INTRODUCTION TO

SOCIOLOGY
UZMA QAZI

SOCIOLOGY
SOCIOLOGY IS THE
SYSTEMATIC STUDY OF
HUMAN SOCIETY AND
SOCIAL INTERACTION. IT IS
BASED ON THE IDEA THAT
OUR RELATIONS WITH OTHER
PEOPLE CREATE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO
THINK AND ACT BUT ALSO
SET LIMITS ON OUR
THOUGHTS AND ACTION.

 SOCIOLOGY IS THE SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF HUMAN SOCIETY AND SOCIAL

INTERACTIONS.
THE WORD SOCIOLOGY IS DERIVED FROM THE LATIN WORD SOCIETUS
WHICH MEANS SOCIETY AND THE GREEK WORD LOGOS MEANS SCIENCE
OR STUDY OR ADVANCED STUDY.
SCIENCE OF SOCIETY OR STUDY OF SOCIETY

Sociology is the study of social

action. (Mex Weber)

sociology is the scientific study of society.

(August Comte)

Sociology is the study

of social facts
through social
institutions.

Sociology is the study

of collective behavior.
(Park & Burgess )

(Emile Durkhiem)

What Is Sociology?

Sociology is the study of

humans living together.
(Tonnies)
Sociology is the study of social
groups on the basis of
social interaction.
(Simmel)

Sociology is the scientific

study of social aspects
of human life.
(Mack Young)

SUBJECT MATTER OF SOCIOLOGY

SOCIOLOGY IS

THE
THE
THE
THE
THE
THE

STUDY OF SOCIETY
SCIENCE OF SOCIAL LIFE
STUDY OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS
STUDY OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR IN GROUPS
STUDY OF SOCIAL ACTION AND SOCIAL CHANGE
STUDY OF SOCIAL GROUPS AND SOCIAL SYSTEMS

NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
1. SOCIOLOGY IS AN INDEPENDENT SCIENCE
2. SOCIOLOGY IS A SOCIAL SCIENCE AND NOT A
PHYSICAL SCIENCE
3. SOCIOLOGY IS A GENERALISING AND NOT A
PARTICULARSING OR INDIVIDUALISING
SCIENCE
4. SOCIOLOGY IS A PURE SCIENCE AND NOT AN
APPLIED SCIENCE
5. SOCIOLOGY IS BOTH A RATIONAL AND AN
EMPIRICAL SCIENCE

NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
1:SOCIOLOGY IS AN INDEPENDENT SCIENCE.
SOCIOLOGY HAS NOW EMERGED INTO AN INDEPENDENT
SCIENCE.
IT IS NOT TREATED AND STUDIED AS A BRANCH OF ANY
OTHER SCIENCE LIKE PHILOSOPHY OR POLITICAL
PHILOSOPHY OR HISTORY.
AS AN INDEPENDENT SCIENCE IT HAS ITS OWN FIELD OF
STUDY, BOUNDARY AND METHOD.

NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
2:SOCIOLOGY IS A SOCIAL SCIENCE AND NOT A
PHYSICAL SCIENCE.
AS A SOCIAL SCIENCE IT CONCENTRATES ITS ATTENTION
ON MAN, HIS SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR, SOCIAL ACTIVITIES
AND SOCIAL LIFE.
THE FACT THAT SOCIOLOGY DEALS WITH THE SOCIAL
UNIVERSE IT DISTINGUISHES FROM ASTRONOMY,
PHYSICS, CHEMISTRY, GEOLOGY, MATHEMATICS AND
OTHER PHYSICAL SCIENCES.

NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
3:SOCIOLOGY IS A GENERALISING AND NOT A
PARTICULARISING OR INDIVIDULALISING SCIENCE
SOCIOLOGY TRIES TO FIND OUT THE GENERAL LAWS OF
PRINCIPLE ABOUT HUMAN INTERACTION AND ASSOCIATION,
ABOUT THE NATURE, FORM, CONTENT AND STRUCTURE OF
HUMAN GROUPS AND SOCIETIES.
IT DOES NOT STUDY EACH AND EVERY EVENT THAT TAKES
PLACE IN SOCIETY. IT IS NOT POSSIBLE ALSO.

NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
4:SOCIOLOGY IS A PURE SCIENCE AND NOT AN APPLIED
SCIENCE
EACH PURE SCIENCE MAY HAVE ITS OWN APPLIED FIELD.
FOR EXAMPLE: PHYSICS IS A PURE SCIENCE AND
ENGINEERING IS ITS APPLIED FIELD.
SOCIOLOGY AS A PURE SCIENCE HAS ITS APPLIED FIELD
SUCH AS ADMINISTRATION, DIPLOMACY, SOCIAL WORK
ETC.

NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY
5:SOCIOLOGY IS BOTH A RATIONAL AND EMPIRICAL
SCIENCE
RATIONALISM, STRESSES REASON AND THE RESULT FROM
LOGICAL INFERENCE.
EMPIRICISM, IS EMPHASIZES EXPERIENCE AND THE FACTS
THAT RESULT FROM OBSERVATION AND EXPERIMENTATION.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOLOGY

SOCIOLOGY EMERGED AS A SEPARATE DISCIPLINE IN THE NINETEENTH
CENTURY
THIS WAS A TIME OF GREAT SOCIAL UPHEAVAL DUE LARGELY TO THE
FRENCH AND INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTIONS
SEVERAL EARLY SOCIOLOGISTS SHAPED THE DIRECTION OF THE DISCIPLINE

SOCIOLOGY
SOCIOLOGISTS MAKE CONNECTIONS BETWEEN
BEHAVIOR AND SOCIETY BY ASKING QUESTIONS AND
SOLVING PROBLEMS
SUBJECT AREAS IN SOCIOLOGY ARE AS VARIED
AS SOCIETY ITSELF.
SOCIOLOGISTS CAN STUDY VERY SMALL SOCIAL
RELATIONSHIPS INVOLVING ONLY A FEW
PEOPLE (SUCH AS THE FAMILY). THEY CAN
ALSO EXPLORE RELATIONSHIPS IN MUCH
LARGER SOCIAL COLLECTIVITIES SUCH AS
ORGANIZATIONS AND INSTITUTIONS

THE ROLE OF SOCIOLOGIST

EDUCATIONAL SECTOR
HEALTH SECTOR
INDUSTRIAL SECTOR
POPULATION WELFARE SECTOR
CRIME SECTOR

AUGUSTE COMTE (1798-1857)

RESPONSIBLE FOR COINING THE
TERM SOCIOLOGY
SET OUT TO DEVELOP THE
SCIENCE OF MAN THAT WOULD
BE BASED ON EMPIRICAL
OBSERVATION

AUGUSTE COMTE (1798-1857)

FOCUSED ON TWO ASPECTS OF
SOCIETY:
SOCIAL STATICSFORCES WHICH
PRODUCE ORDER AND STABILITY
SOCIAL DYNAMICSFORCES WHICH
CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIAL CHANGE

EMILE DURKHEIM (1858-1917)

DURKHEIM MOVED SOCIOLOGY
FULLY INTO THE REALM OF AN
EMPIRICAL SCIENCE

Emile Durkheim

MOST WELL KNOWN EMPIRICAL

STUDY IS CALLED SUICIDE,
WHERE HE LOOKS AT THE
SOCIAL CAUSES OF SUICIDE

EMILE DURKHEIM (1858-1917)

INFLUENTIAL FRENCH
SOCIOLOGIST, EDUCATOR, AND
PUBLIC OFFICIAL
STUDIED THE TIES THAT BIND
SOCIETY TOGETHER
MECHANICAL SOLIDARITY
Emile Durkheim

TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES ARE UNITED

BY SOCIAL SIMILARITIES

ORGANIC SOLIDARITY
MODERN SOCIETIES ARE UNITED BY
INTERDEPENDENCE

EMILE DURKHEIM (1858-1917)

DURKHEIM MOVED SOCIOLOGY
FULLY INTO THE REALM OF AN
EMPIRICAL SCIENCE
MOST WELL KNOWN EMPIRICAL
STUDY IS CALLED SUICIDE,
WHERE HE LOOKS AT THE
SOCIAL CAUSES OF SUICIDE
Emile Durkheim

GENERALLY REGARDED AS THE

FOUNDER OF FUNCTIONALIST
THEORY

SUICIDE
SUICIDE MAY BE CAUSED BY WEAK SOCIAL
BONDS.
SOCIAL BOND IS MADE UP OF SOCIAL
INTEGRATION AND SOCIAL REGULATION.
DISTINGUISHED 4 TYPES OF SUICIDE:
1)

EGOISTIC SUICIDE: INDIVIDUAL

IS WEAKLY INTEGRATED INTO A
SOCIETY SO ENDING THEIR LIFE
WILL HAVE LITTLE IMPACT ON THE
REST OF SOCIETY.

SUICIDE
2)ALTRUISTIC SUICIDE: INDIVIDUAL IS EXTREMELY ATTACHED
TO THE SOCIETY AND BECAUSE OF THIS HAS NO LIFE OF THEIR
OWN.
3) ANOMIC SUICIDE: THERE IS A WEAK SOCIAL REGULATION
BETWEEN SOCIETYS NORMS AND THE INDIVIDUAL AND IS
MOST OFTEN BROUGHT ON BY DRAMATIC ECONOMIC OR
SOCIAL CHANGES.

SUICIDE
4) FATALISTIC SUICIDE: SOCIAL REGULATION IS COMPLETELY
INSTILLED IN THE INDIVIDUAL. THERE IS NO HOPE OF CHANGE
AGAINST THE OPPRESSIVE DISCIPLINE OF THE SOCIETY. FEELS
THAT THE ONLY WAY TO ESCAPE THIS STATE IS SUICIDE.

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES:
FUNCTIONALISM
FUNCTIONALISM SEES SOCIETY AS A SYSTEM
OF HIGHLY INTERRELATED PARTS THAT WORK
TOGETHER HARMONIOUSLY
THE IMAGE THAT FUNCTIONALISTS USE TO
UNDERSTAND SOCIETY IS A LIVING ORGANISM
EACH PART OF SOCIETY WORKS TOGETHER FOR
THE BENEFIT OF THE WHOLE MUCH LIKE A
LIVING ORGANISM

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES: CONFLICT

THEORY
CONFLICT THEORY IS GROUNDED IN THE
WORK OF KARL MARX
SOCIETY IS UNDERSTOOD TO BE MADE
UP OF CONFLICTING INTEREST GROUPS
WHO VIE FOR POWER AND PRIVILEGE
THIS DYNAMIC RESULTS IN CONTINUOUS
SOCIAL CHANGE, WHICH IS THE NORMAL
STATE OF AFFAIRS
CONFLICT THEORY FOCUSES HEAVILY ON
INEQUALITY AND DIFFERENTIAL
DISTRIBUTION OF POWER AND WEALTH

THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES: THE

INTERACTIONIST PERSPECTIVE
FOCUSES ON HOW INDIVIDUALS MAKE
SENSE OF AND INTERPRET THE WORLD
THIS PERSPECTIVE TENDS TO FOCUS ON
THE MICRO-ORDER OF SMALL GROUPS
HAS GIVEN RISE TO SEVERAL SPECIFIC
APPROACHES:
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM DEVELOPED BY
GEORGE HERBERT MEAD

Comparing Theoretical Perspectives

Perspective Scope of
Analysis
StructuralFunctionalis
m

Macro
Level

Point of View
1.
2.
3.

Conflict
Theory

Macro
Level

1.

2.
3.

Interactionist

Micro-Level

1.
2.

Focus of
Analysis

Various parts of society

are interdependent
Social systems are
highly stable
Social life governed by
consensus &
cooperation

Functional and
dysfunctional
aspects of
society

Society accommodates
between competing
interest groups
Society unstable and
prone to change
Social life conflict-laden

1. How social
inequalities
produce conflict
2. Who benefits
from social
arrangements

Actions have
symbolic meanings
Meanings can vary

How people
make sense of
their world

IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY
1.

SOCIOLOGY MAKES A SCIENTIFIC OF SOCIETY.

2.

SOCIOLOGY STUDIES THE ROLE OF THE INSTITUTIONS IN THE

DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL.

3.

THE STUDY OF SOCIOLOGY IS INDISPENSABLE FOR

UNDERSTANDING AND PLANNING OF SOCIETY.

4.

SOCIOLOGY IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE IN THE SOLUTION OF

SOCIAL PROBLEMS.

5.

SOCIOLOGY HAS DRAWN OUR ATTENTION TO THE ESSENTIAL

WORTH AND DIGNITY OF MAN.

IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY
6.

SOCIOLOGY HAS CHANGED OUTLOOK WITH REGARD TO THE

PROBLEMS OF CRIME ETC.

7.

SOCIOLOGY HAS MADE GREAT CONTRIBUTION TO ENRICH

HUMAN CULTURE.

8.

SOCIOLOGY IS OF GREAT IMPORTANCE IN THE SOLUTION OF

INTERNATIONAL PROBLEMS.

9.

SOCIOLOGY IS USEFUL AS A TEACHING SUBJECT.

10. SOCIOLOGY AS A PROFESSION.