<P> Political sociology has also moved beyond methodological nationalism and analysed the role of non-governmental organizations, the diffusion of the nation - state throughout the Earth as a social construct, and the role of stateless entities in the modern world society . Contemporary political sociologists also study inter-state interactions and human rights . </P> <P> Demographers or sociologists of population study the size, composition and change over time of a given population . Demographers study how these characteristics impact, or are impacted by, various social, economic or political systems . The study of population is also closely related to human ecology and environmental sociology, which studies a populations relationship with the surrounding environment and often overlaps with urban or rural sociology . Researchers in this field may study the movement of populations: transportation, migrations, diaspora, etc., which falls into the subfield known as Mobilities studies and is closely related to human geography . Demographers may also study spread of disease within a given population or epidemiology . </P> <P> Public sociology refers to an approach to the discipline which seeks to transcend the academy in order to engage with wider audiences . It is perhaps best understood as a style of sociology rather than a particular method, theory, or set of political values . This approach is primarily associated with Michael Burawoy who contrasted it with professional sociology, a form of academic sociology that is concerned primarily with addressing other professional sociologists . Public sociology is also part of the broader field of science communication or science journalism . In a distinct but similar vein, applied sociology, also known as clinical sociology, policy sociology or sociological practice, applies knowledge derived from sociological research to solve societal problems . </P> <P> The sociology of race and of ethnic relations is the area of the discipline that studies the social, political, and economic relations between races and ethnicities at all levels of society . This area encompasses the study of racism, residential segregation, and other complex social processes between different racial and ethnic groups . This research frequently interacts with other areas of sociology such as stratification and social psychology, as well as with postcolonial theory . At the level of political policy, ethnic relations are discussed in terms of either assimilationism or multiculturalism . Anti-racism forms another style of policy, particularly popular in the 1960s and 70s . </P>

Who said sociology is the scientific study of society