Week 3: Sociology

Sociology

It comes from a latin and a greek word, socious and logos. denotes to the study of relationships.

Socious

Latin word which means companionship

Logos

Greek word which means study

Max Weber

‘‘Sociology is the study of Social Action’’ according to?

Auguste Comte

‘‘Sociology is the scientific study of society’’ according to?

Robert Park & Ernest Burgees

‘‘Sociology is the study of collective behaviour’’ according to who?

Ferdinand Tonnies

‘‘Sociology is the study of Humans Living together’’ according to which thinker?

Emile Durkheim

‘‘Sociology is the study of social facts through social institutions’’ - according to who?

Auguste Comte

He is regarded as the father of sociology.

Auguste Comte

He proposed that for society to improve, scientific thinking must be employed

August Comte

He is a splendid student in his youth but because of his different perspective and believes, he was removed from Ecole Polytechnique.

Auguste Comte

He needed to utilize scientific perception to think about social conduct. He called this positivism. This ought to be a science of learning of which we can be ‘‘certain’’ or beyond any doubt. He likewise recognized concentration on social dependability and investigation of social change for social progress.

Positivism

This ought to be a science of learning of which we can be ‘‘certain’’ or beyond any doubt.

Harriet Martineau (1802 - 1876)

She is one of the first thinkers who advocated feminism a movement to empower women and be treated as equal to men.

Feminism

It is a movement to empower women and be treated as equal to men.

Harriet Martineau (1802 - 1876)

She saw the connection of slavery and women oppression. She is known for translating many of the works and writings of Comte.

Harriet Martineau (1802 - 1876)

She introduced different ideas about research methodologies and economics in politics.

Herbert Spencer

He made a comparison to a working to that of the human body. In order to function effectively, different parts should be in tune and work together for well-being and survival.

Herbert Spencer

He is also known for his idea of Social Darwinism which was patterned after Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution.

Herbert Spencer

He thought that evolutionary social change would lead to progress as long as there is no human interference which is based on the idea of ‘‘survival of the fittest’’

Herbert Spencer

He is against social reform. He said that poor are poor because they deserved it and the rich are rich because they deserved it.

Karl Marx

He looked into class struggle in society. He looked at two groups of people in the society. The bourgeosie or the rich & and the proletariat or the workers.

Karl Marx

He had the idea about class conflict in which that different interests of these different groups leads to constant class conflict.

Karl Marx

He stated that: the working class would eventually rise up against the rich and overtake the capitalists. His proposal was to create a classless society where no one would be powerless.

Emile Durkheim

He is a famous thinker that said that society exists due to expansive agreement. individuals from society consent to specific desires. In premodern circumstances, agreement of qualities and convictions encompassed family, convention. This relationship is called mechanical solidarity.

Mechanical solidarity.

In premodern circumstances, agreement of qualities and convictions encompassed family and convention. This relationship is called _______. The different roles played by individuals in society displays interdependence on each other for products and services.

Emile Durkheim

He also presented the use of statistical research methods. The research styles he developed

• involve techniques to validate theories,

• substitute assumptions with scrutiny,

• gather and organize data and use that data for analyzing social theory

The Sociological perspective

Sociologists dissect social wonders at various levels and from alternate points of view. From solid understandings to enlightening speculations of society and social conduct. Sociologists think about everything from particular occassions, from the minute level to the macro scale level to interpret human interactions.

Some European sociologists offered an expansive conceptualization of the essentials of society and its workings. Their perspectives shape the reason for the present hypothetical points of view, or standards, which lead sociologists to a philosophical position - for getting some information about the society.

The Sociological perspective

Sociologists today utilize three essential hypothetical points of view:

• The emblematic interactionist viewpoint (Symbolic Interactionism)

• the functionalist point of view (Functionalism), and

• the contention point of view (Conflict Theory).

These points of view offer sociologists hypothetical ideal models for clarifying how society impacts individuals and the other way around. Every point of view interestingly conceptualizes society, social powers, and human conduct.

Symbolic Interactionism

Level of Analysis: Micro

Focus: Use of symbols; Face to face interactions.

The Symbolic Interactionist perspective

This sociological percepctive, otherwise referred to as symbolic interactionism, mentions that details, symbols, and daily life activities should be looked into in order to understand and interpret how people react to certain things, situation and his/her environment.

The Symbolic Interactionist perspective

According to this perspective, people react subjectively because of their own perception and interpretation of various symbols and conclude meaning to things.

An example would be the interpretation of oral or written communication/conversations, in which words are the main symbols where the subjective conclusion is drawn

The Symbolic Interactionist perspective/ Symbolic interactionism

Another example of this sociological perspective is written in music. The musical symbols are not just marks on the page but rather the musical notes that guide a musician to produce the desired tune. Thus, symbolic interactionists give serious thought to how people act and then seek to determine what meanings individuals assign to their own actions and symbols and those of others

The Functionalist perspective

Also known as functionalism, every part of society is associated and adds to society’s overall workings.

1. The administration, or state, provides education to the children because of the taxes paid by its citizens.

2. By getting a good education, these children would have better chances of finding a good job, these children would have better chances of finding a good job.

3. Eventually these children would grow up to be responsible citizens who are abiding and tax paying members of society - thus contributing to keep the government running smoothly.

The Conflict perspective/ Conflict theory.

This perspective focuses on society’s negative, clashed, and ever-changing nature. The proponents of this perspective challenge existing conditions, empower social change (even if this might lead to social upheaval, and belive that rich and capable individuals force social order on the poor and powerless. Unlike functionalists who safeguard the business, as usual, keep away from social change, and trust that individuals participate in impacting social order.