Sociology is a social science that studies 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. The subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious cults; 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. The field also offers a range of research techniques that can be applied to virtually any aspect of social life. 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use are varied, including observing the everyday life of groups, conducting large-scale surveys, interpreting historical documents, analyzing census data, studying video-taped interactions, interviewing participants of groups, and conducting laboratory experiments.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 is an exciting discipline with expanding opportunities for a wide range of research, theory, and application of knowledge.