Sociology’s key principle is that patterned social relationships create opportunities for, and place constraints on, human action. The influence of this idea is widespread. New research agendas in law, literature, economics, and other disciplines reflect the notion that beyond individual motives, goals, values, beliefs and emotions, patterned social relationships help to make us who we are. Our courses and faculty research examine how patterned social relationships shape and are shaped by gender roles and families; health; immigration and ethnic relations; labor markets, work and social inequality; political structures and processes; crime, law and deviance; culture; cities; and networks, and communities.

To test explanations regarding the influence of social relationships on various aspects of human behavior, sociologists collect and analyze observational, survey, experimental, and historical data. Accordingly, the sociological perspective and the research skills learned by studying sociology prepare students for a wide variety of careers in industry, government, education, politics, health and journalism. Medical, legal, and environmental fields report an increasing need for sociologists. Municipal, provincial and federal governments hire in areas like urban sociology, community relations, policy and planning, and statistical analysis. In private business, sociologists work in management consulting firms and polling organizations, as well as in labor relations and human resources.