...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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...Science relating to sociology is based upon the debate of how society should be studied. There two perspectives, Positivism and Interpretivism. Positivists such as Emile Durkheim believed that society can be studied with the same methods as all other natural sciences as Sociology is known as a social science. Interpretivists such as Weber argue that knowledge is based upon people's interpretations of things. Positivist sociologists argue that the methods used to study and research natural sciences can be used to study people within society, and that by doing this research problems within society can be resolved and social progress can be attained. Positivists believe that reality does exist and not is a figment of individuals minds which means it can objectively be studied and give factual results. Positivists prefer to use methods of research which will give them easily quantifiable results which they can then use to observe patterns and new laws within society. Positivists aim to find these patterns within society as they can then make general statements about society works. Comte believed that sociology was a science as it shared the same basics with sociology of trying to find cause and effects, and that by applying these scientific methods true objectivity would be able to attained. The view a positivist would take is that reality is not random but is made up of patterns allowing us to research it quantifiably. And that this quantifiable data would allow for sociologists...
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...Definition of Sociology The subject has been looked from various points of view and now it is an opportune time to define the subject properly. According to P.A. Sorokin “sociology is a generalizing science of socio-cuitural phenomena viewed in their generic forms, types, and manifold interconnections. ” (Bierstedt, 1970. 3-28) Sociology is the scientific study of human society and social behaviour. The subject matter of sociology is huge and complex, and the knowledge produced by sociological research is still imperfect in many ways. However, it has taught us a great deal about ourselves. (RotarTson, 1977 :3) No formal definition of sociology is very satisfactory. Short definitions don’t really define; long definitions are clumsy. Yet a definition of some sort is needed, and sociology is often defined as the scientific study of human social life.. Human beings behave differently from other animals. They have unique forms of group life; they pursue customs, develop institutions, and create values. Sociology applies scientific methods to the study of these phenomena in the research for scientific knowledge. Sociology concentrates its study upon the group life of human beings and the product of their group living. (HurTon and Chester 1984: 25-27) The sociologist is especially interested in the customs, traditions, and values which emerge from group living, and in the way group living is, in turn, affected by these customs, traditions, and values. Sociology is interested in the...
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...defines Culture as a “the values, beliefs, behavior, practices and material objects that constitute a peoples’ way of life”, and Sociology as “the systematic study of human society” (Macionis and Plummer 2012, p.964). In light of this, Cultural sociology demands that culture and social structural forces, especially economic forces to be dissociated in order to allow a form of cultural self-governance, rather than these cultural structures to be seen as external to individuals. The following essay will discuss the frame work of cultural sociology developed by Jeffery Alexander. In order to discuss how important cultural sociology for the development of South Africa is, I will assess to what extent contemporary South Africa embodies the characteristics of a cultural society in comparison to surviving practices and traditional beliefs. Theoretical framework of cultural sociology is best described as the importance of culture being seen an independent variable. Alexander (2003), emphasizes the importance of culture shaping society instead of culture being a product of society. He puts culture first and highlights that, “To believe in the possibility of a cultural sociology is to subscribe to the idea that every action, no matter how instrumental, reflexive or coerced vis-a-vis its external environments” (Alexander 2003:12). Comparatively, “Sociology of culture” implies that institutions, irrespective of how impersonal and technocratic have an ideal substructure that essentially...
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...Is Sociology a Science? Intro: What is Science vs. what is Sociology? The term “science” refers the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. Objectivity is seen as an important part of the scientific process, and involves value freedom and open-mindedness. Sociology may want to be a science due to modernity and the rise of technology. Scientists may be interested in how individual’s actions are influenced by the rise of technology and the secularisation of religion. Thus they may conclude that the only way in which they can be studied is through observations and experiments, such as lab experiments; which take place in controlled factors with controlled factors, as Popper suggests, science involves the hypothetico-deductive method to test through research. Also positivists argue that it should be a science when studying social facts. Arguably, Sociology wouldn’t want to be seen as a science, as the association with science connotes that we are dealing with emotionless electrons and atoms, as opposed to people with feelings and emotions. Thus some would disagree with the idea that objectivity that is associated with studying people within society, which science influences, as we are people and we cannot disconnect ourselves from society. For example, it is not simple to disconnect yourself when studying a rape or murder case. Positivism is the...
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...societies and world systems. * We study it to be able to evaluate the effects of gender, ethnic background, social class, religion, and community on an individual or group. Another is that the sociological perspective is crucial for success in today’s multicultural and multinational work environments. Thus, a background in social science is valuable preparation for careers in almost any modern organizational setting. 2. What are the disciplines of Social Science? * Social science is actually the commonly used as an umbrella term to refer to the academic disciplines concerned with society and the relationships among individuals within a society. These disciplines include anthropology, economics, political science, psychology and sociology and many more. 3. What is Anthropology? Why do we study Anthropology? * Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. Anthropologists look at cross-cultural differences in social institutions, cultural beliefs, and communication styles. They often seek to promote understanding between groups by "translating" each culture to the other, for instance by spelling out common, taken-for-granted assumptions. * We study it to be able to understand the full sweep and complexity of cultures across all of human history. An anthropology class can be useful for students in a variety of majors, such as education, business, medicine, and law. Knowledge about human diversity is helpful in many careers. It is often an advantage to...
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...GED 216 Sociology Unit 1 Exam Click Link Below To Buy: http://hwcampus.com/shop/ged-216-sociology-unit-1-exam/ 1. Because there is more social isolation in rural areas of the United States than in urban areas, we could expect suicide rates to be a. higher in urban areas. b. higher in rural areas. c. high in both urban and rural areas. d. low in both urban and rural areas. 2. Sociologists use the term “social marginality” to refer to a. people who have little understanding of sociology. b. people who have special social skills. c. people who are defined by others as an “outsider.” d. people who are especially sensitive about their family background. 3. If social marginality encourages sociological thinking, we would expect people in whichcategory listed below to make the most use of the sociological perspective? a. the wealthy b. disabled persons or people who are a racial minority c. politicians d. the middle class 4. Following the thinking of C. Wright Mills, we would expect the sociological imagination to be more widespread in a population a. during times of peace and prosperity. b. among the very rich. c. among very religious people. d. during times of social crisis. 5. Wright Mills claimed that the “sociological imagination” transformed a. common sense into laws of society. b. people into supporters of the status quo. c. personal problems into public issues. d. scientific research into common sense. 6. The United States falls within...
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...SOCIOLOGY – AQA – UNIT 4 - CRIME AND DEVIANCE The exam is split into 3 questions: • Q.1 is a pure methods section which contains two parts a) 12 marks and b) 21 marks. You should spend 45 minuets on this question. • Q.2 is a method in context question. Part a) is for 9 marks [could also be a 3 and 6 mark question] and part b) is for 15 marks. You should spend 30 minuets on this question. • Q.3 is a theories essay for 33 marks. THIS QUESTION IS SYNOPTIC! You should spend 45 minuets on this question. Below is a list of all the areas and studies you need to know for each section of the exam. Don’t worry if you don’t know all the studies, each college/school are likely to teach slightly different ones, just make sure you know about that amount for each section. Q.1 For the first two pure crime parts you need to know: Functionalist theories of crime and deviance Durkheim – Social control, social regulation including suicide Merton-Strain theory, blocked aspirations Cohen – Status frustration Cloward and Ohlin – Deviant subcultures New Right/Right Realism James Wilson – Strict law enforcement needed Wilson and Kelling – Broken windows, zero tolerance Murray – Cultural deprivation, single parents and ineffective, the underclass Erdos – Families without fathers Subcultural theories Cohen – Delinquent subcultures Cloward and Ohlin – Delinquency and opportunity, criminal, conflict and retreatist...
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...FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SCIENCES UNIVERSITI SELANGOR BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (HONS) TESL CPS 2313 EDUCATION SOCIOLOGY ASSIGNMENT: THEORIES AND RESEARCH IN EDUCATION SOCIOLOGY PREPARED BY: MOHAMAD AZHAARI SHAH BIN SULAIMAN 4123003611 IZZAT WAZZIR IMAN BIN 4123000401 PREPARED FOR: TUAN HAJI BAGHAWI SARBINI 2.1 Definition of Educational Sociology Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) who is regarded as the ‘father’ of sociology of education clearly defines sociology of education as “a systematic study sociological perspective”. This definition of sociology of education is suitable because it speaks much of what goes on in education system. It clearly states that it is important to know sociology before knowing what sociology of education is. This is because sociology is related sociology of education. The statement “sociological perspective” stresses the social context in which people live such as society. Society is a group of people who share a certain culture and a territory. Perspective is a view of the world and it is referred to as a sociological preservative or sociological imagination. Durkheim’s statement helps us to understand that sociological perspective opens a window to another world or unfamiliar world. As we look at other world or our own, sociological imagination casts another form of light on us. This in return enables us to gain a new vision of social life. In other words it helps us to find out why people do what they do like...
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...Ethics related to Sociology Introduction Living in this world without any companion is like a world without color. It is like you have drowned from the deepest part of darkness. As the saying “No man is an island”, it is proven that a person can’t live within itself. You must have friends and socialize with them in order for you to make a wonderful living. Having interaction with other people—sharing some beliefs and practices may consider as part of sociology. Sociology itself means “the study of society”, where it came from the Greek word “socio” means “society” and “-logos” mean “the study of”. Sociology is the scientific study of society, of the ways of which society is organized and operates, and of the factors contributing to both societal stability and social change. It is concerned with patterned social regularities rather than with unique personal experiences. Simply means that sociology is the study of the things around the society. Studying the society also involves ethical values where people will be taught how to live doing the right thing over the wrong one. Though people have their own ways of living, each of us may consider that ethics is very important in everyone’s life. Based on Emerita S. Quito, the author of the book “Fundamentals of Ethics”, ethics is from the Greek word “ethos” meaning a characteristic way of doing things, or a body of customs. In general, ethics is meant to be applied in order to teach the people how to live essentially doing the...
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...Sociology cannot and should not be a science.’ To what extent do sociological arguments and evidence support this view? (33marks) There are disagreements between sociologists as to whether sociology is considered to be a science. Some suggest that there is no way that sociology could be a science. For example, Popper believes that sociology is not a science, as inductive reasoning doesn’t create science. Therefore Popper he proposed that scientific research methods should be based on the principle of falsification, that is, instead of looking for evidence to prove a hypothesis right, scientists should look for evidence that proves it false. As sociology never makes claims that can be falsified, it’s not therefore a science. However, Popper has been criticized by Kaplan, who argues that many scientific discoveries are made by accident, which inspires luck to play a crucial role in scientific research. Moreover, many scientists make false starts or collect data that takes them up blind alleys before they get back on track. Also, Feyerabend argues that in reality there is no logic to science as individualist scientists follow their own rules, which often do not resemble textbook models. Thus, Poppers views on sociology not being a science are inaccurate, due to his understanding of what science is. Popper was only mainly concerned with the logic of science, whereas Kuhn argued that scientists work within conceptual paradigm that strongly influences the way in which they...
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...Assess the view that Sociology can and should be seen as a Science In this essay it will assess the view that sociology can and should be seen as a science. It will provide you with examples throughout. Sociology is seen as science by some, this is because they believe it is very similar to the natural sciences, much like the natural sciences, hypothesis’ can be made and facts can be a result by collecting data or carrying out experiments. Sociology is really considered to be a social science like many other subjects. Sociologists in the 19th century believed that using the rules and logic of scientific methods could be used to test sociology the same way as it does in the natural sciences. Sciences are considered to be chemistry, biology, and physics; this is because these subjects all use explanations and reasons throughout the work. Before sociology is to be named worthy of being a science, the meaning of science is to find ways of understanding the world and explaining it. When studying in science scientific methods are used, the process starts with something being observed, and then a hypothesis is made to give a possible relationship between the events being studied and an experiment or research to prove or disprove the hypothesis is done and finally, an evaluation is made and a conclusion if proven correct, or a new hypothesis is created to test again. Many believe that sociology does this because it too also tries to explain and understand the social world. Positivists...
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...Sociology includes four major theoretical perspectives which includes The Functionalist perspective, the Conflict perspective, the Symbolic Interactionist perspective and the Postmodernist perspective. Each one of these perspective Explains about the social world and human behavior. Sociological theories help us and also explains and predicts the social world in which we all live in. The functionalist perspective are based on the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system (Kendall21). Meaning that the majority of society have the same beliefs, values and expectations on life. For example, each social institutions contributes important functions for society. Family provides stability, reproducing and social interactions. Education teaches different skills, knowledge and culture to our youth. Politics helps with the members of governing our society. Economics provide for the production, distribution, and consumption of our goods and services. Religion provides moral guidance and ways to worship a higher power. This is where one functions needs the other to complete itself. The functionalist perspectives takes the approach on the study of Sociology by how society focuses on how each part influences and is influenced by other parts. The Conflict perspective views society as different groups and interest who are competing for power and resources. The conflict perspective explains many different aspect of our social world by looking at...
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...OUTLINE The Sociological Imagination * Sociology is the study of human society. * In the mid-twentieth century, sociologist C. Wright Mills argued that we need to use our sociological imagination to think critically about the social world around us. * The sociological imagination is the ability to connect one’s personal experiences to society at large and greater historical forces. Using our sociological imagination allows us to “make the familiar strange” or to question habits or customs that seem “natural” to us. What Is a Social Institution? * A social institution is a group of social positions, connected by social relations, that perform a social role. Social institutions, such as the legal system, the labor market, or language itself, have a great influence on our behavior and are constantly changing. * The interactions and meanings we ascribe to social institutions shape and change them. * Social identity is how individuals define themselves in relationship to groups they are a part of (or in relationship to groups they choose not to be a part of). We all contribute to one another’s social identity, which can also be thought of as a grand narrative constructed of many individual stories. The Sociology of Sociology * The French scholar Auguste Comte, founder of what he called “social physics” or “positivism,” felt that we could better understand society by determining the logic or scientific laws governing human behavior. * Harriet Martineau...
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...Ethics related to Sociology Introduction Living in this world without any companion is like a world without color. It is like you have drowned from the deepest part of darkness. As the saying “No man is an island”, it is proven that a person can’t live within itself. You must have friends and socialize with them in order for you to make a wonderful living. Having interaction with other people—sharing some beliefs and practices may consider as part of sociology. Sociology itself means “the study of society”, where it came from the Greek word “socio” means “society” and “-logos” mean “the study of”. Sociology is the scientific study of society, of the ways of which society is organized and operates, and of the factors contributing to both societal stability and social change. It is concerned with patterned social regularities rather than with unique personal experiences. Simply means that sociology is the study of the things around the society. Studying the society also involves ethical values where people will be taught how to live doing the right thing over the wrong one. Though people have their own ways of living, each of us may consider that ethics is very important in everyone’s life. Based on Emerita S. Quito, the author of the book “Fundamentals of Ethics”, ethics is from the Greek word “ethos” meaning a characteristic way of doing things, or a body of customs. In general, ethics is meant to be applied in order to teach the people how to live essentially doing the...
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