The Sociological Perspective

Sociology

the study of how people live together and how their lives are structured by social institutions, culture, and history

society

A community of people who share a culture, territory, and history

social forces

the power of society, groups, and individuals to influence human behavior

fundamental assumptions of sociology

Humans are by their nature social beings, social determined, and also exercise agency.

social structure

the shape of societies and institutions and how they maintain that form -- the status quo -- and create social order

agency

Individuals' freedom to act on their own choices -- sometimes called free will, though it is not free or unlimited.

chance

probability of benefiting or suffering because of the social structure and social context

What birthed sociology?

Industrial Revolution

macro-sociology

the level of analysis that studies large-scale social structures in order to determine how they affect the lives of groups and individuals

micro-sociology

the study of human behavior in contexts of face-to-face interaction.

functionalism

a major theoretical perspective that views society as a system of interrelated parts, and each part is closely connected to the other whereby a change in one part of the system with change other parts of the system

conflict theory

a theoretical perspective that views society as a competition for scarce resources, and once a group gains power, it tries to maintain it

symbolic interactionism

a theoretical perspective that views society as being composed of symbols that people use to establish meaning, develop their views of the world, and communicate with one another

Auguste Comte

the founding sociologist that coined the name for the discipline -- sociology

Emile Durkheim

the founding sociologist who was the first professor of sociology and published an influential book on suicide linking the cause to the lack of social bonds in capitalistic societies

Karl Marx

a founding sociologist who saw economics as the central force behind change in society and class conflicts as the engine of human history, focused on how capitalism created the conflicts between the powerful and the powerless

Max Weber

a founding sociologist who promoted understanding human behavior by putting oneself in another's place -- verstehen (German); also emphasized that cultural, political, and religious factors as key influences on economic development and individual behavior