Professional Documents
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What is Sociology?
The scientific study of human life, social groups, whole societies and the human world as such (Giddens, 2009).
Is the systematic study of social behavior and human groups. It focuses primarily on the influence of social
relationships upon peoples attitudes and behaviour and on how societies are established and change. (Schaefer,
1986)
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. (Berger, 1963)
Simply stated, Sociology is
Looks at how societies, social groups, social institutions, etc. interact with each other.
Looks at how different social conditions shape different social relationships, particularly how people in different
milieux act.
A sociological perspective helps you to see how the events and problems that preoccupy us today are timeless-- it
is a result of the interweaving of historical factors and actions of large-scale forces.
o Rise of industrialization
o Secularization
o Age of Reason/ Enlightenment
o Political Revolutions
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17th and 18th century philosophers tried to understand the relationship of the individual and society.
Ideas of Locke and Rosseau gave way to an emphasis on individual liberty and freedom. These ideas -discovery of the individual and its relationship to society, and ther regulation of individual freedom by
governments were the central themes in the European ideology in the eve of the 19th century.
Socius - companion
Logos - knowledge
Sociology was an offspring of the transition of societies from pre - modern to modern
It was a science that aimed to encompass other social sciences such as history, economics, and psychology
Structure
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History
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Culture
o What varieties of men and women now prevail in this society and in this period? And what varieties
are coming to prevail?
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In what ways are they selected and formed, liberated and repressed, made sensitive and blunted?
What kinds of "human nature" are revealed in the conduct and character we observe in this societv
in this period?
And what is the meaning for "human nature" of each and even' feature of the society we are
examining?
The Social worker derives his methodical approach from modern psychology.
The Social worker intervenes and mediates in social problems. He does immediate actions and creates upright
solutions to respond to the current needs of a particular community. The sociologist on the other hand, looks
at the root of a particular social phenomenon and he puts it on a socio historical context to create an
objective and scientific analysis for long term solutions.
The journalist, like the sociologist, creates an elaborate investigation on social events and occurrences.
The difference between them is that, the journalist, though also interested in explaining social phenomenon,
highlights on spectacular events and things that would captivate and awe the readers. The sociologist on the
other hand looks for the mundane, the esoteric, and the typical. He explains how things came to be, and
looks for the natural patterns of everyday life.
The journalist looks for and writes about the story. The sociologist will try unraveling the story behind the
story.
Both the sociologist and statistician use statistics to explain the characteristics of a particular demography,
population, or a group. The difference is that the sociologist uses statistics as a methodical tool to have a
scientific basis for his sociological analysis.
The statistician and sociologist both need data, but the sociologist applies a sociological perspective/ theory
to interpret the data in order for it to be useful in explaining social phenomenon.
Who sees through social relationships. He knows the story behind the story
Who is value - free. He looks at social phenomenon without biases and neutral. But as a human being, the
sociologist is value-bound.
Who sees matters in a relative way. He knows that social actions derived from morals and ethics vary in
particular social space and positions.