SOCIOLOGY IN

CONTEMPORARY
TIMES
MAJOR THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
USED BY SOCIOLOGISTS

•Sociological Perspective
•Functionalist Perspective
•Conflict Perspective
•Symbolic Interactionist Perspective
SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
CHARLES HORTON COOLEY
 1864-1929
 Ann Arbor, Michigan
 Preferred to used the sociological
perspective
JANE ADDAMS
September 6, 1860 – may 21,1935
Pioneering female sociologist
Member of the American sociological society
Robert Merton
• July 4,1910 – February 23, 2003
• Harvard University
• Deviant behaviour
•
FUNCTIONALIST
PERSPECTIVE
TALCOTT PARSONS
• DECEMBER 13, 1902 – MAY 8, 1979
• COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO
• STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM
COM F L IC T P E RS P E C T IV E
 W.E.B. DU BOIS
 WILLIAM EDWARD BURGHARDT DU BOIS
 FEBRUARY 23, 1868 – AUGUST 27, 1963
 AFRICAN – AMERICAN SOCIOLOGIST
 KNOWLEDGE IS A KEY ELEMENT TO ACHIEVE
TOLERANCE AND JUSTICE AND TO FIGHT
PREJUDICE
 FEMINIST THEORY

- ARGUED FOR A GENDER – BALANCED STUDY OF

SOCIETY IN WHICH WOMEN’S CONTRIBUTIONS
AND EXPERIENCES MUST BE VISIBLE AS MEN’S.
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONIST
PERSPECTIVE
GEORGE HERBERT
MEAD
 February 27, 1863 – April 26, 1931
 Founder of the symbolic interactionist
perspective
ERVING GOFFMAN

June 11, 1922 – Nov. 19, 1982

Dramaturgical approach
CAROL BROOKS GARDNER
• focused on gender issues
SOCIOLOGICAL
IMAGINATION
- An awareness of the relationship between
an individual and the wider society
 The importance of sociology
• It allows people to obtain information about society and the different aspects of life in a
factual manner.
• We are able to understand society more objectively.
• We learn to apply scientific information to our daily lives and problems.
• We learn to note many examples of objective and non-objective uses of data.
• We develop the capacity to see through the some of the folk, tradition and conventional
wisdom of our society
• Sociological investigations help plot causes of action for the good and betterment of
society.
CHAPTER 2

SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY
 WHAT IS SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY?

Sociological inquiry is the systematic analysis of the

motivations and behaviour of individuals within groups,
the study of social groups as a whole and of such social
institutions as the family,the church, the branches of
government, the school and the community.
GOAL OF SOCIOLOGICAL
INQUIRY
SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY PROCEDURE
1.DEFINING THE PROBLEM
2.GATHERING DATA
3.ANALYZING DATA
4.VERIFYING DATA
Methodological Designs,
Techniques and Tools used
in sociological inquiry
 Sample Survey Method
 Case Study Method
 Cohort Study Method
 Interview
 Questionaire
 Quasi – experimental Method
 Participatory research
 Longitudinal Method
 Cross – sectional Method
 Naturalistic Observation Method
 Cross – cultural Method