Sociology is distinct from other academic disciplines in its attempt to

Identify ways in which different societies handle or respond to similar phenomena.

Sociology is simply the study of society and how various social institutes such as: education, religion, employment, family, etc. function. A sociologist would be in investigating a topic such as: "The difference between female employment rates in developed vs. developing countries". This example involves investigating the same social phenomenon (female employment) in two different kinds of societies.