Sociology is the study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and culture that surrounds everyday life. It is a social science that uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about social order and social change. It is the study of the collective behavior, development, structure and functioning of social institutions and organized groups. Courses in this discipline offer useful skills in topics such as group behavior, cross-cultural relations and ethical issues. Sociology can be divided into two branches- General Sociology and special sociology. General sociology studies the properties and uniformities common to all social and cultural phenomena in their structural and dynamic aspects. A concept is an idea that helps us to organize our thoughts and perceptions, or make sense of what we observe. In sociology the concepts social structure, social action, functional integration, power, and culture are basic.