1.
sociology; the academic study of human society, social relationships, and institutions
The scientific study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture. Named as an academic field, it is the most common Japanese translation of the English term 'sociology' and is used in university department names, course titles, and book titles.
Compound of 社会 ('society') and 学 ('study; -ology'). Like other academic field names formed with 学, 社会学 names the discipline itself; specialists are called 社会学者 ('sociologists').
Usage
- Used for both the academic discipline and as the name of a university department or major (社会学部 'department of sociology', 社会学科 'sociology program').
- Occasionally used loosely in journalism to describe commentary that takes a 'sociological' angle on a current issue, but the primary sense is academic.
Common collocations
- 社会学を専攻する: to major in sociology
- 社会学の講義: a sociology lecture
- 社会学の視点: a sociological perspective
- 都市社会学: urban sociology
- 家族社会学: sociology of the family