Sociology

What is Sociology?
The systematic study of human society which
includes social life, social change, and the
social causes and consequences of human
behavior.
It is a science that requires the development
of theories that can be tested by research.

 The study focus on social structure of groups,

organizations, and societies, and how people
interact within these contexts.

The subject matter of Sociology ranges from

the intimate family to the hostile mob; from
organized crime to religious cults; from the
divisions of race, gender, age and social class.

Sociological Perspective
An awareness of the relationship between an
individual and the wider society. The ability to
view ones society as an outsider would,
rather than only from the perspective of
personal experiences and cultural biases.

Seeing the General in the Particular

Sociologist looks for general patterns in the
behavior of particular people.
It allows us to look beyond a limited
understanding of human behavior to see the
world and its people in a new way and
through a broader lens than we might
otherwise use.

 Although every individual is unique, a society

shapes the lives of people in various
categories very differently.

Seeing the Strange in the Familiar

The awareness allows all of us to comprehend
the links between our immediate, personal
social settings and the remote, impersonal
social world that surrounds us and helps to
shape us.
This reveals the initially strange idea that
society shapes what we think and do.

Seeing Society in Our Everyday Life

Number of Children
Social issues such as racism, gender, and age
Employment
Suicide

 Social Integration: categories of people with

strong social ties had low suicide rates, and
more individualistic categories of people had
high rates.
Sociologist are not particularly interested in
why any one individual commits suicide; they
are more concerned with identifying the social
forces that systematically cause some people
to take their own lives.

Importance of Global Perspective

Global Perspective is the study of the larger
world and our societys place in it.
Global awareness is a logical extension of the
sociological perspective. Sociology shows us
that our place in society shapes our life
experiences

 High Income Countries

They are the nations with the highest overall
standards of living

Middle Income Countries

Nations with a standard of living about average for
the world as a whole.

Low Income Countries

Nations with a low standard of living which most
people are poor.

Global Comparison
Where we live shapes the lives we lead.
To understand ourselves and appreciate how
others live, we must understand something about
how countries differ, which is one good reason to
pay attention to the global maps.

 Societies throughout the world are

increasingly interconnected.
Electronic technology now transmits sounds,
pictures, and written documents around the globe
in seconds.

Thinking Globally helps us learn more about

ourselves.

Applying Sociological Perspectives

First, sociology is at work guiding many of the
laws and policies that shape our lives.
Second, on an individual level, making use of
the sociological perspective leads to important
personal growth and expanded awareness.
Third, studying sociology is excellent
preparation for the world of work.

Sociology benefits us in four ways:

1. The sociological perspective helps us assess
the truth of common sense.
- A sociological approach, by contrast, encourages us
to ask whether such common beliefs as actually
true and, to the extent that they are not, why
they are so widely held.

2. The sociological perspective helps us see the

opportunities and constraints in our lives.
- sociological thinking leads us to see that in
the game of life, we have a say in how to play
our cards, but it is society that deals us the
hand.
- sociology helps us learn more about the
world so that we can pursue our goals more
effectively.

3. The sociological perspective empowers us to

be active participants in our society.
- it is the sociological perspective that turns a
personal problem(such as being cut out of
work) into public issue (a lack of good jobs).
- as we come to see how society affects us,
we may support society as it is, or we may
set out with others to change it.

4. The sociological perspective helps us live in a

diverse world.
- The sociological perspective encourages us
to think critically about the relative
strengths and weaknesses of all ways of
life, including our own.

Origins of Sociology
Industrial Revolution
Growth of Cities and Population
Political Change (French Revolution)