Introduction

Question 1

What is Sociology?

Answer 1

• The study of human interaction and the social forces which shape much of human behavior.
• Sociology studies the patterns, trends and forms of collective social action and the social processes & structures in society which arise out of the way human beings act in the world.
• The social features that sociology studies include the wide variety of social actions of people and the social patterns, organizations & institutions.
• Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies, and how people interact within these contexts.

Question 2

Students of sociology distinguish these social contexts by referring to micro, meso & macro sociology. Describe them:

Answer 2

Micro- individual relationships.
Meso- groups/ communities.
Macro- national & global social processes.

Question 3

How is sociology a science?

Answer 3

• Knowledge in sociology is maintained by specific methodologies/ ways & rules of social investigation.
• Social arguments and conclusion are logical.
• Sociology must strive for objectivity- should be clear that the sociological knowledge is not based on subjective bias.
• Scientific knowledge is theoretical by following concepts.

Question 4

Define Sociological Imagination:

Answer 4

Ability to place & link personal life processes within and relate them to the broader social & historical context.

Question 5

Who is the origin of sociology?

Answer 5

Auguste Comte (1838) conceptualised sociology of a scientific discipline.

Question 6

In ancient times what were some of the findings:

Answer 6

• a “deeper” reality below the surface of the world.
• the underlying structure of the logos.
• the guiding power of the mind.
• the idea of justice.
• the “ideal” society.
• the centrality of law.

Question 7

What were some of the viewpoints of the early church?

Answer 7

1. Parallel modes of social being: society was spilt up as good & evil such as the people of the earthly/ worldly city and the spiritual city of God.
2. The king as God’s representative: the Roman Catholic priest at the time, Thomas Aquinas believed that the monarchy represented & could lead the ideal form of society.
3. The state and external social factors: different societies went through different stages of development that related to the psychology & environmental factors.

Question 8

The age of enlightenment was made up of 10 “enlightenments” name them:

Answer 8

1. The power of reason.
2. The social contract.
3. I think, therefore I am.
4. The enlightenment.
5. Metaphysics.
6. The creative mind.
7. The rational world.
8. Inner logic of transformations.
9. Change the world!
10. Priority of facts.

Question 9

Describe the power of reason:

Answer 9

During this period human reason was strongly promoted as a source of knowledge over against tradition & faith. Scientific thought, intellectual interchange & sceptism were advanced as the new pursuit of intellectuals over against religious intolerance & superstition.

Question 10

Describe “the social contract”:

Answer 10

Necessary as a basis for peaceful coexistence. Hobbs a philosopher believe that humans lived as self- centered beings & lived in fear of one another like a pack of wolves.

Question 11

Describe the I think, therefore I am theory:

Answer 11

The point of departure for scientific knowledge: I think for myself.
The only one who cannot doubt is the fact that you are the one performing the doubting.

Question 12

Describe the “Enlightenment”:

Answer 12

This meant that people were free to think & investigate things for themselves.
The philosophers proposed such universal laws “beyond” the phenomena that people observe in the economy, politics and culture.

Question 13

Describe metaphysics in the age of the enlightenment:

Answer 13

This was when the intellectuals began to see social problems as social issue that contradicted their ideal- the deeper reality- of how society ought to be organised. Reflecting on a deeper reality became known as metaphysics.

Question 14

Describe the creative mind:

Answer 14

The way if thinking that only I can perceive those things that “appear” to me. With this design of the relationship between the observing mind and the phenomena, Kant paved the way theoretically for the later development of phenomenology as we know it today.

Question 15

Describe the rational world:

Answer 15

Their analyses focused on society, in order to understand forces which underlie the development of the new social & political dispensations. All of humanity, nature & society are driven by the underlying process of reason, which unfolds progressively.

Question 16

Describe the rational world:

Answer 16

Their analyses focused on society, in order to understand the forces which underlie the development of new social & political dispensations. All of humanity, nature & society are driven by underlying process of reason which unfolds progressively.

Question 17

Describe the inner logic of transformations:

Answer 17

Once again this is the magnificent images of an ideal society, the undeniable reality of the people stood out sharply- these people were put in a s very vulnerable position especially during the face of famine & exploitation.

Question 18

Describe what is meant by “change the world!”

Answer 18

The philosophy of rational ideas while being turned upside down. The question arose whether one can merely describe the society by uncovering the society by uncovering the underlying structure or whether thought & ideas can impact on society and actually change it??

Question 19

Describe the priority of facts:

Answer 19

Ideas of the mind had as a goal of of social intergeration of society by political arrangements or dispensations. Marx thought these ideas should be based on concrete social facts. Many did not only examine the ideas about the world but the material basis of production in society.

Question 20

What are Weber’s three basic types of social structure?

Answer 20

1. Association & affectual social action.
2. Community & traditional social action.
3. Society & rational social action.

Question 21

Explain association & affectual social action?

Answer 21

• people come together and associate with one another when feelings or sentiments are shared.
• some of our first friendships are made this way.
• basic form of social interaction.
• Weber critiqued American society as a nation of atomized individuals.

Question 22

Explain community & traditional social action:

Answer 22

• found in any close- knit group going back to ancient times.
• such social groups were originally simple & actions between individuals in the social group were defined by habit & tradition.
• one does things in a certain way as that is the way it’s always been done.

Question 23

Explain society & rational social action:

Answer 23

• many of our actions are rational.
• when human interaction becomes more regular as populations become more dense & social organization becomes more complex society becomes more increasingly characterized by rational social action.
• many of our social action Al have a goal or aim
• we can provide a reason for acting the way we did.