Introduction to Sociology
One of the most common questions my students have is "What is sociology?" The short answer is - "Studying people's behavior and asking, 'Why is it that way?'" For a more in-depth answer I think this wiki article does well. What is Sociology?
Another common question is "Who takes sociology?" This quote by sociologist Peter Berger explains:
People who like to avoid shocking discoveries, who prefer to believe that society is just what they were taught in Sunday school, who like the safety of the rules and the maxims of what Alfred Schutz has called "the world taken for granted," should stay away from Sociology. People who feel no temptation before closed doors, who have no curiosity about human beings, who are content to admire scenery without wondering about the people who live in those houses on the other side of the river, should probably stay away from Sociology. They will find it unpleasant, or at any rate, unrewarding. People who are interested in human beings only if they can change, convert, or reform them should also be warned, for they will find sociology much less useful than they hoped. And people whose interest is mainly in their own conceptual constructions will do just as well to turn to the study of little white mice. Sociology will be satisfying, in the long run, only to those people who can think of nothing more entrancing than to watch people and to understand things human.
A third question I get regularly is "What can I do with a degree in Sociology?" The American Sociological Association offers this resource What can I do with a degree in Sociology?; and Allyn, Bacon, and Longman Publishers offer and online book resource Careers in Sociology.
And finally, I am frequently asked "Why major in sociology?"
Some links to Sociological resources:
Michael C. Kearls' Tour Through Cyberspace
Social Science Information Gateway