...Sociology: Nature and Scope Sociology Defined. — Definitions of sociology are many. While it would be hardly correct to say that there are as many as there are sociologists, it is safe to say that they are as numerous as the various points of view of the respective groups of sociologists. The term 'Sociology' was coined by Auguste Comte, a French philosopher in 1839. It is the youngest of all social sciences. Sociology is the outcome of man's search for a more valid, and precise knowledge about the nature of man and the society. The word 'Sociology' is derived from the Latin word 'Societus' meaning 'society and the Greek word 'logos' meaning 'study or science'. Thus, the etymological meaning of 'Sociology' is the 'science of society'. In other words, we can say Sociology is the study of man's behaviour in groups or of interaction among human beings of social relationships and the processes by which human group activity takes place. Definitions: To make the study more clear, it is wise on our part to discuss some of the definitions given by famous sociologists. Unfortunately, there is no short-cut definition of Sociology so far. It has been defined in a number of ways by different sociologists, but no single definition of Sociology has yet been accepted as completely satisfactory. Auguste Comte, the founding father of Sociology, defines Sociology "as the science of social phenomena subject to natural and invariable laws, the discovery of which is the object of investigation...
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...1.SOCIOLOGY -It is a social science which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity -Analysis of a social institution or societal segment as a self-contained entity or in relation to society as a whole. -he study of sociology aims at analyzing the patterns of human behavior, deriving their causes and speculating the future of the behavioral patterns in society. 2.a.Relation between Sociology and History: Both social sciences are now a days coming nearer to each other. Some time ago history was considered as science of some dates, places and struggles.But now people have realizes that why the particular event in history occurred? What was form of the same? In short history is another social science which is related to irect society and sociology. History primarily deals with past events and how they affected society eg how the Ino-Pak partition ,compel Sindhu(Hindu word it self has originated from Sindhu_)to prove themselves laborious, on the other end will be concerned with how people intereacted, how culture was affected etc during the present and before the partition . 1.Sociology takes help from history in mater of present studies.By comparing between occurring past and present events, one can estimate the factors responsible for occurring that event. 2.Sociology is obvious in history in that the social interactions of individuals...
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...Sociology Sociology is the science that deals with the study of human beings and their social relationship. Wednesday, September 8, 2010 Importance of Sociology(Uses of sociology) The study of sociology has a great value especially in modern complex society.Some of the uses of sociology are as follows: | Peruvian indigenous people,learning to read(it shows development of this community) | 1) Sociology studies society in a scientific way:Sociology studies in a scientific manner.The scientific knowledge is very much needed in human society in order to achieve progress in various field. 2)Sociology focuses on the social nature of man:Sociology focuses into the social nature of man.By these,we know that man is a social animal.Through sociology we get the answers of why man lives in group,community and society.It examines the relationship between indivudals and society and the impact of sociology on man. 3)Sociology studies the role of the institution in the devlepment of the individuals :Through sociology ,that scientific study of the great social institutions and the relations of the individuals to each is being made.Sociology reads these institution and their role in the development of their individuals and suggest suitable measures from re-streangthing them with a view to enable them to serve the individuals better. 4)Sociology improves our understanding of society and increases the power of social actions:The science of...
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...Scope of the Subject A scope refers to the areas of study or fields of inquiry of a discipline. Every branch of learning becomes difficult for anyone to study systematically unless its boundaries are demarcated and determined precisely. Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the part of sociologist with regard to the scope of sociology because it is so elastic a subject that it is hard to establish just where its precinct begins and ends. Everything and anything under the sun seems to fall under the purview of sociology. However, such assumption is nullified. There are two main schools of thought regarding the scope of sociology: the specialistic or formalistic school and the synthetic school. The Specialistic/Formalistic School This school of thought was led by the German sociologist George Simmel. The other main advocates of this school were Vierkandt, Max Weber, Small, Von Wiese and Tonnies. They were of the opinion that sociology was different from other branches of social science and deemed it necessary to confine to the enquiry of certain defined aspects of human relationship. It was to study only the abstract forms of social relationships but not their contents. They regard sociology as pure and independent science. According to Simmel, sociology is distinct from other social sciences for the reason that it has its own abstract mode of dealing with the same topic of social relationship which other social science like history, economics, political...
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...about the importance of sociology to society! The most significance of sociology is that it studied the society social institutions scientifically. Of late the importance of sociology as the science of human relationship is being realised. The scientific study of society and the scientific promotion of human welfare has been neglected for long periods. Now the truly scientific study of society has been well under way. Sociology Image Courtesy : sociology.arizona.edu/sites/sociology.arizona.edu/files/images/soc_club_3.jpg As a matter of fact the study of social phenomena and ways and means of promoting what Giddings calls human adequacy is one of the most logical and reasonable of all subjects that ought to be made scientific. This century must be one of developing human and social welfare if we are to make social progress. It is, therefore, rightly thought by many that sociology may be the best approach to all the social sciences and therefore a key study for the present situation. As Beach says, sociology has a strong appeal to all types of minds through its direct bearing upon many of the critical problems of the present world. Giddings has suggested that just as economics tells up how to get the things we want to have, sociology tells us how to become what we want to be. Thus, sociology becomes as the scientific study of society, the representative of a great advice. Society is the largest organisation of the individuals. Society has its own problems in...
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...Sociology can be seen as the scientific study of groups in the human society and social interactions which aims to understand social situations, which looks for repeating patterns in society. Sociology can be seen as a natural science because it consists of those disciples which apply systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and modification of hypotheses to the study of society. Sociology can be seen as one of the social sciences which had a late start; the subject of sociology fell on it way in the middle of the 1800. When the American society was in the middle of the Industrial Era. Sociology developed great recognition during this time with the great success of the French and American Revolution. The first and main contributor to sociology in the social world was Auguste Comte; his method of practice was called positivism which states that “the theory that knowledge can be acquired only through direct observation and experimentation, and not through metaphysics or theology.” Another major contributor to sociology was Herbert Spencer; he was credited in finding the Science as a field of study. Spencer came up with the idea of Social Darwinism which implies “people would gravitate to either the bottom or the top of society…the principle was termed “survival of the fittest.”” Karl Marx also played a huge part of early Sociology. Marx was a social activist who came up with the theory of class conflict, which says that; “the lower and...
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... Introduction of Sociology SOC 111 Question: What is Sociology? Date of Submission: 7th Nov 2012 Mode of Submission: Coordinator Examiner: Mr.Olomi This paper proposes to show up, examine the concept of sociology and also to discuss the objective of sociology and its importance. The term Sociology as quoted by Geoffrey, et al, (1970 p.201) from the new dictionary of sociology state that, ‘sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies’. It is amazing and compelling enterprise, having as its subject matter our own behavior as social being. The scope of sociology is very wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individual in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes. To support dictionary, sociology is the study of societies in a scientific way. Before the emergence of sociology, there was no systematic and scientific attempt to study human society with all its complexities. Sociology has made it possible to study society in a scientific manner. This scientific knowledge about human society is needed in order to achieve progress in various fields. Father more; Sociology is the study of the social lives of humans, groups and societies. It concerns itself with the social rules and processes that bind and separate people not only as individuals, but as members of associations, groups, and institutions Sociology is interested in our...
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...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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...Introduction Individuality and independence are highly valued in our society. It is sometimes easy to forget that everything we do, including our private thoughts and fantasies, grows out of or is shaped through our interactions with others, especially others close to us. Whether we like it or not: we are born into groups and spend most of our social lives in those same groups. All of us assimilate, at least in part, the perspectives of these groups and thereby acquire our language, values, attitudes, beliefs and sense of identity. The most basic sociological premise is that humans are social beings, shaped in many ways by the groups to which we belong. Whether they be families, athletic teams, clubs (such as sororities and fraternities), religious groups, socioeconomic classes, complex bureaucratic organizations, or nations, much of human life is guided by group norms. Much of human life is also consumed with conflicts between groups, each of which tries to defend its own self interests. The competition of individuals and groups for wealth and power is the fundamental process shaping social structure. The conflict of groups produces a progressive development of greater equality, democracy, autonomy and individuality, as different forms of privilege are abolished. Many factors interact to generate changes in people's behavior and in the culture and structure of their society, including the physical environment, population, clashes over resources and values, supporting values...
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...The relation between sociology and anthropology is widely recognized today. In fact, anthropologist Kroeber pointed out that the two- sciences are twin sisters. Robert Redfied writes that viewing the whole United States, one say that the relations between sociology and anthropology are closer than those between anthropology and political science, which is partly due to greater similarity in ways of work. Anthropology is a general science like sociology. 'The word anthropology' is derived from two Greek words, 'anthropos' and 'logos' meaning the study of man. More precisely, it is defined by Kroeber as the science of man and his works and behavior. Anthropology is concerned not with particular man but with man in-group with races and peoples and their happenings and doings. There is a great deal of similarities between anthropology and sociology. A number of subjects include society, culture, family religion, social stratification, etc. For this reason an eminent anthropologist like A.L. Kroeber regards "Sociology and Anthropology as twin sisters" Etymologically, anthropology means the study of the science of man. It traces the development of human race, and studies, in particular, the primitive preliterate people and their culture. Anthropologists are sure that anthropology is deeply concerned with the physical and cultural development of human beings from the time of their origin to this day. There cannot be two opinions about the fact that the field of its investigation is...
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...What is Sociology? Sociology is defined as the scientific study of society and human behavior. Sociology is a part of social sciences. The study of sociology aims at analyzing the patterns of human behavior, deriving their causes and speculating the future of the behavioral patterns in society. Importance of Sociology The various disciplines of sociology include the study of social interaction between people. The areas covered by sociology include the analysis of social contacts between members of a society as also the interactions between different people around the world. Sociology attempts to study how and why people are organized as a society. It analyzes the structure of society and studies the factors that contribute to the creation of social groups. Sociology includes the study of the behavioral patterns, interactions and relationships among the individuals of society. This field tries to examine the organizational structure of society and the influence it has on the social, political and religious ideas of the members. It encompasses the study of the organization of families and businesses. It attempts to analyze the creation and management of social groups as well as the factors, which lead to their breakdown. The disciplines of sociology are concerned with the effects of social behavior on the formation of social traits. It also includes the ethical and moral values of society. Sociology is regarded as a branch of social sciences. It deals with the analysis...
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...What is Sociology? Sociology is defined as the scientific study of society and human behavior. Sociology is a part of social sciences. The study of sociology aims at analyzing the patterns of human behavior, deriving their causes and speculating the future of the behavioral patterns in society. Importance of Sociology The various disciplines of sociology include the study of social interaction between people. The areas covered by sociology include the analysis of social contacts between members of a society as also the interactions between different people around the world. Sociology attempts to study how and why people are organized as a society. It analyzes the structure of society and studies the factors that contribute to the creation of social groups. Sociology includes the study of the behavioral patterns, interactions and relationships among the individuals of society. This field tries to examine the organizational structure of society and the influence it has on the social, political and religious ideas of the members. It encompasses the study of the organization of families and businesses. It attempts to analyze the creation and management of social groups as well as the factors, which lead to their breakdown. The disciplines of sociology are concerned with the effects of social behavior on the formation of social traits. It also includes the ethical and moral values of society. Sociology is regarded as a branch of social sciences. It deals with the analysis...
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...aspects of society; filtered through our own beliefs, preconceptions, interpretations and attitudes. According to Anais Win (2014), “We do not see things as they are; we see things as we are.” In my opinion, sociology is a perspective for understanding our behaviour as human beings due to the fact that our everyday life inspires sociological theories. Marx Weber (1897) exerts that, “sociology is a science which attempts the interpretive understanding of social action in order thereby to arrive at a causal explanation of its course and effects." Prior to careful analysis of various views sociologist hold on sociology as a scientific discipline I would have deemed sociology as a science. However, subsequent to immense reading open-mindedly, I beg to differ that sociology is a science. According to Hindes (2015), a science is “a branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws.” A scientific study constitutes objectivity, observation, testability, accurate and reliable predictions and measurements as well as generalisation. With this being said, it is argued by many sociologist that sociology is a science since it harnesses scientific methods in its study of society. According to Auguste Comte and Durkheim, sociology is a science because it adopts and applies the scientific method”, as cited by Mondal (2015) in Sociology as a branch of science. Sociology as a science requires the study of the social...
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...Sociology was born not when good and evil were defined by what is useful or harmful to society, but rather when this correlation, exalted by the utilitarians, was placed in doubt because individualism seemed to have become a menace to society. This disjunction of the actor and the system led the most radical thinkers to conceive of a system without actors, dominated by determinisms and impersonal powers, and others to describe actors without a system, constructing in a normative void the forms of their interaction with actors who were strangers. Homo sociological, exalted by political philosophy, has disappeared. The globalization of the economy, which has entailed a weakening of the social and political controls that existed at the national level, has led in return to the development of identity politics which no longer defend a function but a being, not a project but a memory, which contradicts the evolution that has long defined modernity. We cannot establish a link between the system and the actor unless the latter is defined by the construction of his or her own liberty and not by the playing of specific social roles, and the former as a civil society in which the collective conditions of individual freedom are created. Social solidarity is the condition of cultural diversity, that is to say, the possibility for each person to combine in his or her own way their identity with participation in the techno-economic world. Sociology is the scientific study of human social behaviour...
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...The word sociology (or "sociologie") is derived from both Latin and Greek origins. The Latin word: socius, "companion"; the suffix -logy, "the study of" from Greek. study of society: the study of the origin, development, and structure of human societies and the behavior of individual people and groups in society. Sociology is the scientific study of human social behavior and its origins, development, organizations, and institutions. The traditional focuses of sociology include social stratification, social class, culture, race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, social mobility, religion, secularization, law, and deviance. sociology has gradually expanded its focus to further subjects, such as health, medical, military and penal institutions, the Internet, environmental sociology, political economy and the role of social activity in the development of scientific knowledge. “Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. Sociology ranges from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious cults; from the divisions of race, gender and social class to the shared beliefs of a common Sociology provides many distinctive perspectives on the world, generating new ideas and critiquing the old. The field also offers a range of research techniques that can be applied to virtually any aspect of social life: street crime and delinquency, corporate downsizing, how people express emotions, welfare...
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