Sociology is the study of how people are influenced, shaped, directed, constrained or empowered by relationships and social groups. And how, over time, people change. Students who want to know why … those are the ones who feel at home studying sociology and who will do well at Manchester. Sociology offers a distinctive academic perspective to students at Manchester University.

Sociologist Peter Berger has remarked, "The first wisdom of sociology is this: Things are not what they seem." The sociological perspective invites us to look behind the facades of social life, behind the official versions of reality, and seeks to understand what is really going on. As such, it is a liberating, empowering, and exhilarating perspective. We invite you to share this exciting journey of discovery with us!

The Sociological Perspective at MU

At Manchester University, the contribution of the sociological perspective and the discipline of sociology to a liberal arts education is at least threefold:

• As a science, sociology seeks to understand and explain the social world through systematic, critical thinking and the application of empirical methods.
• As a social science, sociology seeks to understand and explain how we create and maintain shared patterns of thought, belief, judgment, and behavior, and how we are in turn shaped and constrained by those patterns.
• As a liberal art, the sociological perspective reminds us that values are embodied in and transmitted through social structures that express and encourage the realization of the social justice and peace.

Students majoring in Sociology at Manchester are prepared to continue study in graduate programs or to enter career fields such as public policy, human services, research analysis, community organizing, or law enforcement, among others.