The structure of sociological knowledge and what elements it includes. Social problems of youth. Culture as a social phenomenon

Sociology as a science currently has a very complex structure. This structure includes general sociological theory which studies the most general issues functioning and development of society, the place in it of the human person. It is within the framework of the general sociological theory that the theoretical comprehension and generalization of many empirical facts accumulated and comprehended in particular sociological theories, their systematization according to one or another feature, the development of a sociological categorical apparatus, the establishment of patterns and the formulation of laws take place (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Structure sociological knowledge

Fundamental sociological theories emerged from social philosophy and psychology; they were based on observations, conclusions and generalizations of various aspects of social life, which provided information about the laws of human behavior common to all social structures.

Another level of sociological research - empirical sociology(from Greek. empeiria- experience) - a complex of sociological research focused on the collection and analysis of social data using methods, techniques, techniques of sociological research, the purpose of which is to collect and systematize information about the state of public life. It's quite independent scientific discipline which has other names. Corresponding to her academic discipline called "Methods and Techniques of Concrete Sociological Research". Empirical sociology is also called sociography, which emphasizes the descriptive nature of this discipline. This direction of sociology is considered closer to life than "high" theories.

And, finally, the level of private (branch) sociological theories. These theories are usually referred to as middle level theories. This term was introduced into scientific circulation by the famous American sociologist Robert Merton. Each of the "middle level theories" poses and solves sociological problems in relation to a certain element of the structure of society, a separate, relatively independent social phenomenon. Middle-range theories include:

· sociological concepts that are developed at the intersection of sciences,- sociology of law, medical sociology, economic sociology, sociology of management, etc.;

· sociological theories related to the study of certain areas of social life: agrarian sociology, urban sociology, sociology of reading, etc.

· various branches of institutional sociology- a special area related to the study of sustainable forms of organization and regulation of public life: the sociology of religion, the sociology of education, the sociology of marriage and the family.

Any scientific knowledge, including sociological, acts as a unity of two interrelated levels of knowledge - theory and empiricism, two types of research - theoretical and empirical.

Lecture II. METHODS OF SOCIOLOGY.
BASES OF SOCIOLOGICAL RESEARCH

What will we do with the received material:

If this material turned out to be useful for you, you can save it to your page on social networks:

tweet

All topics in this section:

Sociological view of society
With the term "sociology" each of us met repeatedly. V modern life she, as they say, is "on everyone's lips". Television, radio, newspapers report on the results of sociological surveys

Object and subject of sociology
In order to understand the features of sociology, the sociological approach to the study of society, it is necessary to isolate your own field of sociological research, as well as to define

Sociology in the system of sciences
For the most complete understanding of the subject of sociology, it is necessary to consider its connection with other social, natural and humanitarian sciences. Until recently independent

Levels of sociological analysis
Modern sociological science usually deals with two levels of sociological analysis of society: micro- and macrosociology. Microsociology is the study of social

General characteristics of the methods of sociology
Sociology, as an independent branch of scientific knowledge, uses a set of specific methods. All methods of sociology can be divided into theories

Stages and types of empirical sociological research
Sociological research is a system of logically consistent methodological, methodological and organizational-technical procedures, subordinated to a single goal:

Quantitative methods for collecting sociological information
Document analysis. Any sociological research usually begins with the analysis of documents. Any object specially created by a person or a group of people can be called a document.

Data analysis and interpretation methods
Sociological research is not only data collection. Its purpose is to give a scientifically sound interpretation of the facts studied. The collected primary material is unsuitable

Qualitative Strategies in Sociological Research
The methods of data collection described in the previous paragraph refer to the so-called "hard" methods. In this section, we consider the qualitative approach - as "another

The history of the formation and development of sociology
3.1. The study of the social sphere in antiquity and the Renaissance Since ancient times, man was interested not only in riddles and phenomena of the nature

Development of sociology in Russia
In the middle of the 19th century, Russian society faced the need for fundamental changes in the political and economic spheres. Reforms of the 60s - the abolition of serfdom, reforms of zemstvos and judicial

The concept of society
Society is the central category of sociology. Therefore, it must be distinguished from such phenomena as the population and the state. Society and population. Society distinguishes

The concept of culture
Culture is an extremely diverse concept. This scientific term appeared in Ancient Rome, where the word "cultura" meant the cultivation of the land, education, images

Values
Values ​​occupy a special place in culture. Many sociologists believe that it is values ​​that constitute the defining element of culture. Values ​​are commonly held beliefs about

Symbols and language
Like all living beings, humans perceive the world through the sense organs. They transform the elements of the world into symbols - everything that carries a special meaning recognized by people of one cult.

Types of culture
All social heritage can be viewed as a synthesis of material and non-material cultures. Non-material culture is always primary. In the game of hockey, for example, pads, puck, sticks and handicaps

Perception of culture by members of society
Each culture has its own unique behavior patterns that seem strange to representatives of other cultural entities. There is a well-known truth that for each person the earth's axis

Culture Dynamics
Culture does not stand still. Cultural change may include the invention and popularization of the automobile, the emergence of new words in our language, changes in the norms of correct behavior and morality, new

The concept of personality
In everyday and scientific language, the terms “man”, “individual”, “individuality”, “personality” are very common. Most often these words are used as synonyms, but if we approach their definition

Fundamentals of socialization
The main factors determining the process of personality formation, of course, are group experience and subjective, unique personal experience. These factors are fully manifested in the process of social

Phases of socialization and life cycle
The process of socialization covers all phases of the development of any human being, which are called life cycles. There are four such cycles: &

Types and agents of socialization
Every stage life cycle accompanied by mutually complementary processes: desocialization - the process of weaning from old norms, roles and rules of behavior, and resocial

Social status and social role
Socialization as a process of learning the generally accepted ways of acting and interacting is the most important process of learning role behavior, as a result of which the individual becomes a real part of

social stratification
6.1. Historical systems of social stratification For tens of thousands of years, people lived in small communities of hunters and gatherers. Although the members of these groups choose

Criteria of social stratification
In modern Western sociology, Marxism is opposed by the theory of social stratification. Classification or stratification? Stratification theorists argue that

Social mobility and marginality
In a stratification system, individuals or groups can move from one level (layer) to another. This process was called social mobility by P. Sorokin. social inequality

Poverty and Inequality
Social stratification is closely related to the concept of inequality, as well as the opposing wealth and poverty. Social inequality is a system emerging in society from

General characteristics of social communities and groups
An individual or a social group acts as elements of any social system. Thanks to social relations (social ties), individuals are united in certain stable associations.

Mass communities
Mass communities have the following, inherent to them, General characteristics: ü these are unorganized, randomly, spontaneously arisen aggregates; ü exist

social movements
Social movements are a fairly organized community of people who set themselves a specific goal, usually associated with some kind of social change.

Social groups
The main form of social communities are social groups. Sociologists refer to a group of two or more individuals who share common views and are related to each other in relatively stable environments.

Socio-psychological characteristics of small groups
The sociological direction in the study of small groups is associated with a tradition that was established in the Hawthorne experiment by George E. Mayo (1880 - 1949). Their essence was

Target communities (social organizations)
In everyday practice, the concept of "organization" is often used, and the most varied content is invested in it. Leading researcher in the field of problems of social organizations

Types of social connections
It is obvious that a person, in order to satisfy his needs, must interact with other individuals, enter social groups, participate in joint activities. In all episodes

Forms of social connections
So, the concept of social interaction is central in sociology due to the fact that a number of sociological theories have arisen that develop and interpret its various problems and aspects.

Social relations are the main element of social connection, which contributes to the stability and internal unity of groups. The practice of consolidating relationships aimed at satisfaction

G. Spencer was one of the first who drew attention to the problem of the institutionalization of society and stimulated interest in institutions in sociological thought. As part of his "organism theory"

In any type of society, virtually every member comes from a family, and in any society, the vast majority of adults are or have been married. Family is a social

Religion can be characterized as a social institution, the specificity and meaning of the functioning of which are determined by the society's need for the sacred. As Émile Durkheim points out, religion is based on

The concept of deviation in sociology
The word "deviation" is literally translated from the late Latin deviatio as a deviation. This term is also common in other sciences such as physics and biology. He came to sociology comparatively

General characteristics of social deviations
Let's try to classify the most common social deviations and give them a brief description. Individual and group deviations. If we are faced with

By R. Keven
Behavior that is fully approved and rewarded by society falls into zones C, D, E. They correspond to conscious, or law-abiding,

Delinquent and criminal behavior
Delinquent behavior (from the Latin delinquens - committing a misdemeanor) is understood as offenses that are not punishable from the point of view of the Criminal Code, but are more often regarded as

Social effects of deviation
Deviation can have both negative and positive or integration consequences for social life. Deviation dysfunctions. Most of the members of the society for the entire St.

Sociological theories of deviation
Why do people violate social norms? Why are certain actions characterized as deviant? Sociologists are interested in these questions. Other sciences also deal with the problem of deviant

Social control and social sanctions
At all times, society has tried to suppress the manifestations of deviant behavior through social sanctions and control. To determine the essence of social control, it is useful to consider ways to control it.

Approaches to the study of social change
The study of social change is one of the main areas of theoretical sociology. Science itself originated in the 19th century. as an attempt to realize the fundamental transition from the traditional

The evolution of the idea of ​​progress
The desire for progress is one that we take for granted because it is widespread and its essence seems clear. The idea of ​​progress (from lat. progressus -

Globalization of human society
Among the historical trends, especially characteristic of the modern era, is the trend towards globalization. There are different points of view regarding the essence of globalization. In some

Agents of Social Change
Social changes, including large-scale historical transformations, do not occur stochastically, are not predetermined by conduct. They are the result of the actions of a number of forces - agents of social

Structure of sociological knowledge – not just a collection of information, ideas and scientific concepts about social phenomena and processes. This is a certain ordering of knowledge about society as a dynamically functioning and developing social system. It appears as a system of interrelated ideas, concepts, views, ideals, theories about social processes. different levels, whether it is the life of individuals, social groups, society as a whole.

The components of the structure of sociological knowledge are:

knowledge of the social composition of the population of the country and the social structure of society . It's about about classes, large and small social, professional and demographic groups, their place and interactions in the system of economic, social and political relations, as well as about nations, nationalities, other ethnic groups and their relations with each other;

· scientific ideas, theories related to the so-called political sociology. Here the sociologist's attention is directed to understanding the real position of various social groups in society in the system of political relations and, above all, in the system of relations of power;

scientific ideas and conclusions of sociologists about the activities of existing in society social institutions such as the state, law, church, science, culture, institutions of marriage, family, etc.

In the structure of sociological knowledge, separate levels can be distinguished, based on the scale reflected in sociological views and theories of social phenomena. We are talking about the levels of sociological knowledge. In determining these levels, the ideas of R. Merton, an outstanding American sociologist, who combined empirical and theoretical research in his scientific work, played a significant role.

1. In some cases, empiricism prevails, and theoretical ideas appear only in the formulation of problems of empirical research, its hypotheses, in the systematization of new facts, etc. This is the level of empirical sociological (or concrete sociological) research, the main scientific goal of which is the extraction of specific facts, their description, classification, interpretation.

2. In another case, relying on various specific sociological studies of a particular social institution, social phenomenon (education or religion, politics or culture), the sociologist sets the task of theoretically comprehending this social subsystem, understanding its internal and external connections and dependencies. These are sociological theories of the middle level which play a special role in modern sociological science.

Sociological theories of the middle level are diverse.

In fact, all more or less significant social subsystems are described by the corresponding sociological theory. The sociology of the family, the sociology of work, the sociology of religion, the sociology of education are some of them.

In sociological theories of the middle level, an effective interaction of theoretical and empirical methods is established. They are closely connected both with concrete sociological research and with all-encompassing theoretical constructions.

3. The latter form the highest level of sociological knowledge – general sociological theories , exploring society as a single system, the interaction of its main organs. They actually border on socio-philosophical doctrines. The special significance of these theories is that they determine:

a) the general approach of a sociological researcher to the study and understanding of social phenomena;

b) direction of scientific research;

c) interpretation of empirical facts.

In other words, they permeate with a single theoretical vision both empirical research and analysis of social phenomena at the level of middle-level theory. This is achieved due to the fact that it is within the framework of general sociological doctrines that the theoretical model of social life as an integrity is described.

In modern sociology, there are several approaches that try to give a holistic description of social life. They are divided into two main groups: macrosociological and microsociological theories . Both those and others are trying to explain social life, but from fundamentally different positions.

Macrosociological theories proceed from the fact that only by understanding society as a whole, one can understand the individual. The macro-level of social life appears in these theories as decisive, determining. Among the leading macro sociological doctrines are functionalism (H. Spencer, E. Durkheim, T. Parsons, R. Merton, and others) and conflict theory (K. Marx, R. Dahrendorf, and others).

As for microsociological doctrines (exchange theory, symbolic interactionism, ethnomethodology), their focus is on everyday interpersonal interaction - interaction. Adherents of microsociological theories defend the idea that it is everyday interaction at the interpersonal level that is the fundamental basis of social life. The unity of theory and empiricism in general sociological theories is complex and predominantly mediated. We are talking, first of all, about the wide use by these theories of the main conclusions, provisions, in particular, theories of the middle level, which, in turn, are based on a broad empirical basis.

So, modern sociology is a multi-level complex of theories, types of knowledge that are closely interconnected with each other and form a single integrity - modern sociological science.

Term "function" in sociology means:

The value of an element of the system in relation to it as to integrity;

Dependence, in which changes in one part of the system depend on changes in another part or on changes in the whole system.

Functions of sociology: 1) cognitive; 2) prognostic; 3) managerial; 4) worldview; 5) instrumental.

cognitive function is aimed at the theoretical and empirical study of interrelated social facts. The cognitive function includes a number of others, which together represent a complex of knowledge about the problem.

The last function determines the role of sociology in the system of sciences.

predictive function associated with social modeling and social planning. Worldview function associated with the evaluative activity of a person, helps to develop his orientation in society, to form an attitude towards others. instrumental function- a separate and independent function aimed at developing methods for searching, processing, analyzing, generalizing primary sociological information.

social modeling allows you to create a model of the flow of social processes, group and generalize social material. social planning provides not just a forecast, but a targeted policy to achieve the goal. Thus, sociology begins to fulfill organizational and managerial function.

Another of the most important features is development of ways and methods of studying and analysis of the accumulated material, which are actively used by other social sciences. Sociology not only develops, but also supplements the already existing ways and methods of information processing.

4. Structure of sociological knowledge, levels of knowledge and branches of sociology

Sociology as a science has a multifaceted and multipurpose purpose. One can imagine the structure and levels of social knowledge in different ways. The most common way is to divide sociology into fundamental and applied. At a fundamental level there is a development of the theoretical base of sociology, the relationship with other sciences is carried out. Main methods: modeling; abstraction. Fundamental theories create a general sociological level of social knowledge.

Applied sociology aimed at the study of specific social facts. In the course of the study, a set of information is formed that is subjected to primary processing. The main methods are: observation; survey methods; ascending from the concrete to the abstract. The material and the primary results of its processing form the applied level of knowledge in sociology. Contradictions arise between the fundamental and applied levels of knowledge.

By level of research distinguish macrosociology(reveals patterns of global social development changes) and microsociology(explores specific social phenomena)

The structure of sociological knowledge can also be represented as a ratio of the general and sectoral in sociology. Then the structure of sociology is determined by branch areas of knowledge (sociology of labor, economic sociology, history of sociology, etc.).

The structure of sociology can be represented as a system of knowledge. The first level is all theories and theoretical foundations of knowledge; the second level is the way of acquiring knowledge, the methodological basis of sociology. Separate level social knowledge - metasociology. Metasociology, unlike sociology, does not study society, but sociology itself as a science. Metasociology, thus, has sociology itself as a science, sociological knowledge, the theory of social structure as the subject of research.

The internal structure of sociology
Sociology is subdivided into many research areas - areas of interest for sociologists, such as the study of juvenile delinquency. A domain is formed when a particular problem in sociology is viewed from a specific sociological perspective, such as interactionism.
The intradisciplinary matrix of sociology is understood as a set of sectoral areas of sociology, thematic areas and spheres that emerged in the process of differentiation of sociological knowledge and today represent a complexly branched system. For example, within the framework of sociology in the 20th century, such branches as the sociology of labor and the sociology of the city, the sociology of culture and the sociology of religion stood out. The first attempt to classify regions belongs to O. Comte. He divided sociology into "social statics" and "social dynamics". This classification held for quite a long time.
The next stage is associated with the emergence of sociology as an academic discipline in America. The principle of the new classification is the branching of sociology into many subject areas. The idea of ​​identifying and researching areas in sociology belongs to E. Durkheim, when he was the publisher - editor of the largest journal. In the next volume of the Sociological Yearbook for 1902, Durkheim and the editorial board presented a classification of publications in sociology. The following subdivisions of general sociology have been identified: the sociology of religion, legal and moral sociology, criminal sociology and moral statistics, economic sociology, social morphology, aesthetic sociology, technology, language and war.
The emergence of new problems and new areas of research is the result of the growth of theory and method. The problems of immigration to the United States, and then of black minorities, influenced the formation of two new areas - the study of race and ethical relations - more than the development of the theory itself - the theory of culture and intergroup relations.
The process of specialization leads to the complication of the internal structure of sociological knowledge. Within itself, each specialty was subdivided into a number of subspecialties. Thus, within the social structure (the morphology of society), specialization in social stratification and social mobility. New fields have emerged that specialize in social institutions: economics and society, political sociology, industrial sociology, the sociology of education, religion, medicine, law, leisure and sports, science, culture, mass communications, and public opinion. Within the framework of the sociology of culture, there are now independent areas such as the sociology of cinema, the sociology of theater, the sociology of mass (popular) culture, and the sociology of reading. Within the framework of economic sociology, one should distinguish between the sociology of labor, the sociology of employment and unemployment, the sociology of the market, the sociology of banks, the sociology of management, and the sociology of organizations.
Empirical and theoretical components of sociological knowledge
As we found out, the intradisciplinary matrix of sociology is a set of branches that cover the entire thematic field studied by sociological science. The intradisciplinary matrix of sociology consists of the following initial elements.
Empirical Research - fundamental research carried out in accordance with the requirements scientific method and aimed at confirming a private theory. The main goal is the increment of scientific knowledge, the discovery of new patterns and the discovery of unknown social trends. It takes 3 to 10 years to prepare an empirical study. A large team is working on its organization. It is carried out only by academic sociologists. Example: cross-country, national, regional studies, etc. The basis of empirical research is to obtain representative (reliable and representative) information.
Applied research - operational research carried out at one object (enterprise, bank, village) in a short time with the aim of social diagnostics situations, explanations of a particular phenomenon (process) and preparation of practical recommendations. Example: reduction of personnel workers at the enterprise, increasing the motivation of managers. To solve such a problem, a sociologist must draw on some particular theories, a limited range of empirical data, effective technologies and methods, and then apply all this to a specific object. This is the meaning of applied research - the application of fundamental science to practical problems. Applied research does not aim to increase new knowledge, discover new theories, it uses already known knowledge, formalized in the so-called standard methods, that is, social technologies. The GOL (Group Personality Assessment) methodology used to assess the personal and business qualities of employees is an example of social technologies that are applied to dozens and hundreds of the same type of objects, and is a commercial product that has a certain price.
The structure of sociology according to the level of direct use of knowledge: fundamental theoretical and applied empirical science. Fundamental theoretical sociology answers the questions of what is known (the definition of an object, the subject of science) and how it is known (the main methods of sociology). It includes theories of the general sociological level.
Applied sociology studies and proposes ways of influencing social reality, social communities. It gives an idea of ​​the real processes community development, is engaged in forecasting, designing, forming social policy, developing recommendations for the practice of social management.
Theoretical sociology involves the acquisition of new knowledge, description, explanation, understanding of processes social development: development of a conceptual sociological model of research; knowledge of social reality; transformation of social reality. Within the framework of theoretical sociology, there are various social and private sociological theories.
Applied sociology provides for finding means for the implementation of socially significant goals, the practical implementation of theoretical sociology; implementation of social management, implementation of methods of social planning and forecasting.
The intradisciplinary matrix can be represented as a divergent “knowledge tree” (Fig. 1.3).
The structure of the sociological system of knowledge

The birth of new industries is very rarely dictated by the needs of science itself. Much more often, the incentive is a society in which certain social problems come to the fore at different periods. V Soviet time labor topics were in the lead and the sociology of labor received the most active development, and in the 90s, due to the growth of the property stratification of society, the decline in the material well-being of the population, the problems of poverty and inequality (included in the thematic direction "social structure and stratification") which were never spoken under socialism.
Sociological structure - a reflection of social development
Between the level and complexity of social knowledge, the level and complexity of the development of society, there is not only a close connection, but also a direct correspondence. Sociology can be considered an objective mirror of the structure and dynamics of society. American sociology, number of branches and degree of development scientific issues, reflect the level of advancement of American society on the path of technical and social progress. The same can be said about Russian and any other national sociology.
If we compare the structure of the US and Russia, we will see not only similarities, but also serious differences. This is because Russia and the United States are at different historical stages of development and belong to different types of society. One of the indicators of the level of development of the country is the ratio of urban and rural population. In the first half of the 20th century, the countries of Western Europe and the USA were countries with a predominance of the urban population, and Russia remained an agrarian country, so the former moved into the industrial stage, and Russia was in the pre-industrial phase. Movement, lag or transition to a new phase is accompanied by a change in the spectrum of those social topics that are studied by sociological science in a particular country. The problems of the working class, urban crime, poverty and poverty were studied by European sociologists in the middle and end of the 19th century, in the USA - at the beginning of the 20th century. (Chicago school), in Russia - in the middle of the XX century. (sociology of the working class) and at the end of the 20th century. (crime, poverty and misery). If in the USSR in the 70-80s the sociology of labor (industrial sociology) was an active branch, then in the USA and Western Europe this industry has already faded into the background, because these countries have moved into the post-industrial phase. At the beginning of the 21st century, economic sociology is actively asserting itself in Russia, and today it is the leading branch. Along with it, the sociology of management and organizations, the sociology of social inequality is popular.
Functions of sociology
The number and list of branches of national sociology, the level of their development and the time of their appearance reflect the movement of a given country along the path of technical and social progress. Developing in various directions, investigating problems relevant to society, sociological science realizes the most important functions. These functions are divided into two large groups: theoretical and applied. The first includes cognitive, instrumental and organizational-technological functions that solve the problems of developing a theory and methodology for studying social reality. To the second - prognostic, managerial and social design, contributing to the adoption of new decisions and substantiation of the prospects for the development of society. The specific content of the activities of sociologists within the framework of these functions is presented in Figure 1.4.

Modern sociology, as a science of the social patterns of the development of society, performs fairly broad functions that express the diversity of sociology's links with the life of society and its social purpose.
1. Cognitive function.
Sociology studies and explains the patterns of social development at various levels of the social system. The implementation of the cognitive function also includes the development of the theory and methods of sociological research, techniques for collecting and processing sociological information.
2. Predictive function.
Based on the knowledge of the laws of social development, sociology is able to build short-, medium- and long-term forecasts in the field of demography, social structures, urbanization, living standards, election campaigns, etc. Such forecasts are the basis for developing recommendations for the practice of political and social management.
Sociology contributes to the determination of possible ways and options for the development of processes and phenomena, as well as the timing and consequences. Sociological foresight relies on scientific analysis social situation and with a sufficiently high degree of accuracy can predict the state of the phenomenon in the future.
3. The function of social design.
The task of social design includes the development of optimal models not only for the organization of various social communities, for example, a work collective, a new enterprise, a new city, political party or movement, but also management to achieve goals. In countries with developed civil society most of professionally trained sociologists is engaged in just such work.
4. Socio-technological function.
It includes a two-pronged task:
. creation of social development services at enterprises. These services find out the causes of staff turnover, study the socio-psychological situation in labor collectives, contribute to the formation of primary teams, participate in the management of social conflicts, etc.;
. social invention within the framework of social engineering, when, on the basis of studying the patterns of functioning of a certain psychological situation in a social community, sociologists offer optimal ways of organizing it (youth housing cooperatives, family-type orphanages, student construction teams, etc.).
5. Managerial function.
Without sociological training and sociological knowledge, it is practically impossible to engage in management in modern conditions. For example, it makes no sense to start any change in the mode of work of the work collective without analyzing undesirable social consequences, otherwise the scheme works: they wanted the best, but it turned out as always.
In countries with a developed civil society, many enterprises have special human relations services. During the period of reforms, there was a need for a new type of specialists: social workers, managers of the social sphere.

Modern sociology is a branched system of knowledge at different levels and includes:

General sociological theories;

Special (private) sociological theories (or theories of the middle level);

Branch sociological theories (such as economic, political, legal, etc. sociology) are aimed at sociological understanding of the corresponding manifestations of the existence of society. They apply the conceptual, categorical and methodological apparatus of sociological science, directing it into an interdisciplinary channel. Thus, not only interaction with related socio-humanitarian disciplines is carried out, but also a multidimensional vision of society as an integral phenomenon is created. Acting as a specialized use of the "optics" of sociological science, sectoral sociologists mediate the relationship of general and social theories with empirical sociology;

empirical sociology.

First level includes theories of the highest level of generalization, explaining phenomena and processes that are important for all areas of social relations. Second level special (private) sociological theories (or theories of the middle level) generalize and structure empirical data within certain areas of society (family, education, politics, economics, the army, etc.).

Special sociological theories can be divided into various groups:

1) theories of social institutions (sociology of religion, education, family);
2) theories of social communities (ethnosociology, sociology of the electorate, sociology of youth);
3) the theory of specialized areas of activity (labor, sports, leisure, management);
4) theories of social processes (the theory of social exchange, interactions, sociology of social changes);
5) theories of social phenomena (sociology of public opinion, gender sociology).
6) J. Ritzer highlights in sociological analysis four levels: macro-objective, macro-subjective, micro-objective and micro-subjective.

The sectoral structure of sociology is determined by the thematic areas and areas of research that emerged in the process of differentiation of sociological knowledge. Branches of sociology are formed in the presence of: a) close topics, b) common theoretical guidelines, c) unity of methodology and similarity of methodological tools. To date, sociology is represented by dozens of branches, such as economic, political sociology, sociology of labor, cities, culture, religion, education, etc. At the same time, individual branches of sociology are also divided into subdisciplines. So, within the framework of the sociology of culture, the sociology of cinema, theater, reading, and mass culture stands out. Economic sociology includes the sociology of labor, the sociology of employment, the sociology of banks, management, etc.

Along with the four levels distinguish macro- and microsociology. Researchers working in the field macrosociology, focus on the relationship between the main elements of the social system. They work with the concepts of culture, social institutions, social systems, structures, society. Microsociological concepts focus on individuals, behavioral acts. Microsociologists use the concepts of social behavior, interactions, motives, etc.