LECTURE ONE

Definition and Scope of Sociology

Sociology
 Sociology : Definition
 Sociology- the term was coined by French Philosopher in 1839 (Latin word
"societus meaning "society" and Greek word "logos" meaning "study of
Science")

 Sociology is the study of human interactions, social relationship, their

conditions and consequences

 "The study of society, that is of the web or tissue of human inters actions and
interrelations" (Ginsberg Definition)

 "Sociology is the study of the interrelationships between man and his

human environment" (H.P. Fairchild)

 "Sociology deals with the behavior of human in groups" (Kimball young)

 "Sociology seeks to discover the principles of cohesion and of order

within the social structure“
 Sociology: Concept and Definition
 the study of social relationship includes-

 evolution of society,

 its system and structures

 the development of social institutions and their functions,

 the customs and rules regulating social relationships,

 the groups and communities formed by man throughout history,

 the nature and interdependence of these groups like family, caste and

 the phenomenon of social change

 Scope of Sociology (Durkheim’s View)

Social Physiology: Physiology of Society-

Sociology of Religion, of Morals, of Laws, of Economic life, of Language
Deals with a set of social facts, that is activities related to the various social groups

Social Morphology:

Geographical or territorial basis of the life of people and its relation to types of
social organizations and,

the problems of populations such as its volume and density, local distribution
and the like

General Sociology.

is to discover the general character of these social facts and to determine whether
there are any general social laws of which the different laws established by the special
social sciences are particular expressions
 Sociology: Importance
 Sociology makes scientific study of society

 Sociology studies role of institutions in the development of the

individual

 The study of sociology is indispensable for understanding and

planning of society

 Sociology is of great importance in the solution of social

problems

 sociology has drawn our attention to the intrinsic worth and

dignity of man
Sociology and Architecture –Interdisciplinary Relation
 Sociology and Architecture
 Sociology of Architecture : sociological study of the built
environment and the role and responsibility of architects in
modern societies

 Built environment is made up of designated spaces and the

activities of people are inter-related and inseparable

 Impact of built environment on human social behavior/

environmental psychology/architectural determinism

 Phenomenological approach to architecture design

 Sociology and Architecture
Social institution and architectural appropriateness

 Society provides the cultural basis for design and

interpretation.

 Culture within a given society is often not a simply categorized

element, being entwined on differing levels through many
social instances.

 The practice of architectural design captures the cultural and

societal influences relative to the specific design problem and
translates these influences into a structure which embodies the
culture.
 Sociology and Architecture
 Sociology of Space :

 Social space- abstract space of social relationship and

status/position/ architecture of society

 Physical Space- architectural spaces

 Social and Physical spaces combines to give a meaningful

functional space

 Architecture as architectonics or artifacts or art- interactions

between architecture and the subject/users
Urban and Rural Sociology
 Urban Sociology
 study of life and human interaction in metropolitan areas.

 It is a normative discipline of sociology seeking to study the

structures, processes, changes and problems of an urban area
and by doing so provide inputs for planning and policy
making

 sociological study of cities and their role in the development

of society

 urban sociologists use statistical analysis, observation, social

theory, interviews, and other methods to study topics like-

 migration and demographic trends,

 economics, poverty,
 architecture and planning
 Rural Sociology
 Rural sociology is a field of sociology traditionally associated
with the study of social structure and conflict in rural areas

 Main Focus: Food and Agriculture, Agro-economy and its role

in shaping the social and economic relationship between the
population of the rural community

 Other focus relates to demographic patters, environmental

sociology, amenity led development and community
development

 It aims at rural development by analyzing and understanding

the rural way of life- ruralism
 LECTURE TWO

Man and the Society

 Society
 the aggregate of people living together in a more or less
ordered community/ a web of social relationship

 Human societies are characterized by patterns of relationships

(social relations) between individuals who share a
distinctive culture and institutions

 Societies are social groups that differ according to subsistence

strategies, the ways that humans use technology to provide
needs for themselves
Make up of Society
 Types of Society
 Societies are social groups that differ according to subsistence
strategies, the ways that humans use technology to provide needs
for themselves

Pre Industrial Societies (12000-8000 BC)

 hunting and gathering societies: the hunting of wild animals and foraging
for uncultivated plants

Pastoral Societies (12000-8000 BC)

 Organized than hunter and gatherers- domesticated animals, storage of
foods, division of labors and the chieftainship for administration

Horticultural Societies (8000 BC-3000 BC)

 Fruits and vegetables grown in garden plots cleared from Jungle, technology
similar to pastoral societies
 simple horticultural societies: cultivate plants but do not have plows and
use only wood and stone tools
 advanced horticultural societies: use metal tools and weapons
 Types of Society
Feudal Societies (3000 BC-1800 AD)
 a form of society based on ownership of land; land owner and tenants,
generational ownership, unjust society

Agrarian Societies (3000 BC-1800 AD)

 simple agrarian societies: cultivate plants and use plows, but use only
copper and bronze
 advanced agrarian societies: use iron tools and weapons

Industrial societies: (1800 AD-present)

 newest type and most advanced; heavy dependence on machine technology
and inanimate sources of energy. Also the most powerful
 Dominant after 19th century

Modern Society
 Difference between Societal Types
Feudal Societies
 Size of Societies

 Permanence of Settlements

 Societal Complexity

 Ideology
 Social Environment
 the social environment, social context, cultural context, or milieu, refers to
the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which
something happens or develops.

 the environment developed by humans as contrasted with the

natural environment;

 Human social environments encompass the immediate physical

surroundings, social relationships, and cultural milieus within which defined
groups of people function and interact

 Architecture of physical open and built space can enhance the social
environment – in terms of the use and appropriation of spaces for social
and cultural use
 Social Environment
 Components of the social environment include

 built infrastructure; industrial and occupational structure;

 labor markets; social and economic processes; wealth; social,

 human, and health services;

 power relations; government; race relations;

 social inequality; cultural practices; the arts;

 religious institutions and practices; and

 beliefs about place and community

 Physical Environment
 the social environment, social context, cultural context, or milieu, refers to
the immediate physical and social setting in which people live or in which
something happens or develops.

 the environment developed by humans as contrasted with the

natural environment;

 Human social environments encompass the immediate physical

surroundings, social relationships, and cultural milieus within which defined
groups of people function and interact

 Architecture of physical open and built space can enhance the social
environment – in terms of the use and appropriation of spaces for social
and cultural use
 Socialization
• Socialization is the process by which children and adults learn from others.

• lifelong process of inheriting and disseminating norms, customs and

ideologies, to become a member of a society- equipped with social skills-
moral outcome

• Social moral consensus of a particular society is hallmark of socialization

• Critics- also shaped by social influence and genes

• Architectural- built environment influences socialization process- positive

changes to behavior/architectural determinism

• Architectural determinism too is heavily criticized by social theorists

 Socialization
Herbert Mead (1863-1931) and social behaviorism.

• Development of self through self awareness self image

• Do not exist at birth- develops through social experience

• Social experience develops self in presence of social others

• Role playing/understanding others actions and deciding right thing to

do and society as a mirror

• I- (part of consciousness that responds things emotionally- creative,

impulsive –un-predictive
 Socialization
Herbert Mead (1863-1931) and social behaviorism.
ME-
 The socialized element of the self
 The part of consciousness that thinks about how to behave so that, for
example, you don’t embarrass yourself
 Helps us to control the spontaneous impulses of the I
 People whom we went to impress or gain approval from Mead
termed significant others (family influences, teachers etc)

• Socialization is a dialectic production of the continuous interaction between

I and ME
 Socialization
Sigmund Freud (1856-1939)- process of socialization

Painful memories/ defense mechanism/ social skills n

socialization
Failure leads to asocial personality

 id /Superego/Ego

• id: an individual’s biological drives and impulses that strive for instant
gratification

• Superego: all of the norms, values, and morals that are learned through
socialization

• Ego: the intermediary between id and the superego that provides socially
acceptable ways to achieve wants
 Socialization and Architecture
• Built spaces, interactions & social awareness/interactions
contribute to the development of self

• public-private viz. Newari residential spaces

Critical Thinking (probable Assignment Topics)

Does architectural spaces/environment influence the development
of self-

If so, what kind of self- personal self? Social Self ? Or both?

How ego, super ego and id can be explained in architectural

studies and practice
 Socialization
Factors/Agents of Socialization.

 The individuals, groups, and social institutions, groups, and social

institutions that together help people to become functioning members of
society

 According to sociologists we are defined most significantly by the society

around us

 Today, the four principal agents of socialization are families, peers,

education, and mass media
 Social Interactions
• A social interaction is an exchange between two or more individuals and is a
building block of society. Social interaction can be studied between groups
of two (dyads), three (triads) or larger social groups

• By interacting with one another, people design rules, institutions and

systems within which they seek to live. Symbols are used to communicate
the expectations of a given society to those new to it

• Social interaction is empirically studied through – symbolic interactionism

& ethno-methodology

 With symbolic interactionism, reality is seen as social, developed interaction

with others.

 Ethno-methodology questions how people's interactions can create the illusion

of a shared social order despite not understanding each other fully and having
differing perspectives
Social Change

 Social change involves alteration the structure of functioning of social forms

and processes themselves- Anderson and Parker

 "by Social Change, I understand a change in social structure; eg the size of a

society, the composition or balance of its parts or the type of its
organizations" Ginsberg

 " Our direct concern as sociologists is with social relationships. It is the

change in these relationships which alone we shall regard as social change;
Maclver & Page

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Causes Of Change
 Biological factors; interaction with biological (plant and animal life and non-
human biological factors (social and cultural life)

 Population change (Mortality and Fertility)

 Social Selection (Survival of the fittest in socio-cultural-physical

environment)

 Physical Factors (climate, disaster etc)

 Technological Factor (change in production technology, transportation)

 Economic Change and

 Physical Change

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 Social Change & Architecture

• Architecture represent social change in time and place

• Architecture can induce social change

Induced Social Change through Architecture

At macro level:
• Different Architectural movement vis a vis social movement (modernism,
post modernism, functionalism)

At micro-level
• Social changes that can be brought through architecture

 Low cost housing

 Rural shelter development program
 Social Interactions

 Rural post disaster reconstruction

 Energy efficient building designs
 Small scale industry design-link with livlihoods

How it is done?
 Responding to localized needs of social infrastructure
 Promoting social relationship through space designs
 Expressing human needs in architectural terms

Architects and Social Change

 Activists Architects
 Advocate Architects
 A commitment to change society through architectural innovations
 Putting the last first
 Small scale but big change
 Social Design
 Social Interactions

Critical Thinking (Example)

 Can we map social changes brought about by Janta Awas Yojana by
DUDBC?

 Can we study the social changes induced by slum /squatter up-gradation by

LUMANTI?

 How did improved ‘Chulho’ induced social change in the status of rural
household? The life of women?

 How did designed built space improved the interactions among the mentally
weak students?

 How did construction of children park induced change in the children,

parents in poor community?
 LECTURE THREE

SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Social Structure
Social Structure
 Social structure is concerned with the principal forms of social
organization, i.e. types of groups, associations and institutions and the
complex of these which constituents societies (Ginsberg)

 The components of social structure are human beings, the structure

itself being an arrangement of persons in relationship institutionally
defined and regulated (Radcliffe Brown)

 The various modes of grouping together comprise the complex pattern

of social structure. In the analysis of the social structure the role of
diverse attitudes and interest of social being is revealed (MacIver)

 Social structure is a patterned arrangement of human relationship

structures

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Elements of social structure

 Normative system (ideals, values)

 Position system (status and role)

 Sanction system (norms, rules and regulations)

 A system of anticipated response (realization of roles & responsibility,

system motion)
 Action system (goal, target)

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 Social Structure

On the macro-scale,

social structure is the system of socioeconomic stratification (e.g.,

the class Structure), social institutions, or, other patterned
relations between large social groups.

On the micro-scale,

it is the structure of social network ties between individuals or

organizations
 Social Structure

Source: Internet
Organizational Structure
Example: The Social Structure of Ancient Egypt
Example: The Social Structure of Ancient Egypt
Example: Human Needs
 LECTURE FOUR

SOCIAL INSTITUTION/SOCIAL SYSTEM/SOCIAL GROUP AND

COMMUNITY
Social Institutions

 A social institutions is a structure of society that is organized to meet the

needs of people chiefly through well established procedures

 Social institutions are the social structures and machinery through which
human society organizes, directs and executes the multi functional activities
required for human need.

 Society is a system of social relationship while institutions is the

organization of rules traditions and usages

 Institutions are the forms of procedure which are recognized and accepted
by society

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Institutions

 Institutions exist for the society and govern the relations between
members of the society

 There are five kind of primary institutions- they are

Primary Secondary Institutions

 Family marriage, divorce, monogamy, polygamy
 Economics poverty, trading, credit, banking
 Religion church, temple, taboo, mosque
 Education and school, colleges universities
 State interest groups, party system, democracy

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Social System

 A social system is the patterned series of interrelationships existing between

individuals, groups, and institutions and forming a coherent whole

 Is an orderly and systematic arrangement of social interrelationship, it may

be defined as a "plurality of individuals interacting with each other
according to shared cultural norms and meanings

 Social structure is a means through which a social system functions

 Structure is useless without function and function is only accomplish

through some structure

 It is therefore said social structure and system goes together

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Social Group
 Social Groups are collectivities of individuals who interact and form social
relationships.

 According to Cooley, groups are primary and secondary

 Primary groups are small, being defined by face to face interaction having their own
norms of conduct and are solidarity e.g. family, work groups etc

 Secondary groups are larger, can be defined as associations when at least some
members interact, when there is identifiable normative system and some shared
sense of corporate existence e.g. trade unions
Importance of Study of Group

 Study of group started in 1930s (Harvard University being the

foremost)

 It investigated the study of the industrial work groups to study of

human relations in industry

 Investigation of groups to study the social psychology related to

cohesion, structure, moral, group leadership, dynamism and its effect
on individual
Community

 "Whenever the members of any group, small or large, live together in such a
way that they share, not this or that particular interest, but the basic
conditions of a common life, we call that group a community" (MacIver)

 any circle of people who live together and belong together in such a way
that they do not share this or that particular interest only, but a whole set of
interest" (Mannheim)

 "A community is that collectivity the members of which share a common

territorial area as their base of operation for daily activities" (Talcott Parson)
Elements of Community
 Group of People
 Locality
 Community Sentiment
 Permanency
 Naturality
 Likeness
 Wider ends
 A Particular name
 No legal status