Chapter 1: What is sociology Flashcards
Sociological perspective
Understanding human behavior by placing iy within its broader social context
Sociological imagination
enables its possesor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meaning for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals.
natural sciences
the intellectual and academic disciplines designed to comprehend, explain, and predict events in our natural environment
social sciences
the intellectual and academic disciplines designed to understandd the social world objectively by means of controlled and repeated observations
Sociology
overlaps all these other social sciences. It examines everything they do too. The scientific study of society and human behavior
Auguste Comte
Positivism: the application of the scientific approach to the social world. Comte called this science sociology. What creates social order. Sociologists would reform the entire society, making it better place to live
Herbert Spencer
Second founder of sociology, disagree with comte. He said sociology is not guide social reform. Societies go through a natural evolution, from barbar to civilized. The fittest ones survive in society and create more advanced society. Survival of the fittest. Social darwinism
Karl Marx and Class conflict
Like comte, marx thought that people should try to change society. But radically: revolution. Class conflict: the struggle between capitalists and workers. Society is made up of two social classes bourgeoisie: capitalists and proletariat: the exploited workers. conflict theory.
Emile Durkheim and Social Integration
getting sociology recognized as a separate academic discipline, Worlds firs academic appointment in sociology. How social forces affects people’s behavior. His data showed Protestants, males, and unmarried kill themselves more than catholics or jews, females, and married. Social factors underlie suicide. Social integration: the degree of which people are tied to their social group, as a key social factor in suicide. People who have weaker social ties, commit more suicide. Human behavior cannot be understood in terms of the individual; we must always examine the social forces that affect people’s lives.
Max Weber and the Protestant Ethic
Weber held professorship in sociology. Weber disagree Marx’s claim that economics is the central force in social change. That role belongs to religion. Protestants seek signals from that capitalism has born. He called this Protestant Ethic. Religion is the key factor of rise of capitalism. He said that sociology should be value free.
Verstehen
The german word used by weber meaning to have insight into someone’s situation.
Durkheim social facts
in contrast to verstehen durkheim’s term for a group’s patterns of behavior. June being the most popular month for getting married, on Tuesday, the births are more occured etc.
We can add Verstehen to social facts
by this way we gain sociological perspective.
Sociology examines
beliefs, values, motives, Intentions
agency
capacity of individuals to have the power and resources to fulfill their potential
