Sociology is a social science that studies society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociology investigates the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts. It uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order and social change. Sociologys subject matter is diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions of race, gender, and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture. Sociology provides many distinctive perspectives on the world, generating new ideas and critiquing the old. Sociologists emphasize the careful gathering and analysis of evidence about social life to develop and enrich our understanding of key social processes. The research methods sociologists use are varied, including observing the everyday life of groups, conducting large-scale surveys, interpreting historical documents, analyzing census data, studying video-taped interactions, interviewing participants of groups, and conducting laboratory experiments. Sociology offers a distinctive and enlightening way of seeing and understanding the social world in which we live and which shapes our lives.