociology accurately. We will provide you with historical background and studies, highlighting instrumental figures to sociology as a field. Theorists like Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim, Auguste Comte and Harriet Martineau are some of the names that have helped build a framework for this field. Learn about their contributions and how they have shaped the sociological research space. Have you ever wondered what the relevance of this field might be? Maybe you are new to the subject and not quite sure how sociology can be helpful to you. We carefully curated the first part to ensure you are properly introduced to sociology as a scientific process. You will discover some of the reasons why you should study sociology and ways to conduct sociological research. We will also introduce you to the concept of culture, where you will learn about values, beliefs, mores and other related topics like subcultures, pop culture and high culture.

The course goes further to describe society and the socialization process. You will learn about the different types of societies during the evolution of man, about the preindustrial societies, industrial societies and postindustrial societies, as well as the peculiar economic- and social-driving factors of these times. The psychoanalytic theories of self-development are another area of sociology that we touch briefly on in this course. Do you think sexual orientation and self-awareness are borne out of thought processes at maturation or a cumulative process from childhood? What are the factors that spur social and self-developmental transformations? Would you consider the environment a more important factor in effecting social change than the human genetic composition? All these and more are questions that this course will provide answers to. This free online course will also teach you about groups and how to define their sizes, structures, and functions. You will learn about the concept of deviance and social controls and how it perpetuates in everyday societies. Lastly, we will touch on elements of technology and how they impact global society.

Socialization is an everyday activity, and much of today's world is a product of the socialization process, either between societies or within societies. We have learnt so much from studying human behaviours. A variety of social struggles, like the fight for gender and race equality, have almost all been prompted by an in-depth observation and study of a society's human behavioural status quo at any given point in time. This has helped in transforming societies. Sociology helps in allowing individuals to see the world from another lens. To do this, you must understand the science of studying human behaviours and other social concepts. You will learn the precepts of socialization and society in general. We will take you through historical studies to help you build a sound basis in this specialization. You will learn about culture, society, groups and deviant behaviours, with the functionalist, conflict and symbolic interactionist theories provided for each. With a plethora of illustrations and real-world case studies, this course will help you build a solid knowledge base in the field of sociology. Enrol right away and start learning.