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AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY. Sociology as a field of study How sociology relates to others fields of study Influential early thinkers in Sociology Careers in sociology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azWs-ESXZrk&safe=active (8:43). WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY.

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AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY

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  1. AN INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY Sociology as a field of study How sociology relates to others fields of study Influential early thinkers in Sociology Careers in sociology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azWs-ESXZrk&safe=active (8:43)

  2. WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY • Sociology is the study of human social life, focusing on developing an understanding of changes in social structure and human interaction on an individual, societal and global level. Students in Sociology learn to analyze social issues and think critically about the world around them. • —University of Saskatchewan • Sociology is the study of the organization, dynamics and consequences of social life. The scope of the discipline is as broad and diverse as social life itself. • —UCLA • Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human behavior. • —American Sociological Association

  3. WHAT IS SOCIOLOGYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O35xrV4Xaa4&safe=active (4:18) • Sociology is a branch of the social sciences which is concerned with the causes and results of human behavior. • Sociologists study societies at large, as well as smaller groups within societies. • They analyze the inner-workings of groups of people through looking at factors like social interaction, social change, race and gender relations, and the division of labor, to name just a few. • A BIG ISSUE FOR SOCIOLOGY WHAT DEFINES NORMAL

  4. WHAT OTHER DISCIPLINES ARE RELATED TO SOCIOLOGYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSIdaTSG2Gg&safe=active (4:36) • Sociology is part of the larger group of studies called social sciences • Other social sciences include • Anthropology • Political Science • Psychology • Economics • Historians http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DTRjAqC61s&safe=active (2:38)

  5. WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY • Sociology is one of the newest social sciences • It concerns itself with: • Social Structure • The socially defined position in a group or in a society(status) as well as the behaviour (role) of the individual occupying a particular status • Social Institutions • Are organizations built to meet specific needs for the overall society • Examples include politics, the family, education and religion • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8mARj__3HA&safe=active (6:42)

  6. WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY • Social Class • Describes a person’s relative position with a society’s social structure • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU5MtVM_zFs&safe=active (9:28) • Social Groups • Consist of two or more people who share a common interest and who see each other on a regular basis • Social Interaction • Is how people relate to one another and influence each others behaviour • Exchange, competition, conflict, cooperation and accommodation are examples of social interaction • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amNiOJv1RyU&safe=active (5:13)

  7. EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY • Sociology developed as a distinct field of study for several reasons • Great social and political changes took place in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries including the Industrial Revolution, French Revolution and American Revolution

  8. EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY • Auguste Comte (1789-1857) • Wanted to solve the social problems caused by the French Revolution • He believed that sociologists could use the scientific method to discover the laws that governed society • He called his approach positivism – the scientific process need to give accurate results Comte was the first person to use sociology to describe the study of society

  9. EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY • Comte felt their were two fundamental issues for study, order and change • Social Statics • The process by which the overall structure of society remains relatively stable, or unchanged over a period of time • Social Dynamics • The process by which elements with society change in a systematic fashion to allow for social development • Understanding these concepts would allow people to predict, and perhaps, control their future

  10. EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY • Karl Marx (1818-1883) • Believed that society was divided based on your relationship to the means of production • Capitalists • The wealthy who owned the means of production • Proletariat • Labourers who survive by selling their work • Mark felt that the imbalance between the groups could lead to conflict • He felt that social scientists should help the workers overthrow the capitalists and change society

  11. EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY • Marx believed that the economic basis of society influenced social structure • Conflict was the most important cause of social change • Marx defined conflict as the result of opposing forces or beliefs Marx felt equality was an overriding ideal for a just society From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hRmPxHmkJc&safe=active (3:58)

  12. EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY • Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) • In his 30s, received a large inheritance that allowed him to pursue other interests • He was interested in how society maintained itself and was strongly influenced by the views of Charles Darwin, and adopted a biological model of society • Spencer believed that society was similar to a living organism and saw society as a set of interdependent parts that worked to maintain the system over time

  13. EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY • Using Darwin's model, he felt that the best aspects of society would survive over time so there was little need to directly address the social ills of the day • Natural selection would see the “survival of the fittest” societies upgrading the world over time as less fit societies would be weeded out Spencer's views became known as Social Darwinism http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cxfbq4evdTY&safe=active (2:11)

  14. EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY • Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) • The first sociologist to systematically use scientific methods to study society • Durkheim was a functionalist • A person who believes that society works logically, protecting the interests of most of its members • He believed that society worked logically, protecting the interests of most of its members • Durkheim did not believe that feelings and thoughts of individuals should be part of sociology http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXQqMyMIAhI&safe=active (1:41)

  15. EARLY LEADERS IN SOCIOLOGY • Max Webber (1864-1920) • He believed that sociologists should go beyond what could be seen to try and discover the thoughts and feelings on individuals • His concept was verstehen • The empathetic understandings of the meanings others attach to their beliefs Weber is credited with the concept of multiple perspectives http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0KKytKF6xE&safe=active (6:16)

  16. THE THREE MAIN THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES

  17. CAREERS IN SOCIOLOGYhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1heRxz2kuQs&safe=active (3:05) • Sociologists mainly find employment within career areas such as government, research, teaching, consulting, community affairs, and marketing. • Sociologists are found in all tiers of government, including administration, management, human resources, statistics gathering, and data collection. • Many researchers in Canada have backgrounds in Sociology, and, researchers of all types are in high demand

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