Sociology Unit 1- Notes l

Module 1- Content
1. Sociology as a Discipline
(a) Development of Sociology as a discipline.
(b) The development of Sociology in the Caribbean.

2. Fundamental Concepts- Social order (structure, function, power); social change; status and roles;
values, norms and sanctions; social group (primary and secondary, in-group and out-group);
socialisation (types and agents - school, family, peer group, mass media, religion); culture (elements
and characteristics);

3. Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology

(a) Consensus/Functionalist.
(b) Conflict/Marxist.
(c) Interactionist.
(d) Feminist.

4. Culture and the Social Order

(a) Caribbean socio-cultural diversity: continuity and change, conflict and assimilation,
creole and plural societies;
(b) Caribbean popular culture, for example, music, dance, art, theatre or folklore
(historical background and social context).

5. Principles of Scientific Research

(a) Sociology as a science.
(b) Ethical issues in research.
6. Research Methods
(a) Positivism and interpretivism.
(b) Quantitative, qualitative and triangulation.
(c) Surveys and sampling methods.
(d) Document studies.
(e) Observation (participant and non-participant).
(f) Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies:
Module 1 notes
Chapter 1:
Part 1: Sociology as a discipline- (a) Development of Sociology as a discipline.

(b) The development of Sociology in the Caribbean.

Development of Sociology as a discipline

Definition of Sociology
Sociology is a scientific study of social interactions, social institutions, social patterns, and social
change of human society guided by sociological theories and methods.

The sociological imagination

A concept coined by an American sociologist in 1959, C. Wright mills. The concept describes a
person’s ability to link historical events and social forces to his or her life, illustrating the linkage
between an individual and society.

Origins of Sociology