Basilan State College

Graduate Studies
Isabela City

Chapter 1
The Role and Scope of Sociology

Present By:

ARGIE J. SARCO
M.A. Social Studies
Email Add: sarco_argie@yahoo.com
 Learning Goals
• Tell why sociology is important
• Discuss factors influencing intensity of
Muslim-Christian conflict
• Discuss reasons for neutrality in social
issues
• Discuss what is meant by scientific method
• Compare the survey method and
participant-observer method
• Indicate employment opportunities for
sociologists
 Terms to be understood
• Conflict model
• Correlation
• Empirical
• Generalization
• Mean
• Mode
• Objective
• Participant observer
• Relative deprivation
• Reliability
• Replicate
• Social forces
 Definition of Sociology
• Is the study of science of society, social
institution , and social relationship; the
systematic study of the development ,
structure, interaction, and collection
behavior of organized groups of human
being.( Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary,
10th ed.,Springfield,Massachusetts:
Merriam-Webster,Inc., 1995)
• is the scientific study of patterns of human
interaction that deals with the study of
group life.
• It deals with the study of patterns and
processes of human relations.
• It deals with the study of current issues
and problems such as ethnic relations,
family life, community life and
participation, social mobility, etc.
• A body of scientific knowledge with
theories based on scientific investigation
rather than “Armchair speculation”.

• Sociology may then defined as “ the

science of associates.” or more broadly, as
‘the scientific study of human society.”
 The Beginnings of Sociology
• INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
• An area of advancements in manufacturing
technology that paved the way to massive labor
lay-offs in Europe.
• It resulted to social unrest and massive
demonstrations.
• It signaled the beginning of vast changes in this
social world, in patterns of relationship among
people and in social life.
• It brought about an intellectual crisis in Europe.
 • Developed the first complete
approach to the scientific study of
Auguste Comte ( 1798- society (coined the word
1857 ) sociology)
• “Father of Sociology”
• Published a book Positive
Philosophy (1855)
• Viewed that societies can be
studied using methods similar to
those in the Physical Sciences
• Positivism – emphasizes the
techniques of observation,
comparison and experimentation
in the development of knowledge
concerning the nature of society
and human action (the use of
scientific method).
 • Considered the society as a
Herbert Spencer
( 1820-1903 )
living organism that grows. He
viewed the society as an
organism that evolves into
another animal. The society must
also take the course of evolution
like the Darwinian theory.
• Social Evolution Theory – let the
society takes it course,
Unplanned Change is better than
planned change. Unplanned
change would create a perfect
society.
Emile Durkheim ( 1858-
1919 )

• Functionalist Perspective – A
larger system is composed of
subsystems and parts that
must work harmoniously
according to their functions and
role to attain equilibrium or
balance
 • Conflict Theory – sees
Karl Marx ( 1818-1883 ) competition and social conflict as
forming the basis of group or
social life. It is also the source of
social change.

Thesis vs. Anti-thesis

Synthesis
 Karl Marx ( 1818-1883 )
• Marx’s model of social evolution: History as the
history of class struggle resulting to social
change.
ANCIENT  FEUDAL  CAPITALISM
• Through each period of history and societal
evolution, the exploited class comes to
recognize their exploitation and revolts against
those in power.
 “Symbolic Interactionism “
Max Weber ( 1864-
1920 )
• The interactionist
perspective focuses on
social life and human
behavior from the standpoint
of the individuals involved in
the day to day interaction.

• It assumes that people bring

into each social situation
certain ideas about
themselves and about
others.
 Max Weber ( 1864- 1920 )
• People learn ideas from others through the
ongoing processes of symbolic interaction.
Through symbols, words, action and gestures –
people communicate the meanings of events,
situations and behavior.

• Social Action – occurs when people intend to act

in ways others expect. It is the behavior
intended to fulfill expectations.
 Sociology in the Philippines
• Sociology in the Philippines
Fr. Valentin Marin OP – introduced sociology as a subject
in the academe of the University of Santo Tomas in
1896.
It was initiated in the University of the Philippines in 1911
by Prof. Murray Bartlet.
The Siliman University was one of the first to include
sociology in their curriculum.
Sociology started as a social philosophy perspective that
continued up to the 1950’s
 Serafin Macaraig – the first Filipino to receive a
PhD. In sociology in 1920 from the University of
Wisconsin. He introduced the social problem
orientation.
• Modern Sociology started in the Philippines after
the World War II
• Many Filipinos Went to Europe and America to
study sociology and went back to the
Philippines as Fulbright professors, stirring the
social interest of the people.
 There was strengthening of course offerings in
universities like:
University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila
and Xavier University. Other universities took
sociology as a part of their curriculum.
• 1952 – Philippine Sociological Society was
organized. It published the journal Philippine
Sociological Review
• The Philippine Sociological Society in the
beginning drew members from social
sciences but the officers were mostly
sociologists and anthropologists.
 Sociology among the Other
Social Sciences

• Sociology is a pure social science… Pure Social

Science > provides verifiable facts and
fundamental principles, foundations upon which
the applied social science base their program.
SOCIAL WORK is an applied social science
• Pure Social Sciences are: Economics, Political
Science, Anthropology, Psychology and
Sociology.
The science related to sociology, but which differ
from its emphasis and modes of analysis are…
 Anthropology

 Physical Anthropology – stresses the biological

sciences and focuses on the origins and the
evolutionary aspects of human beings as well as
their behavioral characteristics.

 Cultural Anthropology – is concerned with the study

of total societies
• Psychology – focuses on individual behavior,
examining the mind as well as the mental
processes of the individual including learning,
perception and motivation.
• Economics – the study of economic life of
humans and is focused on the various
dimensions of wealth, such as its production,
distribution and consumption.
• Political Science – it studies the political
behavior of humans and focuses on the various
aspects of government, political institutions,
political processes and political parties.
 Careers in Sociology
• Social Work
• Profession in the fields of medicine, law,
engineering and clergy
• Civil Service Position
• Embassies
• Government Agencies
• In teaching, research and administration
• Consultants in Social Welfare organization
• Research
 The Sociological Perspective
• The word sociology is derived from the
Latin word “socius” meaning “associate”
and the Greek word “logus” or “science.”

• Sociology may then defined as “ the

science of associates.” or more broadly, as
‘the scientific study of human society.”
 Social Influence in Operation
• Natural and social scientist agree that the
relationship between nature ( what you
inherit) and nurture (what you learn) is a
complex one.
• Sometimes, social influences are more
difficult to identify.
• For example annual decisions about how
the government budget of the Philippines
is to be spent may have a great influence
• upon all our lives, yet most of us are not
aware of how these decisions are made
nor how the budget is apportioned among
various government agencies.
• Some sociologist use the term social
forces to describe the social factors that
may influence the behavior of individuals
or groups.
• Our thoughts and actions usually conform
to those which are seen as “normal “ and
“proper” by other group members.
• Our chances of success in life will also be
affected by the groups or social categories
to which we belong. Thus, whether
someone is rich or poor, Muslim or
Christian , male of female has a very
important influence upon the course of
his/her life.
 The used of scientific method in
sociology
• Science is not only a collection of statistics
or facts. It is also a means for collecting
and verifying information. This procedure
is known as the scientific method.
• Most basic characteristics of the scientific
method lies in the fact that scientists base
their conclusions on empirical observation.
• For sociological study to be empirical , it
must be based on observations of actual
human behavior and not on commonly
ideas, personal impressions, the writing of
noted of philosophers, or images from the
mass media.
 The Characteristics of the
Scientific Approach
 Verifiable Evidence
 Factual observations which others can
see, measure, weigh or check for
accuracy
 an avenue/ tool for follow-up studies
• Ethical Neutrality
– Related to objectivity
– One must remain neutral in the interpretation of
one’s findings, without being influenced by his value
judgment or his conviction about his own group or of
himself.
• Accuracy
– It refers to the correctness of a statement
• Precision
 It refers to the exactness of a quantity and the
degree or measurement.

• It is Systematic
>working in accordance with a method of organization
• It Records
– The characteristic of having the ability of
storing information and data using accepted
technology.

• Objectivity
 It means that the data must be presented,
analyzed and interpreted independently of the
researcher’s own beliefs and value judgments.
 It is the ability of the researcher to give an
account of things as they are.
• It has Trained Observation
 Observation must be undertaken by
trained observers in the field in order to
make research credible.

• Must Identify Controlled Conditions

 A characteristic where scientific
observation is conducted within situations
that are manageable.
 The scientific method
• Sociologists are guided by the scientific method
when they investigate human behavior; in this
sense they are scientists.
• The Scientific method is an approach to data
collection that relies on two assumptions:
• (1) knowledge about the world is acquired
through observation,
• (2) the truth of the knowledge is confirmed by
verification—that is, by others making the same
observations.
The use of research techniques
in sociology
• One of the most common techniques employed
by sociologist is the survey.
• Survey concentrates on asking a portion or
sample of the general population a set of
standardized questions.
• Survey are great help in determining the
characteristics of a population, such as the
average level of education or the attitudes
towards various family planning techniques.
Shown on right side is • People have a poor regard for
an example of a survey lawyers in general. At least half of
research, a poll on those polled think that trustworthy
lawyers
,loyal-to-client, just and helpful
lawyers are pretty scare.
This was revealed in the Bishop-
Businessmen’s Conference for
Human Development nationwide
survey: a survey on lawyers and
the judiciary.
The survey was requested by the
Philippine Bar Association to find
out public perception of lawyers
and the judiciary.
 • The survey was conducted from
Shown on right side is
an example of a survey June 15 to July 22, 1985 among
research, a poll on a sample of 2,000 voters. The
lawyers respondents were drawn equally
from Metro Manila, Luzon, the
Visayas, and Mindanao. Each
region outside Metro Manila had
300 urban and 200 rural
respondents.

• -Manila Bulletin Today,

– October 30, 1985
• Sociologist who remain concerned about
the limitations of survey research may
employ a qualitative technique , such as
participative observation, instead of
quantitative techniques. In this approach,
the sociologist becomes friendly with the
members of the groups and joins them in
their daily activities.
 Participatory, Action, Research
• As described by Ledesma, this techniques
is:
• 1. participatory in that data gathering ,
analysis , and reporting are done by and
for the local communities themselves
• 2. action-oriented in that research findings
are utilized immediately by local
communities to help solve (their) problems
• 3. research in that a systematic manner
adhering to the basic norms of social
science investigation is used
The use of statistics in sociology
• It is probably fair to say that the principal
activity of sociologists is consists in the
compilation, comparison, and
interpretation of statistical facts.
• Mode is simply the number which appears
with the greatest frequency.
• Mean is another term for average
• Median is a number of items both the
above and below
 Is Common Sense Enough?
• Since sociologist deals with topics which are a
familiar part of our daily living, the accusation
sometimes made is that the sociologist is simply
one uses tortuous language to discuss subjects
which could be handled by a simple common
sense approach
• Common sense is required of the sociologist as
well as others but, by itself , does not give us
reliable knowledge about social life.
 Roucek and Warren indicate some of the
shortcomings of exclusive reliance on a common
sense approach:
Common Sense Says Sociological Inquiry Finds
• A person honest in gambling • Honesty in one situation tell
will be honest in business. relatively little about behavior
in a different situation.

• You can tell a criminal by • There is no relation between

his/her facial features. behavior and any type of
physical feature.

• The genius is generally • The genius and near-genius

unhealthy, impractical, and are usually above average in
unsuccessful health , emotional adjustment,
and income.
 Roucek and Warren indicate some of the
shortcomings of exclusive reliance on a common
sense approach:
Common sense says Sociological Inquiry Finds
• High business profits take • High business profits
money away from provide funds for more
laborers. development, more jobs,
and higher wages.

• Men are intellectually • Neither sex is superior in

superior to woman inherited intellectual
capacities.
 Models of Society: Competing Perspective
• Two of the major theories in sociology are the
functional and the conflict models of society .

• According to the functional model , the different

parts of society are closely interrelated. Like the
different organs of the body, the institutions of
society are seen as distinct to structure, but
united in their contribution to the proper
functioning of society as a whole.
 Functional and Conflict views of society
Functional Conflict
• Society is a collection of • Society id a field of
teams which work conflict.
together.

• Social class prepares • Social class enables

people to work together. people to combine forces
against other groups.
• Values evolve by social • Values consensus is an
consensus. illusion maintained by a
dominant group for its
own interest.
 Models of Society: Competing Perspective
• In contrast to the functional approach is the
conflict model of society.

• According to the proponents of this theory ,

social institutions are seen as having arisen , not
so much because they serve the interest of the
society as a whole, but because they work to
the advantage of certain socially powerful
groups.
 Sociology and Group Values

• “ Observation, description and classification of

social facts do not depend on faith and morals ;
sociology is concerned with things as they are
not as they ought to be;
• Sociology as a social science cannot tell us what
we should want, but it may tell us how to get
what we want.
End of the Presentation
SHUKRAN
MAY 01, 2010