Sociology
January 28, 2003
by Sally Speller,
Supervising Librarian,
Social Sciences Collection, Mid-Manhattan Library
SOCIOLOGY is the science of society, social institutions, and social relationships - the scientific study of the social world and social interactions. It is the systematic examination of the development, structure, and collective behavior of groups. It began at the end of the 19th century and continues today through the use of observational techniques, surveys and interviews, statistical analysis, and controlled experiments, studying such subjects as the family, ethnic relations, schooling, social class, bureaucracy, religious movements, deviance, aging populations, and social change.
Terms to Use for Subject Searching in the Library Catalog:
Sociology
Sociology - methodology
Sociology - military
Sociology - philosophy
Sociology - research
Sociology - history
Socialization
Social psychology
Social ethics
Social equality
Social interaction
Social conflict
Social history
Marriage
Family
Sociology, rural
Sociology, urban
Religion and sociology
Social groups
Social groups - bibliography
Social groups - case studies
Social groups - congresses
Social groups - history
Social groups - moral and ethical aspects
Social groups - periodicals
Social groups - philosophy
Social groups - psychological aspects
Social sciences - statistical methods
Social sciences - statistical methods - computer programs
Social sciences - statistical methods - data processing
Social sciences - statistical methods - dictionaries
Social sciences - statistical methods - history
If you want to browse the sociology section, here are some Dewey classification breakdowns:
301 SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
301.1 SOCIOLOGY - PHILOSOPHY, DICTIONARIES
301.35 SOCIOLOGY - RURAL
302 SOCIAL INTERACTION
302.2 COMMUNICATION
302.3 SOCIAL INTERACTION WITHIN GROUPS
302.4 SOCIAL INTERACTION BETWEEN GROUPS
303 SOCIAL PROCESSES
303.3 SOCIAL ETHICS
303.32 SOCIALIZATION
303.33 SOCIAL CONTROL
304 SOCIAL BEHAVIOR, HUMAN ECOLOGY
305 SOCIAL GROUPS
305.2 AGE GROUPS
305.3 MEN AND WOMEN
305.4 WOMEN
305.5 SOCIAL CLASS
305.6 RELIGIOUS GROUPS
305.7 LANGUAGE GROUPS
305.8 RACIAL, ETHNIC, NATIONAL GROUPS
306 CULTURE AND INSTITUTIONS
306.1 SUBCULTURES
306.2 POLITICAL INSTITUTIONS
306.3 ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS
306.8 SOCIOLOGY OF MARRIAGE AND THE FAMILY
307 COMMUNITIES
309 SOCIAL PROBLEMS, SOCIAL HISTORY, SOCIAL CONDITIONS
310-11 SOCIOLOGY - STATISTICS
312 SOCIOLOGY OF POPULATION
314 HANDBOOKS AND ALMANACS - EUROPE
315-316 AFRICA, ASIA AND OCEANIA - STATISTICS
317 HISTORICAL STATISTICS - UNITED STATES
317.47 HISTORICAL STATISTICS - NEW YORK STATE, NEW YORK CITY
Two Good Sources of Biographical and Theoretical Information on Influential Sociologists:
The Blackwell Companion to Major Social Theorists, REF 301.0922 B
Masters of Sociological Thought, REF 301.0922 C
Some Books by Influential Thinkers in Sociology:
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Comte, August, 1798 - 1857:
A General View Of Positivism. 146.4 C
The Positive Philosophy. 146.4 C
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DuBois, W.E.B., 1868 - 1963:
The Souls of Black Folk. 973.0496 D
Black Reconstruction in America. 973.8 D
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Durkheim, Emile, 1858 - 1917:
The Division of Labor in Society. 331.013 D
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Leeky, W.E.H., 1838 - 1903:
Historical and Political Essays. 914.2 L
A History of Ireland in the Eighteenth Century. 941.57 L
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Martineau, Harriet, 1802 - 1876:
Society in America. 917.3 M
Retrospect of Western Travel. 917.3045 M
How to Observe Moral and Manners 301.072 M
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Marx, Karl, 1818 - 1883:
The Communist Manifesto. 335.422 M
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Ross, E.A., 1866 - 1951:
Roads to Social Peace. 309.173 R
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Schumpeter, Joseph, 1883 - 1950:
Imperialism and Social Classes. 321.03 S
Capitalism, Socialism, and Democracy. 335 S
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Spencer, Herbert, 1820 - 1903:
The Man Versus the State. 323.4
The Principles of Ethics. 171 S
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Veblen, Thorstein, 1857 - 1929:
The Theory of the Leisure Class. 305.52 V
An Inquiry into the Nature of Peace, 341.1 V
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Weber, Max, 1864 - 1920:
Basic Concepts in Sociology. 301 W
Economy and Society. 300.1 W
The City. 301.364 W
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Selected Sociological Dictionaries:
The Blackwell Dictionary of Sociology: a User's Guide to Sociological Language by Allan G. Johnson, REF 301.03 J
Dictionary of Quotations in Sociology by Panos Demetrios Bardis, REF 301.0321 B
Dictionnaire Critique de la Sociologie (English) by Raymond Boudon and Francois Bourricaud, translated by Peter Hamilton, REF 301.03 B
The Encyclopedic Dictionary of Sociology by Richard Lachmann (editor), REF 301.03 E
The HarperCollins Dictionary of Sociology by David Jary and Julia Jary, REF 301.03 J
A New Dictionary of the Social Sciences by Duncan Mitchell (editor), REF 300.321 M
Modern Dictionary of Sociology by George A. Theodorson, REF 301.03 T
Some Sociological Encyclopedias:
Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2nd ed. by Edgar F. Borgatta and Rhonda J.V. Montgomery (editors), REF 301.03 E
World of Sociology by Joseph M. Palisamo (editor), REF 301.03 W
Sociology Basics by Carl L. Bankston III. (editor), REF 301.03 S
Survey of Social Science. Sociology Series by Frank N. Magill and Hector L. Delgado (editors), REF 301.03 S
Key Sociology Resources Online:
The New York Public Library's Electronic Resources, Social Sciences
http://www.nypl.org/databases/index.cfm?act=2&sub=59
Accessed through The New York Public Library's home page, this site contains links to electronic encyclopedias and online indexes. Included are:
- JSTOR, an archive of core scholarly journals
- ANTHROPOLOGICAL INDEX ONLINE, an index to over 750 journals from the Department of Ethnography Library in The British Museum of Mankind
- ETHNIC NEWS WATCH, a full-text index of newspapers, magazines and journals of the ethnic, minority and native press
- SOCIOLOGICAL ABSTRACTS, a collection of abstracts and citations from journals, books and association papers
Research Resouces for the Social Sciences
http://www.socsciresearch.com
One of the most comprehensive sites for social sciences on the web, this site includes links to the following sites (and many others):
- SOCIOLOG, http://www.sociolog.com/, a collection of important social science links
- ED STEPHAN'S TIMELINE OF SOCIOLOGY, http://www.ac.wwu.edu/~stephan/timeline.html, covers significant events in sociology, from 1600 to 1995
- SOCIOLOGY DICTIONARY, http://www.webref.org/, a glossary of over 130 terms related to sociology
- POISONING THE WEB: HATRED ONLINE, http://adl.org/poisoning_web/poisoning_toc.asp, the Anti Defamation League's up-to- date report of online hate sites
- THE RELIGIOUS FREEDOM PAGE, http://religiousfreedom.lib.virginia.edu/home.html, examines the sociology of religion, and includes religious freedom reports from around the world
Some E-Journals:
Sociological Forum
http://www.nyu.edu/pubs/sociological.forum/
This peer-review journal from New York University's Sociology Department supports the central interests of sociology while encouraging interdisciplinary innovation.
Journal of Mundane Behavior
http://www.mundanebehavior.org/
Co-hosted by the Department of Sociology/Anthropology at Millersville University and the Department of Sociology and the College of Humanities at California State University, Fullerton, this peer-review journal examines the "unmarked" or unnoticed aspects of our everyday lives.
Electronic Journal of Sociology
http://www.sociology.org
This refereed e-journal is supported by the International Consortium for Alternative Academic Publication.
Sociological Research Online
http://www.socresonline.org.uk/
This site publishes articles in applied sociology, focusing on theoretical, empirical and methodological discussions.
Some Organizations:
American Sociological Association
http://www.asanet.org
ASA is a non-profit membership association dedicated to advancing sociology as a scientific profession.
Association for Humanist Sociology
http://www.humanistsoc.org/
AHS seeks to make sociology more relevant to human needs and values. The organization shares a common concern for the real-life issues of equality, peace and social justice.
International Sociological Association
http://www.ucm.es/info/isa/
The goal of ISA is to represent sociologists everywhere, regardless of their school of thought, scientific approaches, or ideological opinion, and to encourage the international dissemination and exchange of information on developments in sociological knowledge.
Social Watch
http://www.socwatch.org.uy/
Social Watch is an international citizens' coalition which monitors implementation of the world governments' commitments to eradicate poverty and achieve gender equity.
Society for Applied Sociology
http://www.appliedsoc.org/
SAS provides a forum for sociologists and others seeking to apply sociological knowledge, and seeks to increase the effectiveness of applied sociological research and training.
