Assignment 02

Introduction to sociology
Submitted to : MS.SADAF SAQLAIN
Submitted by : AHMER NAEEM JANJUA
INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

INTRODUCE TO SOCIOLOGY :

is the scientific study of human behavior. As the study of humans in their collective aspect,
sociology is concerned with all group activities, economic, social, political and religious.
sociology study such areas as bureaucracy , community deviant behavior , family , public
opinion , social change , social mobility , social stratification and such specific problems as
crime , divorce child abuse and substance addiction . Sociology tries to determine the law
governing human behavior in social contexts. Sociology as a science Sociology can be
considered a science as it involves systematic methods of empirical research analysis of data and
assessment of theories. In addition it ask questions which can be quantified. Sociology uses
scientific methods such as experimental method, historical methods, comparative, structural
functional methods. With the help of methods, sociology studies abstracts as well as concrete
facts. It is viewed as science for the following reason.

a) Facts
On of the main objective of science is the seeking of facts and keeping of high level of
objects so that those facts that are sought for all scientist are independent of their subjects
that is inclination. In this case therefore sociology is a science which bases its studies on
objectivity as opposed to subjectivity in its search for facts for example in administration
of questionnaires. Sociology keeps high level of objectivity in seeking facts from the
respondent .

b) The laws that governs human behavior

Using the positive approach , sociologist are able to establish the laws that govern human
behavior in the same way as natural scientist have established laws that that govern human
behaviour. In the same way as natural scientist have established laws that govern natural world.
Positivism asserts that social scientist should study human behavior and apply the same
technique used by natural scientist. It shares many similarities with empirical research method
employed by natural scientist such as objectivity in collection of data. The study of what can
only be seen measured and observed with the purpose of discovering what because things
happen.

C) Method of data collection

Sociologist use qualitative and quantitative method of data collection the same way as natural
scientist do. Analysis of human behavior is studied scientifically by the application of objectives
method of data collection such as qualitative interview and case studies.

Key concept of sociology

The society it is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations such as
social status, roles and social networks. It can be also a large social grouping that shares the
same geographical territory and is subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural
expectation

The family

a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity or co- residence. In most societies, it is the
principal institution for socialization of children. Extended from human ‘family unit ‘by affinity,
economy, culture, tradition, honour and friendship and the concept of the family that are
metaphorical or that grow increasingly inclusive extending to natural hood and humanism .

THE ORIGIN AND SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGTY

The emergence of sociology as a discipline Sociology emerged as a scientific discipline in the

early 19th century and as an academic response to modernity such as industrialization and
urbanization. Sociologist hoped not only to understand what held social organization
disintegration

The world sociology was coined by French thinker Augustine Comte in 1938 from Latin word
socins (companion or associate) and Greek (logos) meaning believe

Early interview approach into sociology led by Comte was to treat it as much manner as natural
science applying the same method and methodology used in natural science to the study of
phenomena.
In the early 20th Century sociology expanded in USA including both the development macro
sociology interested in the evaluation of societies and micro sociology i.e. study of every day
human interaction on a small scale basis

.In the 1930’s in the US Talcott Person developed the structural functionalist theory which
integrated the study of social order and objective aspect of micro and macro structural factors.

Branches of sociology

a) Social psychology
This is a discipline that incorporates sociology and psychology in the study of human
interaction and behavior. It tries to identify the mental process that take place in the course
of interaction and how they influence human behaviuor .
b) Rural sociology
It tries to understand the social interaction of people from the rural areas. It is a result of
unique social problem that people face e.g. unemployment, gender, poverty mobiliosation.
c) Medical sociology
Studies social and mental cause of disease It is a discipline that shows that disease is caused
by germs e.g. bacteria, some are caused by social problem e.g. stresses, isolation. It studies
lifestyle disease e.g. cancer caused by smoking. It is a discipline that stresses prevention
rather than treatment
.d) Industrial sociology
It is a discipline that studies the interaction between the factors of production
.e) Criminology
It studies criminal possession and nature of crime from social point of view .
f) PoliticalIs

a branch that studies how power is shared and distributed in a society? It attempts to understand
the various form of leadership that existed through history.

SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES
a) In sociology, sociological perspectives, theories, or paradigms are complex theoretic a land
methodological frameworks used to analyze and explain objects of social study. They
facilitate organizing sociological knowledge. Sociological theory is constantly evolving, and
 can never be presumed to be complete. Theory is informed by epistemological discussions as
to the most reliable and valid social research methods to use in the conduct of social science.
Perspectives also relate tocore assumptions regarding the ontological nature of the social
world. Theory is thus informed by historical debates over positivism and ant positivism,
debates over the primacy of structure and agency, as well as debates relating to other
fundamental key concepts in the social sciences and humanities in general (e.g. materialism,
idealism, determinism, dialecticism, modernity, globalization, post modernity, and so on)
b) Sociological theory is different from social theory. Social theory focuses on commentary
and critique of modern society rather then explanation and its goals are intensively political.
Prominent social theorists include Jürgen Habermas, Pierre Bourdieu, Anthony Giddens,
Erving Goffman, Michel Foucault, Dorothy Smith, Alfred Schutz, Jeffrey Alexander, and
Jacques Derrida. Sociological theory, on the other hand, is centered on the attempt to
understand the society.[2] Whereas sociological theory relies heavily on the scientific
method, is objective, and does not presume to judge the society, social theory is closer to
philosophy, more subjective, and is much more likely to use the language of values and
judgment, referring to concepts as "good" or "bad". prominent sociological theorists include
Talcott Parsons, Robert K. Merton, Randall Collins, James Samuel Coleman, Peter Blau,
Immanuel Wallerstein, George Homans, Harrison White, Theda Skocpol, Gerhard Lenski,
Pierre van den Berghe and Jonathan H. Turner. Blurry boundaries affect social science, and
there are prominent scholars who could be seen as being in between social and sociological
theories, such as Harold Garfinkel, Herbert Blumer, and Claude Lévi-Strauss. Development
of sociological theory Sociological theory is constantly evolving, and can never be presumed
to be complete. New sociological theories built on their predecessors and add to them, but
classic sociological theories are still considered important and current .Whereas the field of
sociology itself and sociological theory by extension is relatively knew, dating to 18th and
19th centuries (see history of sociology), it is closely tied to a much older field of social
sciences (and social theory) in general. Sociology has separated itself from the other social
sciences with its focus on society, a concept that goes beyond nation, and includes
communities, organizations and relationships. Some of the key developments that influenced
sociological theory were: the rise of individualism, the appearance of the modern state,
industrialization and capitalism, colonization and globalization, and the world wars. Those
and similar developments challenged contemporary thinkers, inspiring them to question
whether existing theories can explain the observed reality, and to built on them, creating
alternate theories, in search for the explanation of the observed society.