Scope of Sociology Flashcards
What are the two extreme views on the scope of Sociology?
Study of Sociology is Encyclopaedic
- studies everything
Study of Sociology is Compartmentalized
- it studies the leftovers of what other subjects study
Recall some good quotes you can drop in questions related to scope of sociology
“It is not the object of inquiry that defines the scope of sociology”
“Sociology is a perspective”
“Sociology doesn’t accept anything as taken for granted”
“Sociology asks questions about everything”
“Sociology brings its own skills and methodology to the study of society “
Briefly summarize the three phases through which the scope of sociology has evolved. (FIRST PHASE)
Initial Phase
- 1838-1880
- focus = macro
- bug picture
- no individual as important as the society as a whole
- August Comte “ Social Statics and Dynamics
- Inductive Approach - if a pattern is observed in society then a theory will be developed
- Empiricism ( Comte’s positivism, Spencer’s Organismic Analogy for Society
Humanistic Perspective (finding solutions to human problems
Briefly summarize the three phases through which the scope of sociology has evolved. (SECOND PHASE)
Second Phase
- 1880s - 1940s
- scope widens
- Weber emphasized the importance of studying micro units and started Interpretative Sociology whic talks about studying what individual thinks about macro units
- Durkheim focused on macro units
So, Sociology ilbroke off into two schools of thought - Formal and Synthetic
What is Formal School?
Micro phenomenon
aka Specialist School
in favor of giving sociology a definite subejct matter to make it distinct discipline
social action and social process
“sociology makes an abstract generalization about concrete reality “
Kantian Influence (first one to focus on micro units)
SUOR
mostly German
Max Weber’s Interpretative School
Alfred Vierkandt - sociology sums up social and psychic behavior of man which can be explained by abstract conceptual design
Criticism:
Ginsberg - conception of pure sociology not possible becuase no social science can be studied in isolation
What is Synthetic School?
Macro
Brings all social sciences together
Widens the scope
Socio-centrism
Durkheim - gave a psychological phenomenon, a sociological explanation
Pitirim Sorokin - generalized sociology - same institutions all over the world he said
Karl Mannheim - discusses broader ideas and structures
Briefly summarize the three phases through which the scope of sociology has evolved. (THIRD PHASE)
1940s - 1990s
blending if formal and synthetic schools
Parsons - SoSA and SS
Merton - Latent and Manifest Functions - combined macro and micro
CW Wills - Sociological Imagination
Anthony Giddens - emphasized blending
Briefly summarize the three phases through which the scope of sociology has evolved. (PRESENT PHASE)
1980s onwards
wide varieties of interests - health, IT, AI, etc.
Emergence of post-modernist thought
Jacques Derrida - language can never truly represent an internal and objective reality
Michael Foucault analyzes any discourse
Alan Bryman - sociology has become multi-disciplinary
Marxism
Feminism
Compare Sociology and History : Similarities
- Both study the past: to understand social phenomena and human behaviour ; explore events, processes, and changes
Eg : both study the impact of the industrial Revolution on social structures and labor relations in 19th-century - Use of Evidence: rely on evidence to support their claims and arguments
Eg. both may analyse census data or personal diaries to understand societal trends during a period - Interpretation and Analysis : involve interpretation and analysis of data and sources - to identify causes and consequences, develop explanations for social phenomena
Eg. Sociologist would do analysis of social class dynamics during the French Revolution, while the historians would study political events and Ideological Shifts during the same period
Compare Sociology and History: Differences
- Focus
- history focuses on study of past events, people, specific historical contexts
- sociology focuses on the whole society, explores different social structures, social dynamics and different periods and contexts - Methodology
- historian - qualitative
- sociologist - qualitative and quantitative - Generalization
- historians focus on uniqueness and particularity of historical events and contexts
- sociologists seek to identify patterns, generalizations
Sociology without history is rootless and history without sociology is fruitless. Explain this.
This statement emphasizes interdependence and complementary nature of sociology and history in understanding social phenomena.
Understanding society requires both :-
1. Historical Perspective
2. Sociological Analysis
Sociology without history is rootless:-
Sociology explores social institutions, structures and dynamics in the present but relies on historical perspective to understand how societies evolved
Historical context provides crucial insights into the development of social structures, cultural norms, and social Inequalities.
Without historical understanding, sociology may lack a solid foundation and fail to capture historical roots and trajectories of social phenomena.
History without sociology is fruitless :-
History focuses on studying past events, individuals, and societies
But it can benefit greatly from sociological analysis
Sociology provides frameworks, theories and concepts that help interpret historical events and social dynamics.
Sociology offers sociological perspective on social structures, institutions and interplay of social forces that historical processes.
Without a sociological lens, historical analysis may lack deeper understanding of social interactions, power relations and broader social contexts.
Eg. When studying the political revolutions in history, a sociological analysis can shed light on the underlying social factors that contributed to the uprising.
Compare Sociology and Economy: Similarities
- Both study human behavior but focus on different aspects. Sociology - Social relationships, institutions, cultural factors. Economy - production, distribution, consumption of goods and services
- Both explore social interactions and their impact on individuals and society. Sociology - investigates how social structures, norms and relationships shape behavior. Economy - examines interactions within the market and how they affect economic outcomes
Compare Sociology and Economy: Differences
- Sociology focuses on the study of society as a whole. Economics examines allocation of scarce resources and the production….
- Sociology (quantitative and qualitative) Economic (quantitative)
Examples of thinkers who worked on Sociology and Economy?
Alfred Marshall - Father of Welfare Economics - America gave financial aid to Europe so that it doesn’t sides with Russia after WWI
Thomas Piketty - 21st century - capitalism is causing extreme inequality
Pierre Bourdieu - economists shall look into all costs of economy including crime and suicides - social cost
Goldthrope - Technology available to a society determines the character of its culture
Francois Simiand - principles of Economy need to be verified sociologically
Compare Sociology and Political Science: Similarities
- Both study social phenomena and their impact on society
Sociology emphasizes broader social dynamics while Pol. Sci. specifically investigates political processes, power relations and governance - Intersection of Society and Politics - both recognise the close relationship between society and politics
