According to the American Sociological Association,

"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"

Image by Flickr User Juska Wendland

"Social science" is a comprehensive academic term which covers all aspects of human social activity, both individual and group. The social sciences generally include the varied academic disciplines of anthropology, archeology, business, criminal justice, economics, education, gender and sexuality, geography, history, linguistics, political science, psychology, religion, and sociology.

Social scientists may use both the empirical methods of scientic research and the critical, interpretive analysis of the humanities.

This guide presents library resources, both print and online, to study the many fields of social science.