What are sociology and anthropology?
In general, the disciplines of sociology and anthropology describe the patterning, problems and prospects of human relationships. That is, they consider how and why people behave as they do, the implications of these patterns for other aspects of social life, and how new ways of living may be built and sustained. To some extent, sociology and anthropology share these commitments with other disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences — i.e., with political science, geography, history, economics, human services and psychology. However, there are important differences. Fundamentally, sociology takes as its principal focus the study of human groups and organizations. This is different than the respective focuses of political science (government and power issues), economics (goods and services) and geography (the physical resources of the earth). By looking at all varieties of human social life, sociology takes a somewhat wider viewpoint than these other disciplines. Anthropology tak
