FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIOLOGY

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FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIOLOGY
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TODAYS TOPICS

• WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?
• WHO ARE ITS FOUNDERS?
• WHAT ARE THE PRINCIPAL SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES?
• WHAT ARE THE INTRENSIC SOCIAL PARAMETERS?

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SOCIOLOGY DEFINED

• SOCIOLOGY IS THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF SOCIAL
  STRUCTURE AND SOCIAL INTERACTION AND OF THE
  FACTORS MAKING FOR CHANGE IN SOCIAL STRUCTURE AND
  SOCIAL INTERACTION

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SOCIOLOGY AND INDIVIDUALS

• SOCIOLOGY IS ALSO CONCERNED WITH HOW WE
  INDIVIDUALS FIT INTO THE WHOLE THING
• HOW WE ARE SHAPED BY SOCIETY AND HOW WE SHAPE
  SOCIETY ARE OF CENTRAL INTEREST TO SOCIOLOGY

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THE SOCIOLOGICAL VIEWPOINT

• SCIENCE APPLICATION OF SCIENTIFIC METHOD
• SOCIAL STRUCTURE PERMANENT COMPONENTS OF OUR
  SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT
• SOCIAL INTERACTION ENGAGING OTHERS
• SOCIAL CHANGE TRANSITIONS

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SOCIOLOGY AS SCIENCE

• SOCIOLOGY IS
• THEORY DRIVEN
• COMPREHENSIVE DESCRIPTION
• EXPLANATORY GENERALITY
• RESEARCH BASED
• QUALITATIVE METHODS
• QUANTITATIVE METHODS
• ETHICS INFORMED CONSENT

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IMPORTANT FOUNDERS

• AUGUST COMTE
• EMILE DURKHEIM
• KARL MARX
• MAX WEBER
• HARRIET MARTINEAU

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IMPORTANT FOUNDERS

• AUGUST COMTE (1798-1857)
• APPLY SCIENTIFIC METHOD TO SOCIETY POSITIVISM
• STUDY OF STATICS AND DYNAMICS
• SOCIAL PROGRESS AND IMPROVEMENT

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IMPORTANT FOUNDERS

• EMILE DURKHEIM (1858-1917)
• MECHANICAL AND ORGANIC SOCIAL SOLIDARITY
• ANOMIE AND SOCIAL CHANGE
• SUICIDE AND SOCIAL COHESION

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IMPORTANT FOUNDERS

• KARL MARX (1818-1883)
• ECONOMIC DETERMINISM
• CAPITALISM, REVOLUTION, COMMUNISM
• ALIENATION

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IMPORTANT FOUNDERS

• MAX WEBER (1864-1920)
• RATIONALIZATION VS TRADITION
• ECONOMY AND STATE
• BUREAUCRACY

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IMPORTANT FOUNDERS

• HARRIET MARTINEAU (1802-1876)
• SCIENCE KEY TO A BETTER WORLD
• SOCIETAL STRAIN AND SOCIAL CHANGE
• TRANSLATED AND POPULARIZED COMTE

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PRINCIPAL PERSPECTIVES

• FUNCTIONALISM
• CONFLICT
• SYMBOLIC INTERACTION

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FUNCTIONALISM

• PARTS OF SYSTEM WORK TOGETHER TO MAINTAIN THE
  SYSTEM
• SOCIETY IN EQULIBRIUM STATE
• COHESION FROM CONSENSUS AND COMMON VALUES

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CONFLICT

• COHESION THROUGH SOCIAL POWER
• COMPETITION, EXPLOITATION AND DOMINANCE BASIC
  SOCIAL PROCESSES
• SOCIAL CHANGE NORMAL SYSTEM STATE

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SYMBOLIC INTERACTION

• PEOPLE CREATE THE NATURE OF THEIR SOCIAL WORLD
  THROUGH INTERACTION
• SYMBOLS FORM CULTURES CORE
• OUR SELF CONCEPT IS FORMED THROUGH INTERACTION
• SOCIALIZATION IS BASIC SOCIAL PROCESS

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INTRENSIC SOCIAL PARAMETERS

• TIME AGE, COHORT, PERIOD
• PLACE INTERTWINED SOCIAL AND PHYSICAL
  ENVIRONMENT CONNECTION AND TRADITION
• SPACE AS RESOURCE AND CONSTRAINT

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SOME IMPORTANT TERMS

• FUNCTIONS
• DYSFUNCTIONS
• MANIFEST FUNCTIONS
• LATENT FUNCTIONS
• POPULATION
• SAMPLE
• EXPERIMENT