Development of Sociology Flashcards
What were the first evidences of sociology? /7
Plato’s Republic
More’s Utopia
the Bible
Koran
Torah
Hindu Epics
myths and legends
What did the first evidences of sociology have in common? /2
focused on what society ought to be
did not describe what society actually was
What are the key factors in the development of sociology? /6
industrialization
urbanization
colonialism
political changes
scientific method
theory of evolution
What contribution did industrialization do for sociology? /2
1700-1800s
Western Europe societies changed from primarily agricultural production to industrial manufacturing
What contribution did urbanization do for sociology? /3
people moving from the countryside and into the city
new living and working conditions resulted in many new social problems
people began wondering ‘how’ and ‘why’ society was undergoing such dramatic transformations
What are some examples of the new social problems that came with urbanization? /3
crime
pollution
overcrowding
What contribution did the scientific method do for sociology? /2
was applied to the study of human social behavior
developed and used with great success
What contribution did colonialism do for sociology? /2
Western European countries came into contact with societies that were considerably different from their own
thinkers wished to understand and explain this diversity
What contribution did political changes do for sociology? /4
thinkers of enlightenment popularized radically new ideas
liberty
equality
democracy
What are 2 major examples of the contribution of political changes in sociology? /2
American Revolution (1776)
French Revolution (1789)
What was the cause of the 2 political changing events of 1776 and 1789?
motivated by the belief that the human social condition could and should be improved by the application of reason
What contribution did the theory of evolution do for sociology? /2
Charles Darwin’s theory was applied by social theorists
began to see societies in terms of different stages of evolution
Who were the early sociological thinkers? /14
Ibn Khaldun
Auguste Comte
Herbert Spencer
Emile Durkheim
Robert Merton
Karl Marx
W.E.B Du Bois
Charles Horton Cooley
George Herbert Mead
Max Weber
Erving Goffman
Harriet Martineau
Jane Addams
C. Wright Mills
Who is Ibn Khaldun? /3
Arab historian
developed Umran (the science of social organization)
transformed the practice of writing history from collecting various tales to a science based on the study of records and events that could be verified
Who is Auguste Comte? /3
French philosopher
coined the term sociologie
positivism, the use of the scientific method in the study of society
Who is Herbert Spencer? /2
argued that human societies evolve through stages
social Darwinism, applied Darwin’s theory of evolution to societies
Who is Emile Durkheim? /3
first professor of sociology
wrote “Sociological Method”, establishing sociology as a scientific pursuit
famous study on suicide showed how an individual’s behavior is governed by social forces
Who is Robert Merton? /2
all social institutions are functional
these functions may be MANIFEST (intended) or LATENT (unintended)
Who is Karl Marx? /3
wrote about the social effects of industrialization
saw social change as inevitable and necessary
only a socialist revolution would overcome the inequalities of the capitalist economy
Who is W.E.B Du Bois? /2
studied the issue of race in the US
discovered that poverty among African Americans was primarily a result of prejudice and discrimination
Who is Charles Horton Cooley? /4
used the sociological perspective to look at small social groups
looking-glass self theory
theory of socialization
how we develop a sense of social identity
Who is George Herbert Mead? /3
root of society is the symbols that teach us to understand the world
help us to develop a sense of self
Who is Max Weber? /3
Verstehen
to understand social situations = to understand the subjective meaning given to those situations
identified ‘ideal types’ as theoretical models of actual social institutions
Who is Erving Goffman? /3
Dramaturgy
all social life is like acting
always trying to manage impressions in social situations
Who is Harriet Martineau? /4
translated the writings of Comte into English
wrote about slavery in the U.S
exploitation of factory workers
promoted the standing of women/feminism
Who is Jane Addams? /2
promoted the practice of ‘applied sociology’
sociological theory could be used in a productive manner to improve social injustices
Who is C. Wright Mills? /3
wrote the classic essay “The Sociological Imagination”
define the fundamental premise of sociology
ability to understand the relationship between wider social forces and one’s personal life
What are the defining features of sociology in Canada? /4
geography and regionalism
focus on political economy
canadianization movement
radical nature
What is sociology? /2
scientific study of human social behavior
understand the rules and regulations of a certain society
Why is sociology hard to study (from a scientific standpoint)? /4
too many variables to make a well-constructed prediction that follows through
NOT PRECISE
each individual makes a choice based off personal reasons
ex. financial, internet, goals/dreams, lifestyle, etc.
What are the 3 goals of sociology? /3
understand
predict
influence
What is debunking? /3
sociological perspective never takes the social world at face value
never assumes that the social world is what it appears to be
recognizes that some ideas, values, and beliefs have more merit, logic or evidence than others
