Courses tend to emphasize the relationship between the qualitative and the quantitative, between theoretical and applied practice, and the complexities of social relations rather than relying on simplistic interpretations, while encouraging student research in diverse areas. Through reading, writing, and discussion, students are encouraged to develop a multidimensional and nuanced understanding of social forces. Many students in sociology have enriched their theoretical and empirical work by linking it thematically with study in other disciplines?and through fieldwork.