INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY HISTORY, CONCEPTS AND METHODS

Precursors to Sociology as a discipline  Ma Tuan-Lin-General Study of Literary Remains (13 th century)  Ibn Khaldun ( )- compared nomadic and sedentary life, studied tribal social cohesions relationship to power

THE CREATION OF MODERN SOCIOLOGY  AUGUSTE COMTE( ) -OFFICIALLY COINED THE TERM “SOCIOLOGY” -FELT THAT THERE WAS A LACK OF SYSTEMATIC DATA COLLECTION OR OBJECTIVE ANALYSIS IN SOCIAL THOUGHT

COMTE  COMTE’S BASIC PREMISE WAS THAT RELIGIOUS OR PHILOSPHICAL SPECULATION ABOUT SOCIETY DID NOT PROVIDE AN ADEQUATE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO SOLVE SOCIETY’S PROBLEMS.

COMTE  WANTED TO USE SCIENTIFIC METHODS TO ADDRESS TWO BASIC QUESTIONS: “WHAT HOLDS SOCIETY TOGETHER AND GIVES RISE TO A STABLE ORDER RATHER THAN ANARCHY” / “WHY IS THERE CHANGE IN SOCIETY” “WHAT HOLDS SOCIETY TOGETHER AND GIVES RISE TO A STABLE ORDER RATHER THAN ANARCHY” / “WHY IS THERE CHANGE IN SOCIETY”

COMTE  SOCIETY DIVIDED INTO 2 PARTS:  SOCIAL STATICS(ASPECTS OF SOCIETY THAT GIVE RISE TO ORDER, STABILITY AND HARMONY)  SOCIAL DYNAMICS(CHANGE AND EVLOUTIION IN THE PARTS OF SOCIETY AND IN SOCIETY ITSELF OVER TIME)

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

MICRO-LEVEL THEORIES  SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM- concerned with how people give meaning to the events, objects and individuals in their everyday lives; focuses on how one defines and responds to events and situations

Symbolic Interactionism  Groups form from interacting individuals; through interactions, people learn what to expect from others and learn to share common understandings through the use of symbols; through symbolic communication people learn to socially construct a world of meaning.

SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISTS  George Herbert Mead  Interested in how humans define their situations and how we learn our social roles

MACRO-LEVEL THEORIES  Structural Functionalism-assumes that all parts of the social structure, culture and social processes work together to make the whole society run smoothly and harmoniously

FUNCTIONALISTS  COMTE  ROBERT MERTON-manifest and latent functions

functionalists  TALCOTT PARSONS-  -all the parts of the social system are interrelated and each performs some task or function necessary for a society’s survival

FUNCTIONALISTS  EMILIE DURKHEIM( )  -individuals conform to the rules of societies because of a collective conscience- the shared beliefs in the values of a group;

Durkheim  people grow up sharing the same values, beliefs and rules of behavior as those around them and gradually these beliefs and rules are internalized

 DURKHEIM AND OTHER FUNCTIONALISTS PLACE GREAT EMPHASIS ON SOCIETAL CONSENSUS, WHICH GIVES RISE TO STABLE AND PREDICTABLE PATTERNS OF ORDER  PEOPLE NEED GROUPS TO SURVIVE SO THEY ADHERE TO THE GROUP’S RULES SO THEY FIT IN

CONFLICT THEORY  Conflict in any group or society is inevitable.

Conflict Theory  Conflict Theorists advance the following ideas: *conflict and the potential for conflict underlie all social relations

Conflict Theory *social change is desirable, particularly changes that bring about a greater degree of social equality

Conflict Theory *the existing social order reflects the powerful imposing their values and beliefs upon the weak

CONFLICT THEORISTS  W.E.B. DuBois  Race as a construct perpetuating inequality

CONFLICT THEORISTS  Jane Addams-  Hull House

CONFLICT THEORISTS  KARL MARX  MEANS OF PRODUCTION  PROLETARIAT  BOUGIEOISE