In this course, we will look at human behavior through the lens of sociology. Humans are social animals and are profoundly influenced by the social groups to which they belong. These groups include the family one is born into, one’s gender, race and ethnicity, and the neighborhood, city, region, and country in which one lives. They also include religious and political affiliations and one’s economic and social position within the society in which one lives. As humans participate in each of the groups to which they belong, their behavior, beliefs, and even those things they come to define as “normal” or “real” are shaped by their interactions with other group members.