If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me what sociology is, I'd have enough money to compensate for the lack of money I will actually make in the field... OK, this isn't entirely true.

I entered college thinking I would apply to business school or an organizational studies program, or I would major in Art History. I genuinely had no idea.

In the winter term of my freshman year, I took a sociology class — SOC 102, a course that addressed Globalization, whatever that meant. My dad studied sociology and anthropology in college, and ended up going into business and law. I figured I had nothing to lose.

Turns out, I absolutely loved the class. A big part of it had to do with the methodical teaching style of the professor, whom I adored, but I was also fascinated by the material.

Without going too far into that first class, I should explain, globalization refers to the interconnectedness of the world through technological, cultural and economic means. Topics discussed in the course were the proliferation, assimilation and customization of McDonalds in China; cultural capital, which refers to mannerisms, education and proper speaking skills, among other assets that are obtained as a result of exposure to wealth; immigration processes, astronaut families and practices such as female genital mutilation; and increasing transportation and communication.

I was hooked: I got to learn about the world through, very literally, the lens of society.

But wait ... what is sociology again?

The best way I can define it is the study of society. I know what you're thinking ... that's a terrible response. I'll try again.

Whereas in psychology, there is a belief that all actions and behaviors can be reduced to the level of the individual, sociology teaches us that characteristics arise at the societal level — consider entities like religion and language — that cannot be attributed to any one person. Consider a water molecule after Hydrogen and Oxygen atoms have come together to form it; it consists of properties that neither Hydrogen nor Oxygen contain — such is the sociological view of society.

With this idea as a baseline, there are a couple other important components to sociology.

The first has to do with theory. Thinkers like John Locke, Emile Durkheim and Michel Foucault are crucial to foundations of sociology in that they put forth conceptual structures for society.

Durkheim is the most prevalent, I would aruge. He is considered the Father of Sociology, because it was he who first put forth the notion that, like a water molecule, people have distinct characteristics that arise only when they're tossed in a crowd with other people. Examples are "collective representations" — beliefs like myths, religions and language, as well as "social currents," which essentially refers to public opinion.

Foucault, in a different vein, discussed the prevalence power: he explained power pemerates society. It is not exercised by one person, but rather put forth through institutions like schools, organizations and prisons, among others. He explained there is no need for one group to dominate another, becauser power is not possesed: it is exercised.

To elaborate, Foucault explains a societal mechanism called a panoptican — a metaphoric structure that could be situated, perhaps, in the center of a prison. There may be a guard or two in the panoptican who can keep an eye on the surrounding prisoners to make sure they aren't acting out; but, the purpose of the panoptican structure is to keep everyone on their best behavior. The guards cannot be watching over each and every prisoner at all times, so the prisoners must take it upon themselves to recognize that they could be watched at any time, and so they need to act appropriately.

In short, sociology points to institutional mechanisms that govern how society functions.

Another important component of sociology is research. Sociology majors at my school are required to take a course on research methods. The class teaches how to conduct real-world experiments; how to observe social places, such as hospitals, neighborhoods and classrooms; how to write survey questions and conduct effective interviews; and how to analyze research data.

Elizabeth Armstrong, a well-known sociologist based at the University of Michigan, conducted a research project, which was turned into a book, titled "Paying for the Party," in which she examines how social stratification is mantained in a college setting.

There are thousands of research initiatives like this in the field of sociology, and they overlap — that is crucial! This work overlaps with political science, law, women's studies, economics and a variety of other fields. It is pivotal to the understanding of history and that of current events.

When I think of sociology myself, I think of it as a way of figuring "stuff" out. We live in a complex world hazed by fake news, biases and a constant stream of information through media, social networks and other forms of technology.

I would argue sociology provides a unique lens through which to view society and its thoughts.

I hope that's a good explanation.