Course Title: SOCIOLOGY

Course Code-
BSSE
Credit hr-3
Instructor: Miss Hina Rasul
 Introduction to sociology
 What is Sociology
 Meaning of Sociology
 Definitions
 Sociological imagination
 Fields of Sociology
 Sociology of Family
 Sociology of Rural & Urban Community
 Sociology of Law
 Sociology of Politics
 Sociology of Religion
 Social Psychology
 Social Psychiatry
 Industrial Sociology
 Military Sociology
Learning Outcomes

 Student will be able to explain social facts and society related

concepts.
 Student will be able to define and explain sociological
concepts.
 Student will be able to convey the historical development of
sociology.
 Students will be able to understand different field of sociology
What is sociology

 Sociology is the branch of the social sciences that uses systematic

methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop
and refine a body of knowledge about human social structure and
activity.
 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. 
Meaning of sociology

 The term ‘Sociology’ was coined by Auguste Comte, a French philosopher in

1839.
 The word ‘Sociology’ is derived from the Latin word ‘Societus’ meaning (society,
companion) and the Greek word ‘logos’ meaning ‘study or science’
 Sociology’ is the ‘science of society’. In other words, we can say Sociology is the
study of man’s behaviour in groups or of interaction among human beings of
social relationships and the processes by which human group activity takes
place.. 
What Does Sociologist do ?

Sociologist ask questions to explore and investigate

phenomenon to understand the trends, causes and possible
outcomes or consequence of given situation.

For instance:
You’re attending a concert (point to remember it is
only one type of crowd) where you know no body but
only handful of people either family or friends and
experience variety of behaviors and feeling of connection.
Continue..

Here a sociologist might ask or explore

Why might people of a single group exhibit different
behavior?
Or
Why people though acting similar yet does not feel
connected or exhibit same behavior as others?

These are one or two of many questions sociologists ask as

they study people and societies.
Definitions

 Auguste Comte, defines Sociology is the scientific study of society.

As a knowledge
(scientific investigation)

As methods
(Discover)

As tools
Continue…

 Durkheim defines Sociology as the “science of social

institution”.
Continue
 Simmel define ‘sociology is study of social groups on the basis of social
interaction’
Continue…
 Ian Robertson define sociology is the scientific study of human society and
social behaviour.
Continue….

 Ken browne define sociology is the systematic (or planned and organised)
study of human groups and social life in modern societies.
Sociological imagination
 The Sociological Imagination also known as Sociological Lens or
Sociological Perspective was presented by C. Wright Mills

 Mills defined sociological imagination as

 “a process by which individuals understand their own and others’ past
in relation to history and social structure (1959)”.
 Regardless of the diversity among different sociologist each share a
something in common that is the use of this perspective in studying
societies and its people.
Conti...

By using this lens, sociologists are able examine

 What influences behaviors,
 Attitudes, and
 Culture.

Thus by applying systematic and scientific methods to this

process, sociologists try to do so without letting their own biases
and pre-conceived ideas influence their conclusion.
 Why Study Sociology

 Students will learn how to think critically about social issues and
problems that confront society.

 Enriches students’ lives and prepares them for careers in an

increasingly diverse world.

 It benefits overall society itself because people with sociological

training are well equipped and are better prepared to make
informed discussions about social issues and take effective action to
deal with them.
Fields of Sociology
 Sociology is an extensive subject covering all aspects of human life whether
the relation is between
 Mother and child
 Teacher and student
 Doctor and patient
 Customer and shopkeeper, etc.
 All such relations are social in nature thus are part of sociological study.
Fields of sociology

 Some areas in which sociology work are listed below with reference to
Pakistani society.

 Sociology of community
 Sociology of family
 Sociology of religion
 Sociology of law
 Medical sociology
 Social psychology
 Social psychiatry
 Social disorganisation
Introduction

 Sociology is the study of human behavior, their relation with other people,
patterns of reactions.
 It is a study which manages to study social changes and investigates every
aspect of human behavior. It is the basic fundamental study of ancient,
and modern civilization.
 Hence sociology contains many branches which a sociologist needs to
understand.
 Study of sociology deals with the study of human society. Human society is
so vast and diverse that to study its features and characteristics through one
classification is impossible.
 To study sociology, the sociologist has made many classifications based on
various grounds.
Sociology of community

 The organisation and problems in both rural

and urban types of communities are different
and analysed in this branch.
Rural Community
 Rural life differ from urban in important
characteristics.
 Rural sociology studies rural social structure,
rural problems, its causes and consequences,
and socio-cultural changes taking place in rural
areas.
Urban Community
 On the other hand, urban sociology , is more
interested in urban social structure, urban
problems , its causes and consequences, and
socio-cultural changes taking place in urban
parts of society.
Sociology of Family

Families are the basic structure of society.

Different families offer different values
and upbringing to their child. In this
branch, we study different methods of
parenting found in families. How different
families can bring different changes in a
child is studied under this branch.
Sociology of the family is a branch
of sociology studying the construction and
role of families, as well as the relations
both within the domestic sphere and
outward into the work sphere.
Sociology of religion

 Sociology of religion is the study of the

beliefs, practices and organizational
forms of religion using the tools and
methods of the discipline of sociology.
 We study the origin and development of
the institution of mosque.
 The institution performs certain functions
for the integration of social groups.
 Sociology of Quran, hadith, and fiqah
analyses concepts, principles and
generalizations in sociology of islam.
Sociology of Law

• It studies the formal social control of

society. How laws regulate and
systematize group life?
 .law and sociology is broadly focused on
the relationship between law and society,
both historically and in the contemporary
world.
 Law is very important in order to keep
country functioning and to attain better
prosperity and peaceful environment. It
is the only device which is useful to
guide and administer millions of people
without any ambiguity.
Social psychiatry

 Individuals have certain expectations from

the people living within the society, fail to
fulfill the needs by the society he becomes
disappointed through which a condition of
conflict arises.
 The fight between society and
individual and its impacts upon the
individual organisation resulting in his
mental disorders and anti-social
behaviour are the separate fields of
inquiry.
Social psychology
 It is the society that teaches a man various
methods of living, it gives education of
social life in which s/he lives in. though
born in family as a child but trained and
educated by the different groups of society
as a whole.
 It is concerned with socialisation processes of
individual’s life. How an individual becomes a
member of society by inculcating norms in
himself.

Medical sociology
 Medical sociology is the sociological analysis
of medical organizations and institutions.
 The production of knowledge and selection of
methods, the actions and interactions of
healthcare professionals, and the social or
cultural (rather than clinical or bodily) effects
of medical practice.
Industrial Sociology

 Industry is not only the backbone of every country rather an engine of national and human
development as well. those who gained tremendous achievements in this fields are unmatchable
with the rest of the world.
Military Sociology
 Military is found in every society, it is the force which is responsible for external defense and
internal stability of the country. Future of every nation lies in its strength.
Lecture end