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Sociology is now taught and studied in all continents of the world.  Examples from 48 countries in the world have been collected at McMaster University.

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Sociology was taught by that name for the first time at the University of Kansas in 1890 by Frank Blackmar, under the course title Elements of Sociology, where it remains the oldest continuing sociology course in the United States. The first academic department of sociology was established in 1892 at the University of Chicago by Albion W. Small, who in 1895 founded the American Journal of Sociology.

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Sociologists study all things human, from the interactions between two people to the complex relationships between nations or multinational corporations.  While sociology assumes that human actions are patterned, individuals still have room for choices.  Becoming aware of the social processes that influence the way humans think, feel, and behave plus having the will to act can help individuals to shape the social forces they face.

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Sociologists believe that our social surroundings influence thought and action.  For example, the rise of the social sciences developed in response to social changes.  In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, Europeans were exploring the world and voyagers returned from Asia, the Americas, Africa, and the South Seas with amazing stories of other societies and civilizations.  Widely different social practices challenged the view that European life reflected the natural order of God.

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First and foremost, the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society. This includes patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture.  The term sociology was first used by Frenchman Auguste Compte in the 1830s when he proposed a synthetic science uniting all knowledge about human activity. In the academic world, sociology is  considered one of the social sciences.