...DEFINITION OF SOCIOLOGY Tuesday, March 24, 2009 | Posted by Nimesh Suranga (නිමේෂ් සුරංග) | 'Sociology' which had once been treated as social philosophy, or the philosophy of the history, emerged as an independent social science in 19th century. Auguste Comte, a Frenchman, is traditionally considered to be the father of sociology. Comte is accredited with the coining of the term sociology (in 1839). "Sociology" is composed of two words : socius, meaning companion or associate; and 'logos', meaning science or study. The etymological meaning of "sociology" is thus the science of society. John Stuart Mill, another social thinker and philosopher of the 19th century, proposed the word ethology for this new science. Herbert Spencer developed his systematic study of society and adopted the word "sociology" in his works. With the contributions of Spencer and others it (sociology) became the permanent name of the new science. The question 'what is sociology' is indeed , a question pertaining to the definition of sociology. No student can rightfully be expected to enter on a field of study which is totally undefined or unbounded. At the same time, it is not an easy task to set some fixed limits to a field of study. It is true in the case of sociology. Hence it is difficult to give a brief and a comprehensive definition of sociology. Sociology has been defined in a number of ways by different sociologists. No single definition has yet been accepted as completely satisfactory. In...
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...ARUSHA CAMPUS | DIPLOMA IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT – Y1S1 | INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY | | GRACE RUHINDA HD122-CO11-0247/2013 | 5/28/2014 | ASSIGNMENT 1: Discuss the Contributions of Max Weber as a Founding Father of Sociology | Max Weber born as Karl Emil Maxmillian Webe (1864 – 1920); a German Sociologist, philosopher and political economist with ideas that influenced; social theory, social research and entire discipline of sociology. Weber as one of the three known founding fathers of Sociology is mostly cited with the other founding fathers; Karl Marx and Emil Durkheim in social field. Weber has been prominent in methodological antipositivism, where he argues the study of social action through interpretation of ideas. In his arguments, Weber sees the urge to look at ideas, especially the meanings put onto things and the role of changes of ideas that contribute to society and social changes. His main concern was to understand the processes of rationalization, secularization and disenchantment that he associated with the rise of capitalism and modernity; which resulted to a new way of thinking about the world. He used the German word “verstehen” to discuss deeper understanding of the meanings people put to things; a word that is still used in today’s sociology to analyze the important elements of culture and society. Weber was best known for his thesis combining economic sociology and the sociology of religion as explained in his book: “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit...
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...Introduction to Sociology Nandy Nedd Essay Outline #1 Title: “Sociology is the systematic observation of social behavior” Introduction: Sociology is the science of society. Body: * Science is defined as the observation, identification, description, experimental investigation, and theoretical explanation of phenomena, Sociology is a science because it uses the methodologies of observation, experiment, comparison and historical research to understand social behavior whereas Interpretive Sociology goes on assumptions about how we come to know about social phenomena. * Using the positivist approach which assumes that an objective reality exists “out there”, Sociologists study this reality without changing it any way, they strive to remain objective so that their own attitudes and beliefs do not influence their results whereas in the Interpretive approach, lived experience may be distorted by false consciousness and ideology * In A general View of Positivism, Comte (1798 – 1857) argues that “the primary object of positivism is to generalize our scientific conceptions and to systemize the art of social life, According to him; true knowledge is based on experience of senses and can be obtained by observation and experiment, while it is for our heart to suggest our problems, it is for the intellect to solve them. * In his book “Rules of Sociological Method”, Durkheim writes –“The first and most fundamental rule is – consider social facts as things.” By...
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...: Discuss the Contributions of Max Weber as a Founding Father of Sociology | Max Weber born as Karl Emil Maxmillian Webe (1864 – 1920); a German Sociologist, philosopher and political economist with ideas that influenced; social theory, social research and entire discipline of sociology. Weber as one of the three known founding fathers of Sociology is mostly cited with the other founding fathers; Karl Marx and Emil Durkheim in social field. Weber has been prominent in methodological antipositivism, where he argues the study of social action through interpretation of ideas. In his arguments, Weber sees the urge to look at ideas, especially the meanings put onto things and the role of changes of ideas that contribute to society and social changes. His main concern was to understand the processes of rationalization, secularization and disenchantment that he associated with the rise of capitalism and modernity; which resulted to a new way of thinking about the world. He used the German word “verstehen” to discuss deeper understanding of the meanings people put to things; a word that is still used in today’s sociology to analyze the important elements of culture and society. Weber was best known for his thesis combining economic sociology and the sociology of religion as explained in his book: “The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism” which he proposed that ascetic Protestanism was one of the major elective affinities associate with the rise in Western world of...
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...Explain how theories of masculinity have transformed the sociology of the family? Finbarr Lawton, University College Cork, Department of Sociology. Student Number: 111310236, Module title/code: Sociology of Family, SC2026, Module Coordinator: Linda Connolly Submission Date: 14/1/13 Throughout my essay I will attempt to look at different theories of masculinity and try to show how these theories have transformed the sociology of family in recent decades. I will start by looking at the sociology of family, giving a brief insight into the main theory’s and how it helps us to understand what the sociology of family is essentially about. Following on from this I will look at masculinity giving the main ideas of it and how it has changed and shifted roles in past decades. Before going into detail about masculinity and how it has changed by looking at theories of fatherhood, work, and unemployment and Hegemonic masculinity. Finally I will finish by looking at the main advantages and disadvantages of this change in masculinity in recent decades looking also at how it has changed the sociology of family. When looking at the sociology of family we see that it is an extremely broad field of study and can really be split into four main theories of which to look at the sociology of family, these being: 1. “Functionalist theory: Looks at the essential tasks provided by the family e.g. Socialisation: Regulation of sexual activity. Social placement: Material and emotional...
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...Movie Review: Equilibrium 1 Movie Review: Equilibrium The movie Equilibrium is an excellent movie to relate to our Introduction to Sociology class. Equilibrium follows the life of John Preston, an elite member of a military team used to locate and destroy all things considered “sensory stimulating”. In this society all citizens are forced to take drugs that suppress all feeling and emotion. The reason for this is the leader “father” of this society believes emotion is the cause of all conflicts such as crime and war. Anyone not taking the drug is considered a “sense offender” and is killed on the spot. John Preston is a firm believer in his government and its cause, until he misses a dose of his drugs. After realizing how wonderful emotion can be, he seeks out the “Underground”, a large hidden society of “sense offenders”, and eventually becomes the one to lead the revolution against the government. I think that this movie is a great example to relate to our Introduction to Sociology class because it incorporates key ideas such as culture, society, norms, deviance, and group conformity. The first idea used in this movie relating to sociology is society. Society is defined in the dictionary as a structured community of people bound together by similar traditions, institutions, or nationality (source 1). The society in Equilibrium is known as Libria. The people of this society share this territory government and are all know as Librian’s. These common factors...
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...CONTRIBUTORS IN SOCIOLOGY Auguste Comte-(1898-1857) He is considered as father of sociology. Comte was born at Montpellier, in France. He founded the philosophy of positivism, and originated a concept of social science known as sociology. Comte sought to discover the laws that he believed governed the evolution of the mind. In his six-volume work, The Course of Positive Philosophy (1830-1842), he framed his "law of the three states." This law advanced the idea that people try to understand phenomena in three ways. Comte believed that people first seek a theological (supernatural) explanation; then a metaphysical (abstract) explanation; and finally a positive explanation. The positive explanation is derived from an objective examination of the phenomena. Comte believed that students should concern themselves only with phenomena that have an objective, "positive," existence. This belief forms a basis of positivism. He also has given importance to "social static and social Mobility" and cleared that changes of society can be understood on these basis. His contribution in field of Social reconstruction is related to social welfare of human beings, which should be studied with social methods. Comte regarded all social thought as an interrelated whole, the laws of which can be found by assembling what he considered the facts. His ideas have influenced students of historical and social theory, and of criminology, and such authors as Herbert Spencer and John Stuart...
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...Psychology/ Soft Science Theory: 1. A set of ideas used to explain cause and effect. Reactivity or the Hawthorn Effect: 1. If you know someone is watching you, you will always act differently. Sociological Imagination: By C. Wright Mills 1. We as researchers need to use our imagination to come up with creative ways to study human behavior. Institution: 1. An excepted way of doing things 5 Major Social Institutions: 1. Family 2. Religion 3. Healthcare 4. Economics 5. Education Founders of Sociology: 1. August Comte- Positive thinker - Comedern Sociology - Social Force - Social Statics- The force of cooperation and cohesion (Togetherness) - Social Dynamics- The forces of conflict and change Karl Marx: - Negative thinker father of communism Communism- There is no rich and no poor everyone is equal 1. 1800’s Germany 2. Industrial Revolution 3. Father of Communism 4. Wrote the communist manifesto along with Frederick Engles 5. Father of conflict theory - Rich get richer at the expense of the poor. A. Bourgeoisies- Rich factory owners B. Proletarian- Poor Workers Max Weber (v) 1. Conflict Theory 2. Alienation- We become reduced to a number 3. Rationalization- We no longer hiring family we are now hiring the best person for the job. Emile Durkheim: - Very positive thinker 1. Functionalist theory 2. Studies what is the glue that holds...
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...The study of Sociology is important but the level of importance is debatable. Sociology is the study of how the human society is organised and what problems come about within the society. It looks at who is affected and why they are affected. A prime example would be a married couple with children who then decide to divorce. Not only are the couple affected but so are the children. Why? The children would have to come to the harsh terms of their mother and father no longer living together, in some cases have to welcome a new family member or members, ‘the step parents or siblings’ They would have to adjust to new living conditions whether that be a new school or two different homes etc. Sociology questions why rules were put in place and why people choose to follow them. In some cases we look at what other people do and we ‘follow by example’. If there is a queue at the bus stop to wait for the bus, naturally we would go to the end of the queue and wait for the bus. Why? Some may say it’s out of respect, if the people were in the queue before me who am I to cut the queue. Another person may say that following simple rules has a positive effect on our living. If you’re able to follow simple rules then it may be easier for you to follow the bigger rules with strong consequences and this will enable you to teach others i.e. children. The term sociology was coined by French philosopher Auguste Comte in 1838, who for this reason is known as the “Father of Sociology.” He believed...
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...William Giordano WRT101 Professor Drozd 3, May 2013 Four Characters on Trial With Jack presently in his third of college, he is passing but with below average work. His mother frowned upon him that he was not doing a letter grade better. Jack’s mother wanted him to go to law school, just like his father. She had also mentioned that if Jack’s GPA did not go up any higher, he would not get the car or the trip promised. Professor Brown, Jack’s sociology professor had told him “You probably don’t belong in college anyway”. Jack had to get help, so he turned to his friend Victor. Victor had done the work for Jack, but Jack promised Victor he would owe him money. Jack, is a college student who is struggling to keep his grades up and must do so to please the people around him. Jack was wrong to go to his friend Victor for help and should have gone to the writing center instead. One reason could be, that Jack is obligated to bump up his grade in sociology because if he does not then his mother will be displeased with him. Jack was doing below average work in sociology, he could have felt like he needed an easier way out of this despicable situation. Another reason Jack had Victor write his paper for him, could have been the fact that Jack was under a tremendous amount of stress. Jack wanted to please his mother and professor by getting a good grade on the make-up paper, but did not want to get a bad grade. Professor Brown, told Jack that his paper was disgraceful and had no...
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...Chapter 1 What is sociology? * Seeks to explain, describe, and predict human behavior * Not concerned with individual human beings * Concerned with human beings in reaction to other human beings * Puts emphasis on group behavior (two or more people) (small group/large groups) * Looks at group social interaction, social behavior an influence of social structures on people How old is sociology? 200 years Why did sociology (as social science develop)? Who was the founding father of sociology? Main contributions of Sociology Early Auguste compte: Founding father of sociology, coined the word sociology How is Sociology different from other social sciences? Emile Durkheim: influenced development of functionalism 4 types of suicide by Durkheim: Egoistic: Mentally ill, lonely, social outcast, depression Altruistic: Kamikaze pilots, suicide bombers, cult members, obligation to the group, Fatalistic: Inmates, elderly, terminally ill, hopelessness Anomic: Anyone who cant deal with chaos, such as stock market crash or 1929-Insecurity Anomie: When society’s norms are questions, much social change, Society is rapidly changing Institutions are weakened, family, religion. Gender norms are questioned; values and belief systems are questioned Theory of structural functionalism 1 If a structure exists in society its because its functional, the social structure exists because it works Social structures: anything...
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...Sociology is the “systematic, scientific study of human soci ety.” Human society is a pretty big topic. Sociologists study dyads, groups and networks, orga nizations, communities, culture, society, and even global relations. In some senses it seems like you can study almost anything and call it sociology. I t isn’t what they study that makes someone a sociologist, h owever, but how they think about it and how they study it. Imagine a friend of yours confides in you that she is pregnant and is not planning to marry the father . At first you wonder if she was raped, but she tells yo u the father is someone she was dating, she agreed to have sex with him, and she turned down an invitatio n to marry him. You might wonder why her behavior is so different from what you think it sho uld be. If you were raised in this country, where we tend to be better amateur psychologists than we are amateur sociologists, you would probably conclude that your friend has mental problems, isn’t thinkin g very clearly, or is not a very good person. In o ther words, you would probably explain your friend’s beh avior in terms of what goes on inside of her and think that she has a personal problem . In contrast, a sociologist would be curious abou t what life at home was like for your friend, whether people from her background respect mothers more than they respect women without children, and if the father o f her child was ready for the...
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...Republic of the Philippines Naval State University Naval, Biliran In In Assignment SOCIOLOGY Submitted By: OLIVER B. JAGUINES BSCpE – IIA Student Submitted To: Mrs. Ma. Joan Delda Instructor Auguste Comte (1798-1857) The legitimacy of sociology started when the term was coined by Auguste Comte, a French philosopher, and from that time on, sociologist have sought to be more scientific in their methods and more systematic in their observations. Comte’s significant contributions to advance sociology to the frontiers of human knowledge earned for him the title “Father of Sociology”. * His contribution to sociology can be divided into four categories. They are namely: (1) Classification and ordering of social sciences. (2) The nature, method and scope of sociology. (3) The law of three stages. (4) The plan for social reconstruction. (5) Positivism. * The law of human progress, states that each of our leading conceptions, each branch of knowledge, all human intellectual development, pass successively through three different theoretical conditions – the theological or fictitious, the metaphysical or abstract, and the scientific or positive. * Theological or Fictitious Stage: During the primitive stage, the early man believed that all phenomena of nature are the creation of the divine or supernatural. The primitive man and children do not have the scientific outlook; therefore it is characterized by unscientific outlook. They failed to discover...
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...Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology. Volume 10 Number 1, January 2013. 138 Effects of Family Breakup on Children: A Study in Khulna City Shirina Aktar* Abstract: When a family breaks up, it is usually difficult for everyone in the family to cope with the situation; however, children are often the worst victims of family breakup. There are powerful reasons to be alarmed about the impacts of family breakup on children. They feel insecure, depressed and helpless when they see their family break apart. The present study aims at identifying the effects of family breakup on children. The purposively chosen research site was the city of Khulna in Bangladesh. Using a survey method, data were collected from seventy children. After analyzing the data collected from the field survey, this report concludes that children of the broken families are particularly vulnerable and they need special care for their mental, psychological and physical development. After presenting the main findings in a descriptive fashion, the article provides a set of recommendations that will support children in the broken families. Introduction Background of the Study Family is the smallest, most sensitive and important social system which is furnished and facilitated by a society as a larger social system. Marriage is also another small social system which is the foundation of a family. The dissolution of marriage contracted between men and women by the judgment of a court or by an act of the legislature is called...
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...Wiesel was hospitalized two weeks for food poisoning and recovered. The book “Night” by Elie Wiesel is related to sociology in many ways that people fail to realize. For example, family, ethnicity, prejudice, and power. These terms are all used in sociology to determine society. Family and prejudice is the first sociological term that anyone should notice first when reading this book. Mainly because Wiesel would have not been able to make it durning the holocaust without his father. For instance, Wiesel and his father feed each other rations of their food and try to keep the other one motivated without them giving up on life. If it wasn't for Hitler being so prejudice over the group of Jews it would of never been a time of the holocaust, there would be no concentration camps, and many people would still be living on earth today. Ethnicity refers to cultural traits that are shared by a category of people such as language, religion, or national origin (Basic). Ethnicity is used in the nook “Night” because it uses a source of religion. As said in the beginning...
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