Introduction To Sociology

INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY
Almudena Martínez del Olmo

INDEX
1. Definition and Subject Matter of

Sociology
2. The Significance of Learning Sociology
1. DEFINITION AND SUBJECT MATTER OF SOCIOLOGY
1.1. What is Sociology?:

As may be the case with other sciences,
sociology is often misconceived among the
populace. Though many may rightly and
grossly surmise that sociology is about
people, some think that it is all about
“helping the unfortunate and doing welfare
work, while others think that sociology is
the same as socialism and is a means of
bringing revolution to our schools and
colleges” (Nobbs, Hine and Flemming,
1978:1).
DEFINITION AND SUBJECT MATTER OF SOCIOLOGY
Sociology is a social science which

studies the processes and patterns of
human individual and group
interaction, the forms of organization
of social groups, the relationship
among them, and group influences on
individual behavior, and vice versa, and
the interaction between one social
group and the other (Team of Experts,
2000).

What is love?
• Biology: Adrenaline, increased heart

rate, sweat in the hands...
• Psychology: Thoughts, feelings,
insecurities, etc.
• Sociology: Love expresses a physical
and personal attraction that two
individuals feel for each other.

Sociología:
Have you ever been in love? Do we share the same

definition of love? If we do, how do we get there?
Who are the people we love? Social class, race, sex…
Does society influence this?
Did our grandparents love the same way we love?


We tend to think that falling in love is an experience
that comes from universal human feelings and is largely
linked to marriage.
However:
• Medieval Europe: almost no one married for love. In
fact, the following saying existed then: "Loving one's
wife with passion is adultery." Romantic love was
considered, at best, a weakness and, at worst, a kind
of illness.
• Industrial modern Europe: Romantic love is an
obsession
Therefore:
• Romantic love cannot be considered an intrinsic part of human life but,

in reality, this conception is the result of very diverse social and historical
influences, which are the object of study by sociologists.
• Most of us see the world according to characteristics that have to do

with our own lives. Sociology shows that it is necessary to use a broader
point of view to understand why we are the way we are and why we act
the way we do.

Examples:
Coffee: What does it mean to drink a cup of coffee?

Conclusions:
• Most of us see the world according to characteristics that have to do with our own
lives. Sociology shows that it is necessary to use a broader point of view to
understand why we are the way we are and why we act the way we do.
• It teaches us that what we consider natural, inevitable, good or true may not be so
and that the "givens" of our lives are influenced by historical and social forces.
• For the sociological approach it is essential to understand how individual life

reflects social experiences.
Conclusions:
• Learning to think sociologically – in other words, using a broader approach –

means cultivating the imagination.
• The sociological imagination asks us, above all, to be able to think by distancing
ourselves from familiar routines, from our daily lives, to be able to see them as if
they were something new.
• The sociological imagination allows us to realize that many events that seem to
concern only the individual actually have to do with more general issues.
• Decisions, problems, concerns... will depend on the individual's position in a social
context

Sociology is the scientific study of society, which is interested in the study
of social relationship between people in group context.
Sociology is interested in:

• How we as human beings interact with each other (the pattern of social
interaction)
• The laws and principles that govern social relationship and interactions
• The influence of the social world on the individuals, and vice versa
• It deals with a factually observable subject matter, depends upon empirical
research, and involves attempts to formulate theories and generalizations that
will make sense of facts (Giddens, 1982).
1.2. Brief Historical Overview

• Sociology and other social sciences emerged from a common tradition
of reflection of social phenomena; interest in the nature of human
social behavior.
• Most people in most past societies saw their culture as a fixed and god-
given entity. This view gradually was replaced by more rational
explanations beginning from the 17th century especially in Western
Europe
• Sociology as an academic science was thus born in 19th century in
Great Britain and Western Europe, especially in France and Germany,
and it greatly advanced through out 19th and 20th centuries.

• The development of sociology and its current
contexts have to be grasped in the contexts of the
major changes that have created the modern
world (Giddens, 1986)
• The major conditions, societal changes, upheavals
and social ferments that gave rise to the emergence
and development of sociology as an academic
science include the Industrial Revolution which
began in Great Britain, the French Political
Revolution of 1789, the Enlightenment and
advances in natural sciences and technology.

• The pioneering sociologists were
very much concerned about the
great changes that were taking
place and they felt that the
exciting sciences could not help
understand, explain, analyze and
interpret the fundamental laws
that govern the social
phenomena.
1.3. The founders of sociology

Auguste Comte (1798-1857)
• He coined the term "sociology."
• Believed that this new area could produce knowledge of society based on
scientific data and considered that sociology was the last science left to be
created - following the example of physics, chemistry and biology - and that
it was the most significant and complex of all.
• Sociology was to contribute to the well-being of humanity by using science

to understand and therefore predict and control human behavior.
• According to this view, at the end of his career he drew up ambitious plans
for the reconstruction of French society, in particular, and human societies
in general.

Émile Durkheim (1858-1917)
• Durkheim considered that most of Comte's works were too speculative and
vague and that he had not achieved what he had set out to do: give sociology
a scientific basis.
• To become scientific, sociology had to study social facts, that is, aspects of
social life - such as the state of the economy or the influence of religion - that
shape our individual actions. We should study social life with the same
objectivity with which scientists study nature.
• "Study social facts as if they were things!" What he meant by this was that
social life can be analyzed with the same rigor as objects or events in nature.

• Durkheim was concerned about the changes that were transforming society
in his time and believed that what keeps it together are shared values and
customs.
• His analysis of social change was based on the development of the division
of labor. This process was increasingly displacing religion as the main nucleus
of social cohesion. As the division of labor expands, people become more
dependent on others, because each of them needs goods and services
provided by those in other occupations. According to Durkheim, the
processes of change in the modern world are so rapid and intense that they
create great social disruptions, which he linked to anomie, a sense of
aimlessness and despair produced by modern social life.

• In one of his most famous studies (1952; originally published in 1897)
Durkheim analyzed suicide, a phenomenon that seems to be a purely
personal act, the result of a profound unhappiness of the individual, but it
is the result of the weakening of social ties and the capacity of society to
integrate.
• Durkheim points out that social factors have a decisive influence on suicidal
behavior, anomie being one of these influences.

Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• Like Comte and Durkheim, he attempted to explain the social changes
that were occurring during the Industrial Revolution.
• Marx's works cover various areas and even his harshest critics consider
his work to have enormous relevance for the development of
sociology. Much of his work focuses on economic issues but,
considering that he always tried to connect economic problems with
social institutions, his work is full of interesting sociological
observations.

Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• The main causes of social change are not the ideas or values of human
beings. On the contrary, social change is primarily induced by economic
influences. The conflict between classes - rich versus poor - constitutes the
driving force of historical development. The history of class struggles.
• Marx focused on the analysis of change in the modern era. For him, the most
important transformations of this period are linked to the development of
capitalism, a production system that radically contrasts with the previous
economic orders in history, since it involves the production of goods and
services to sell them to a wide range of consumers.

Karl Marx (1818-1883)
• Those who own capital - factories, machinery and large sums of money -
make up a ruling class. The rest of the population constitutes a class of
salaried workers, or working class, who do not have the means for their own
survival and who, therefore, must seek the jobs provided by those who have
capital.
• Consequently, capitalism is a class system in which the conflict between

them is constant.
• For Marx, capitalism will be replaced in the future by a classless society,

without major divisions between rich and poor.
Max Weber (1864-1920)

• Like other thinkers of his time, he tried to understand social change. He was
influenced by Marx but was also very critical of some of his main ideas.
• He rejected the materialist conception of history and considered that class
conflicts were less relevant than Marx assumed. For Weber, economic
factors are important, but the impact of ideas and values on social change is
equally significant.
• For Weber, cultural ideas and values help constitute a society and shape
our individual actions: capitalism is but one of the many important factors
that constitute social development. The impact of science and bureaucracy
are factors that underlie capitalism and that, in some ways, are more
important than it.
1.4. Subject Matter, Scope and Concerns of Sociology
• The scope of sociology is extremely wide ranging, from the analysis of passing
encounter between individuals on the street up to the investigation of global
social processes. The discipline covers an extremely broad range that includes
every aspect of human social conditions; all types of human relationships and
forms of social behavior (Indrani, 1998)
• Sociologists are keen to understand, explain, and analyze the effect of social world,
social environment and social interaction on our behavior, worldviews, lifestyle,
personality, attitudes, decisions, etc., as creative, rational, intelligent members of
society; and how we as such create the social reality.
1.5. Levels of Sociological Analysis and Fields of

Specializations in Sociology
There are generally two levels of analysis in sociology:
1. Micro-sociology: interested in smallscale level of the structure and functioning of

human social groups. It focuses on social interaction. It analyzes interpersonal
relationships, and on what people do and how they behave when they interact.
2. Macro-sociology: studies the large-scale aspects of society. Focuses on the broad

features of society. The goal of macro-sociology is to examine the large-scale
social phenomena that determine how social groups are organized and
positioned within the social structure.

Within these general frameworks, sociology may be divided into specific sub-fields
on the basis of certain criteria:
• The Field of Social Organization and Theory of Social Order: focuses on

institutions and groups, their formation and change
• Social Control: ways in which members of a society influence one another so as to
maintain social order.
• Social Change: the way society and institutions change over time
• Social Processes: identification of pattern of social change
• Social Groups: functioning of social groups, structure, changes, etc.
• Social Problems: emancipation, crime, social exclusión, etc.

Currently, sociology has got quite several specific subdivisions or
fields of specialization in it. Some of them are:
• criminology; demography; human ecology; political sociology;

medical sociology; sociology of the family; sociology of sports;
sociology of development; social psychology; socio- linguistics;
sociology of education; sociology of religion; sociology of
knowledge; sociology of art; sociology of science technology;
sociology of law; urban sociology; rural sociology; economic
sociology; and industrial sociology and, of course SOCIOLOGY
OF TOURISM AND LEISURE
1.6. Major Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology
• Sociology as science employs perspectives or

theories to understand, explain, analyze and
interpret social phenomena. To interpret social
facts, they must be subjected to a theoretical
framework.
• A theory may be defined as a general
statement about how some parts of the world
fit together and how they work.
• There are three major theoretical perspectives
in sociology: structural functionalism, social
conflict theory and symbolic interactionism.
Structural functionalism Social conflict Symbolic interactionism.
Objective, hierarchical, Subjective, imagined in the minds
Vision of the society Objective, stable, cohesive
fragmented of the people
Relationship of Individuals occupy permanent Individuals subordinate to Individuals and society are
individuals with society social roles the society interdependent
Result of conflict over The inequality shown through the
Vision of inequality Unavoidable, functional for society
resources scarce meaning of status symbols
Systems of collective meanings, the
Social consensus on the common
Power, coercion society created through social
Base of the social order values
interaction
Social disorganization and
changing network of relationships
Cause of social change adjustment to achieve balance, Fight, competition
interpersonal and meaning systems
change is gradual
It has a weak analysis of inequality
A conservative view of society that It underestimates the and tends to ignore the differences
Main critics underestimates power differences degree of cohesion and between groups in society,
between the groups stability in society overestimates the subjective basis
of society
1.7. The Significance of Learning Sociology
• Learning sociology provides us with what

sociologists call the sociological imagination.
• Sociological imagination is a particular way of
looking at the world around us through
sociological lenses. It is a way of looking at our
experiences in light of what is going on in the
social world around us.
• This helps us to appreciate the social and non-
biological forces that affect, influence and shape
our lives as individuals, groups, and communities
(Giddens, 1982).
• Learning sociology helps us understand how social

forces influence our goals, attitudes, behavior, and
personality.
• We become more sensitive towards the social issues.
• Furthermore, learning sociology helps to cast aside our
own biased assumptions, stereotypes and ethno-centric
thinking and practices to become more critical, broad-
minded and respectful in our interpersonal and inter-
group relationships.
• By learning sociology, we can be more humane and
people – centered; we give high value to human dignity.
• In general, sociology increases our self-knowledge.

• When we learn sociology, we gain more knowledge
about the conditions of our own lives, and about
the way our society and social system function.
• As such knowledge increases, we can be more
empowered to influence the direction of forces
and circumstances that affect our lives.
• We can also be more responsive to the various
policies set by governments; and can suggest our
own policy initiatives and alternatives (Giddens, op
cit).
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INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

Almudena Martínez del Olmo

1. Definition and Subject Matter of

1.1. What is Sociology?:

1.1. What is Sociology?:

Sociology is a social science which

1.1. What is Sociology?:

• Biology: Adrenaline, increased heart

1.1. What is Sociology?:

Have you ever been in love? Do we share the same

Who are the people we love? Social class, race, sex…

Does society influence this?

Did our grandparents love the same way we love?

1.1. What is Sociology?:

1.1. What is Sociology?:

• Romantic love cannot be considered an intrinsic part of human life but,

• Most of us see the world according to characteristics that have to do

1.1. What is Sociology?:

1.1. What is Sociology?:

• For the sociological approach it is essential to understand how individual life

1.1. What is Sociology?:

• Learning to think sociologically – in other words, using a broader approach –

1.1. What is Sociology?:

Sociology is interested in:

1.2. Brief Historical Overview

1.2. Brief Historical Overview

1.2. Brief Historical Overview

1.3. The founders of sociology

• Sociology was to contribute to the well-being of humanity by using science

1.3. The founders of sociology

1.3. The founders of sociology

1.3. The founders of sociology

1.3. The founders of sociology

1.3. The founders of sociology

1.3. The founders of sociology

• Consequently, capitalism is a class system in which the conflict between

• For Marx, capitalism will be replaced in the future by a classless society,

1.3. The founders of sociology

Max Weber (1864-1920)

1.4. Subject Matter, Scope and Concerns of Sociology

1.5. Levels of Sociological Analysis and Fields of

1. Micro-sociology: interested in smallscale level of the structure and functioning of

2. Macro-sociology: studies the large-scale aspects of society. Focuses on the broad

1.5. Levels of Sociological Analysis and Fields of

• The Field of Social Organization and Theory of Social Order: focuses on

1.5. Levels of Sociological Analysis and Fields of

• criminology; demography; human ecology; political sociology;

1.6. Major Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology

• Sociology as science employs perspectives or

1.7. The Significance of Learning Sociology

• Learning sociology provides us with what

1.7. The Significance of Learning Sociology

• Learning sociology helps us understand how social

1.7. The Significance of Learning Sociology

• In general, sociology increases our self-knowledge.

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