Sociology is the study of human behavior and group life. As a science, it examines how human experience is shaped by broader social forces, including cultural norms, social inequalities, and the structure of society as a whole. Sociologists develop and employ a wide array of theoretical perspectives and research methods in an effort to understand, generalize, and predict social behavior and experience. Specifically, sociologists examine how social order is maintained, the origins of social conflict and social change, and the cultural assignment of meaning to objects, relationships, and events in everyday life.