SOCIOLOGY

&
BUILDING ECONOMICS

SEMESTER 5
FACULTY : Ar MAHIMA J
 LEARNING APPROACHES
Lectures &
notes ( by me
!)
Quiz per class,
written

NON –ACTIVITY
Assignments 30%
Reports etc.
BASED
Internals

Guest
lectures
% distribution of
hours to be
LEARNING Debates
spent in class
APPROACH
Presentations
Group
activities
Story board
70%
ACTIVITY BASED Poster making

Pictorial
representations
(sketch plates )
Individual

Video making
 Syllabus Blueprint :
Introduction to Today
Sociology
MODULE 1

Elements of society

communities Cities and society

MODULE 2
Urban and rural
Social research
communities

SOCIOLOGY & BUILDING Economics

ECONOMICS
MODULE 3
Economic organization
of society

Economics and the

market
MODULE 4

Urban land values

MODULE 5

Building costs
 MARKS ! MARKS ! MARKS !

EVERY OUTCOME OF LEARNING ( BOTH

UNDER ACTIVITY BASED AND NON- ACTIVITY

BASED) WILL BE CONSIDERED &

EVALUATED FOR PROGRESSIVE MARKING

( 50 MARKS) .

QUIZ, CLASS
INTERNALS ACTIVITIES
TESTS

EXTERNAL EXAMINATION – 100 MARKS

 MUST & SHOULD’s of S&BE class :
 Punctuality – BE PRESENT IN CLASS ON TIME
 Late comers  0 attendance on that day
 95-100% attendance holders will get a surprise & special reward
by end of semester.
 85% attendance throughout semester is compulsory to pass
internal assessment
 Parents will be getting reminders every 15 days regarding your
attendance & overall performance( by proctors as well)
 Do NOT use MOBILE Phones while in Class . All mobiles to be kept
in silent mode and placed in front row of class.
 SBE classes

Friday Monday
( 9-10:40 am) (11-11:50 am)

Activity / Weekly quiz/

Ppt seminar Ppt seminar
assignment written test
(1 hour) (30 min)
(40 mins) (20 min)
 INTRODUCTION TO
SOCIOLOGY
Module 1 - SESSION 1
FACULTY : Ar MAHIMA J
Learning Objectives

 What Is Sociology?
 Nature, Scope and Utility of Sociology
 Branches of Sociology.
 Relation of Sociology and its branches to architecture
and the built environment.
PART 1
 What Is Sociology ?

 Sociology is the study of groups

and group interactions,
societies and social interactions,
from small and personal groups
to very large groups.

A group of people who live in a

defined geographic area, who
interact with one another, and
who share a common culture is
what sociologists call a society.
Macro and micro level analysis in
Sociology
 Sociologists study all aspects and
levels of society. Sociologists
working from the micro-level
study small groups and individual
interactions, while those using
macro-level analysis look at
trends among and between large
groups and societies.
 For example, a micro-level study
might look at the accepted rules
of conversation in various groups
such as among teenagers or
business professionals.
 In contrast, a macro-level analysis
might research the ways that
language use has changed over
time or in social media outlets
Scope of sociology

 It means that sociology seeks to provide an analysis of

human society and culture with a Sociological
perspective.
 All sociologists are interested in experiences of
individual and how those experiences are shaped in
interactions with social groups and society as a whole.
 Cultural patterns and social forces put pressure on
people to select one choice over the other
Nature of sociology

 Sociology influences an individual’s decisions.

 Science of general nature- based on reason,
observation and experimentation.
 It is a category of social sciences and deals with the
experiences of people and their social life in general.
 A key basis of the sociological perspective is the
concept that the individual and society are
inseparable
Utility of sociology

 Studying sociology is beneficial for both individuals

and society
 People learn how to think critically about social issues
and problems that confront our society.
 It enriches students’ lives and prepares them for
careers in an increasingly diverse world.
 Society benefits because people with sociological
training are better prepared to make informed
decisions about social issues and take effective action
to deal with them.
 BRANCHES OF SOCIOLOGY
 As sociology is considered a very popular and fast growing science came into
existence (only after 1839 AD) is vast and broad discipline. It has lots of specialists
so that we can divide it into various sub-divisions on the basis of its contents.
 The main branches of sociology are as follows:
 Theoretical Sociologist
It includes micro theory or small/middle/large theory. The theories of Karl Marx, August
Cimte, Max Wever, Emmile Durkhaim, Sorokin, etc. are studied under the theories of
sociology.
E.g. The theories of “Economic determinism” and the theory of “Class Struggle” of Karl Marx.
E.g. “Theory of Suicide” by Emmile Durkhaim.

 Historical Sociology
It is the study of social facts and social groups. It studies the background of any social
events. How and when different social groups or organizations originated ?
E.g. The history of Hindu, Roman, Greek, etc. and other major civilizations were studied by
P.A. Sorkin.
 Sociology of Knowledge
The newly emerged branch of sociology indicates that our knowledge is the product of
social phenomena. This means our knowledge is always influenced by society. The
economic, religious, political and other interests shape human beliefs and ideas.

 Criminology
This branch of sociology studies the criminal behavior of individuals or groups. Origin of
crime, its types, nature, causes as well as law, punishment, police, etc. come under this
study. The efforts for the improvement is also studied.
Different organizations establish to control the crime as well as their role also come under its
study.
 Sociology of Religion
This branch studies the structure of the religion in social system as no society is
free from the influence of it. It analyses the social behavior of human beings.
It also studies the religious constitutions and their role in the society.

 Sociology of Economy
This branch of sociology studies production, distribution, consumption and
exchange of goods and services.
This branch also studies the economic activities of the society in which the
focus is given about the socio-cultural factors. The access in production, the
mode of distribution, the real consumers, the role of culture in such activities
are studied under it.

 Rural Sociology
This branch of sociology studies the way of life of rural people as the rural
population is higher than the urban. The patterns of life such as behavior,
belief, culture, tradition norms, values, etc. are totally different than of urban
people. So, it studies the rural society in scientific way. It also studies rural life,
social institutions, social structure, social processes, etc. of the rural society.

 Urban Sociology
This branch of sociology studies the way of life of urban people. It gives
information about the social organizations and institution of urban society as
well as social structure and social interaction. It also studies the social
pathology of urban society such as discrimination) crime, corruption,
robbery, beggary, loot, theft, unemployment, prostitution, environmental
pollution, etc.
 Political Sociology
This branch of sociology studies different political moments of the society. It
includes the study of different political ideology (view), their origin,
development and functions. In this study, different political parties are
considered as social institutions. Various activities and behavior of political
parties are studied in this branch. As they are the part of social system.

 Sociology of Demography
of scientific mathematical and statically study of population. It studies about
size, situation, composition, density, distribution, and measurement etc. of the
population.
In this branch of sociology, we study the distribution of human population with
the analysis of population change in sociological perspectives. It also finds
out the determining factors of population change and its trend.
 Sociology of Law
Sociology of law and legal system are considered as the part of social
institution as law is one of the very important means of social control. Law is
related with other different social sub systems. Such as economy, nature of
distribution, authority, structure of family kinship relationships, etc. So, this
branch of sociology is related to moral order for the society as formulation
and implementation of rules and regulations, law and order come under this.

 Industrial Sociology
This branch of sociology is concerned with the industrial relationship of the human
beings. It studies the different industrial organizations and institutions. As well as their
interrelationship and links with other various institutions of society. It also studies the
inter relationships of industrial institutions with various aspects of human life such as
culture, beliefs, customs, religion or the way of life.
 ACTIVITY TIME
#1

“ MAKING CONNECTIONS - Sociology in the Real world -

Students and Social networking “
 AIM : To understand the purpose and meaning of sociology.
 Groups – 2 ( 4-5 in each group) – these are the MICRO groups
 Group A- uses Social networking sites
And Group B – who don’t use Social networking sites much but
believe in face time for communication
 TASK – discuss all the points ( pros & cons of each group)
 EXECUTION FORMAT – Verbal presentation of both groups one by
one , followed by a DEBATE by both groups on same.
 Note – Make a list of your learnings and outcomes of this activity
PART 2
What is your perception about
these images ?

What kind of spaces are these?

 Relation of Sociology and its branches to
architecture and the built environment.
 Sociology of architecture is the sociological study of the built
environment and the role and occupation of architects in modern societies.
 Architecture is basically constituted of the aesthetic, the engineering and
the social aspects. The built environment which is made up of designed
spaces and the activities of people are inter-related and inseparable. It is for
us to understand this interrelationship and put it down appropriately on
paper.
 Architecture and urban space play an important role among the
sociological and psychological factors that influence humans and their
wellbeing. Sociology and psychology analyze the role of architecture in the
conscious shaping of space. Sociology of settlement, the city and the
housing, deals, with building (or architectural) activity of man, and his
perception and needs.
 Architectural sociology approaches these questions in examining how
architectural forms both influence and react to sociocultural phenomena. A
large proportion of our human experience and social interaction occurs in
the buildings in which we live and work. Therefore, architectural sociologists
use sociological perspective to enhance building design.
 Architectural sociology is defined as the application of
social theory and methods to the architectural design
process.
 It provides quantitative and qualitative research tools to
anticipate how designs impact people on a variety of
levels.
 This thing is, sociologists need not necessarily be
architects, but architects have to necessarily be
sociologists to understand how people think and react to
element in the built environment.
 The following are reasons why architects must be
sociologists:
 The beliefs of the people affect the plan form.
 In indigenous Ghanaian Societies, the Circle is said to be a sacred shape it
symbolizes God's perfection.
 Therefore the people have their architecture portraying rounded plan forms.
 The people any northern Ghana live in small clusters of rounded huts. This is
influenced by the in belief that that rounded shapes presents God’s perfection
  The geographical location of the people affect their
architecture. This mainly affects the materials used.
 In the temperate regions like the America’s and the United Kingdom,
more glass is in their buildings. This help to trap heat indoors. They have a
kind of "glassy architecture.”
 Also the kind walls used in their building is affected. They use insulated
walls which trap heat between the walls.

Millennium Tower, San Francisco

London has a spiky

new steel and glass
steeple - the Shard.
This elongated St Mary Axe informally
pyramid is in the known as The Gherkin, is
European Union at a commercial skyscraper
height of 310m in London's primary
financial district, the City
of London
 In the tropical world, where its relatively hot all year round, less
glass is used to prevent the build-up of heat in the buildings.
 In America, especially North America, due to the abundance of
wood, the main building material is wood. Which is not so in the
tropical world (Ghana).
 In northern Ghana, the people there build round huts with mud
using the wattle and daub construction method.
 These huts are usually roofed in thatch on straw. Their homes
usually have small windows which reduces the amount of heat
entering the building. Generally the choice of materials here is to
cool the building to the maximum.
 In Southern Ghana, where the Sea breeze is enjoyed, the architecture
there is way different from that of northern Ghana.
 Here, all sort of plan shapes are used, houses are relatively bigger and
Sandcrete block is the main building material used down in the South.
 For roofing aluminium roofing sheets n the most popular. Roofing tiles are
also used.
 The kind of architecture done in the temperate regions cannot fit in the
tropical world and vice versa.
 This is because the sociology of the people (skin Colour and type, way of
living ) are not the same. Hence the difference in architecture.
 When people force foreign architecture into a place it becomes isolated
and odd.

An example of misplaced architecture is The

Supreme court building in Accra, Ghana.
 Religion is also another factor that Influences sociology. The kind
of religious building people put up vary from religion to religion.
Religion as a whole, gave rise to various architectural forms.
 The Ionic, Corinth, and Doric techniques came about due to
religion. The Greeks used these styles to decorate their temples.
 The Main Elements
of the Doric Order
(Temple of the
Dioscouri at
Agrigento)

Selinunte. Temple E

The Parthenon (the epitome of the Doric Frontal view of the Hephaistion
Order) in the Athenian Agora
Buddhist build temples with large domes on top called Stupas. The
stupas were built of stone or bricks to Commemorate important events or
important places associated with Buddhism. These were used to house the
relics of Buddha. These temples were rock-cut. That is carved out of the
rocks.
Shwedagon Pagoda in Buddhist Stupa in Sri Lanka
Yangoon……..location ???

Guess ?

Dhamekh stupa in Sarnath, where Buddha gave

his first sermon
Guess this temple
name ??
 In Islamic architecture, mosques are built with large domes on top. These domes usually carry
the Islamic crescent moon and star. This is the symbol of Islam.

 Also, Special courtyards called Sahn are almost always present. A courtyard is an enclosed area
often enclosed by a building which is open to the sky.

 “Sahn” refers to a courtyard Surrounded by an arcade at all sides. It contains asymmetrical pool
where ablutions are performed.

I
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 With respect to Christianity, churches are very huge. This is believed to represent God’s
superiority to man. These are usually decorated with Statues of Jesus Christ and the symbol
of a Cross.
 Religion goes all the way to influence the plan shape of churches. Especially Catholic
churches. Most Catholic Churches take the basic shape of the cross. It is believed by
Christians that the Cross Symbolizes atonement and reminds Christians of God's love in
sacrificing his own son for humanity. It represents Jesus' victory over sin and death. The St.
Peter’s Basilica, Italy Is a perfect example of a church with a Cross shaped plan.
With respect to Hinduism
 ACTIVITY TIME
#2

“ARCHITECTURE BLOCK v/s ENGINEERING BLOCK “ – Campus

Scenes !! (micro analysis)
 Identify the spaces which can be easily recognized with
respect to their blocks and social behavior
 Individual activity
 One A4 / A3 sheet each
 Only pictorial representation , sketches , caricatures
 You may also add Architectural details
 You can pick BCOA or any other or something of out of
your imagination.
 Note – Make a list of your learnings and outcomes of this
activity
 Social institutions are many and these social
institutions sometimes need functional spaces to allow
the people using the building to benefit from all
aspects of both, the purpose of what inhabits the
building and by the varied structure and organized
flow of communication.
 The way the buildings are designed to fulfill the needs
of these social institutions /social requirements can be
said to be the compliance of social aspects in
architecture.
In Conclusion,,,,,,

Sociology affects every aspects of man’s existence.

Sociologists need not necessarily be architects, but
architects have to necessarily be sociologists to
understand how people think and react to element in the
built environment.
Architects therefore here to understand how people
reason in order to make them live comfortably.
ASSIGNMENT 1

 Religion is also another factor that Influences

sociology- A DETAILED REPORT .
 Select 4 religions across the world.
 Write about peoples/ society/ community beliefs and
how they had an impact on design of their religious
building .
 Support them with neat sketches .
 Format :A4 size sketch plates ( sheets) & put in a slip
file
 Submission date :
References & sources

 www.Wikipedia.com
 https://openstax.org/details/books/introduction-
sociology-2e
 Relevance of sociology to architecture – by Barimah
Ntow-Kummi , architect
 https://notes.tyrocity.com/branches-of-sociology/