1. Section 2 Development of Sociology
Chapter 1
Section 2
Development of Sociology

2. Auguste Comte (1798-1857) Founder of sociology
1st to apply the methods of science to study of social life
Interest began in the causes and consequences of the French Revolution
Focused on two areas: social order and social change
Certain processes, called social statics, held society together
Social dynamics: society changes through certain processes

3. Harriet Martineau ( )
Wrote Society in America-a review of how well America lived up to its promise of democracy
Focused on marriage, family life, race relations, education, and religion; creating the topics of sociological study
Set the standard for objectivity in research
Believed scholars should advocate change to solve the problems that they studied

4. Herbert Spencer ( )
In a living organism the biological systems work together to maintain the overall health of the organism
Attributed a similar process to society
Strongly influenced by Charles Darwin (theory of evolution)
Social change and unrest are natural occurrences during a society’s evolution toward perfection and stability
Social Darwinism “survival of the fittest”

5. Karl Marx ( )
Structure of society is influenced by how its economy is organized
Society is divided into two classes:
Bourgeoisie: the capitalists who own the means of production(materials and methods to produce goods)
Proletariat: the workers who own only the labor needed for production
Imbalance of power between classes would lead to inevitable conflict

6. Émile Durkheim ( )
Like Comte, Durkheim focused on social order
Like Spencer, Durkheim saw society as a set of interdependent parts that maintain the system over time
Durkheim saw the interdependent parts in terms of their functions
Function: the consequence that an element of society produces for the maintenance of its social system
Focused on the function of religion in maintaining the social order
Believed that shared beliefs and values were the glue that held society together

7. Max Weber ( )
Focused on separate groups within society rather than society as a whole
Focused on the effect of society on the individual
Moved passed studying what can be directly observed to discover people’s feelings and thoughts
Verstehen: an attempt to understand the meanings individuals attach to their actions
Used the idea of ideal type in his work
Ideal type: a description comprised of essential characteristics of a feature of society
Ex: ideal type for a school might not be a perfect rep. of your school but is a general description of schools

8. Jane Addams ( )
Undertook a series of surveys of poor people and the conditions in which they lived
Study covered wage levels, sweatshops, child labor, the immigrant experience, and living conditions in poverty-stricken neighborhoods
First to focus on the effects of industrialization and urbanization on society (especially workers)

9. W.E.B. Du Bois (1868-1963) Mixed social analysis with social reform
Examined life in an African American community in Philadelphia
Race needed to be addressed
Focused on improving the lives of African- Americans (founded the NAACP in 1909)

10. Homework
Pg. 14 #1-5