SOCIOLOGY - study of human life

Its subject matter ranges from the micro level to the macro level.
Microsociology involves the study of people in face-to-face interactions.
Macrosociology involves the study of widespread social processes.

Its traditional focuses

have included social relations, social stratification, social interaction, culture and deviance,
and its approaches
sociology has gradually
Sociology has expanded its focus to such subjects as the study of economic activity, health,
and even the role of social activity in the creation of scientific knowledge as well as network
analysis.

The social world is changing = society does not remain unchanged over time

Sociological imagination - C. Wright Mills (a prominent mid-20th century

American sociologist):
As Mills saw it, the sociological imagination could help individuals cope with the social world
by
helping them to step outside of their personal, self-centric view of the world. In employing
the
sociological imagination, people are able to see the events and social structures that
influence behavior,attitudes, and culture.

What do sociologists do?

But induction is just a first step in understanding the social world.
In order to test their theories, sociologists get up from their armchairs and enter the social
world. They gather data and evaluate their theories in light of the data they collect (a.k.a.
deduction). Sociologists do ot just propose theories about how the social world works.
Sociologists test their theories about how the world works using the scientific method.

Sociology, then, is an attempt to understand the social world by situating social events in
their corresponding environment (i.e., social structure, culture, history) and trying to
understand social phenomena by collecting and analyzing empirical data.

HISTORY
- started in early 19th century
- people were exposed to cultures and societies different to their own because of the ability
to move and technological advances
- it led to the change of their norms and values, started to understand the world in a
different way
- sociologists tried to understand that phenomenon, researched “what holds social groups
together and also exploring possible solutions to the breakdown of social solidarity”.

Founders:
Auguste Comte
1. established the term ‘sociology’
- ‘socius’ (Latin) = companion, associate
- ‘logia’ (Greek) = study of, speech
- he believed sociology could improve society and direct human activity, including the other
sciences.
- believed society developed in stages

Early practitioners developed the discipline as an attempt to understand societal changes.

Some early sociological theorists: Marx, Weber, and Durkheim
They were concerned with the ability to situate personal troubles
within an informed framework of social issues.

Polish contribution: Florian Znaniecki (1920) – helped to establish the department of

sociology in Germany

What Can Sociology Tell Us? Including limitations

• human behavior is complex, making prediction - especially at the individual level - difficult
or even impossible
• the presence of researchers can affect the phenomenon being studied (Hawthorne Effect)
• society is constantly changing, making it difficult for sociologists to maintain current
understandings; in fact, society might even change as a result of sociological investigation
(for
instance, sociologists testified in the Brown v. Board of Education decision to integrate
schools)
• it is difficult for sociologists to remain objective when the phenomena they study is also
part of
their social life