Sociology is the study of how society is organized and how we experience life. It has been taught in British universities since the very beginning of the twentieth century, first at the London School of Economics and soon after at Liverpool University. These and other pioneering departments did groundbreaking research in major social issues such as poverty and crime.

Sociology today is one of the most popular subjects. Many sociological ideas, such as 'moral panic' and charisma, are now in everyday use. But the questions sociology asks have lost none of their challenge and excitement. Some of them are so important that we are still grappling with them in new ways.

It was the sociology of deviance that proposed the startling idea that some forms of punishment make it more likely that people will commit further offences. Once branded a criminal, they argued, it is very difficult to remake a successful life within the law. This is exactly the point made by opponents of Anti-Social Behaviour Orders.

Do you wonder what fuels our apparent fixation with celebrity? Is it just gossip in a modern form? Is it that it provides endless, easily obtained content for our multiplying TV channels, newspaper pages and magazines? Could it be both? Or even something much more profound about the class system of modern Britain? You may be already thinking 'But class doesn't mean anything any more'. Are you sure? Why is the number of years you can expect to live still associated with your occupation? What about the way that your gender, religion, and ethnic background open up or close down opportunities in your life? What kinds of spiritual faith do people have in Britain today? And how far do the media affect how personal lifestyle choices are viewed by wider society?

Sociology is not just about Britain. It also deals with global issues like the environment, migration and 'globalization' itself. How do these social changes affect people at every level of their social life? Is it possible to be a true citizen of Europe or must you be British or French or Polish? What if your parents came from Trinidad, Bangladesh or Wales? Which comes first? Or are there other ways to look at identity? How important is the job that you do for your sense of self and your future? Are national governments able to ensure that most people have a job and will be supported with health and social care when they need it? Or are most government policies made with the demands of vast transnational corporations in mind?

These are vital questions. If you become a sociology student you will not be provided with quick answers. What you will discover is how to think about these issues for yourself: what are the questions behind the questions? Generations of students have found that sociology makes them look at the world in new ways and this is why so many of us who teach it feel passionately about it - and why it is still pioneering after more than a hundred years