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Sociology as the science of society
How does sociology impact our lives
Sociology as the science of society
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It is far more often that one would ask, “what is sociology?” as opposed to “what is biology?” Some believe that sociology is more of a pseudo-science, similar to astrology, but there is no question that sociology is a real science. Many sciences have advanced humanity, such biology and physics. Sociology, being a relativity new science, has also improved many aspects of humanity. If humans were like robots, everyone exactly the same, both physically and mentally, there might not be a need for sociology. But this is not the case, our world is populated by over 7 billion humans. Each individual is unique, independent and have a mind of their own. When a group of people are involved with each other, either by sharing the same geographical …show more content…
It is analyzing the facts to find repeating patterns, to then formulate theories and reasons. For example, in biology, to study the growth of plants in different environments would require experiments and tests to collect specific data to prove a hypothesis and determine the variables that affect the outcome. In sociology, to study the rising foreclosure rate in a neighborhood would require a researcher to observe the everyday life of members, conduct large-scale surveys, process historical documents, analyze census data, and interview members of the society. The data can then surface trends and patterns that can lead to powerful insights of social issues and prospects. With better understanding of these social issues, we come to understand more clearly the forces shaping the personal experiences and outcomes of our own …show more content…
The knowledge can enable a person to see how the social world is organized and structured, which can highlight the connections between one’s personal life and the world. For instance, a high school student may wonder why a college would reject a student with better academic standing but accept another student with lower grades. Since everyone is part of some form of society, by understanding how the social world works, it is possible to make a change in one’s society. The change could be in a society as small as one’s household or workplace, or as large as one’s country, or even the world. The knowledge of sociology also enables a person to analyze societies in a larger context or from a different perspective. When a person is faced with a social issue and applies only he or her personal perspective, many contributing factors are ignored. Many American puzzled why the Unites States government spent billions of taxpayers’ dollars to bail failing businesses is an example of personal perspective. Rather than viewing our world only through one lens, sociologists view the world through lenses that combine diverse perspectives. With a better understanding of sociology, a person is able to identify new connections and factors that have an effect on issues not known before, which can help a person make more justified decisions. Sociology can also explain many important matters in our personal lives, such as romantic
This Social Problems class introduced me to the practice of identifying and studying social problems. For the future, I now know such terms as ‘subjective concern’, ‘objective conditions’, and many more. I could easily hold a pertinent conversation with any sociologist regarding a certain social problem, and hold my ground. This subject has tied in well with many other areas of my others classes as well. This class has also prepared me for future sociology classes in high school or college, and possibly a career in sociology somewhere down the line.
Sociology cannot be clearly explained as there are many different theories and theorists; so far none of them have been defined as a correct answer. Although with all this information of theories and theorists sociology is relatively explained as agreed philosophies that delivers a reason for human society. Sociological theories are like most other theories, they are selective, and there is no quantity of theory to explain everything or define the infinite amount of information that exist or comprehend the methods of observing reality. Sociological theories vary and can be linked to each other according to various criteria. The two main perspectives of sociology are the micro sociological approach and the macro sociological approach. The micro sociological approach is based more on the persons being capable of their own independent thoughts feelings and behaviour; therefor society is built through their interactions amongst each other and the significances they attach to them. This approach is defined using Social Action Theory and Symbolic Interactionism. The Macro Sociological approach is on a much bigger scale and consists of a person being born into a current society which will then shape their behaviour. It centres on the organisations, values and the culture of that particular society and how it impacts an individual and their role in life. This approach is made clearer using Functionalism, Feminist and Conflict Theories.
Sociology is the scientific study of human social activity. In the effort to study human social activity sociologists brake it down into objects of analysis. The three objects of analysis are population, social structure, and the individual. Each can be differentiated but each is also integrally related to the other two.
What makes sociology different? Sociology is the study of the human society from outside the person, while psychology is what happens to the person within them. Sociology affects your life in many ways that many outside factors contribute to . The greatest sociological factors are often outside of our control, but have large impacts on the way we behave, view society and ourselves. Whether it is the frustration with our teammates, controversy due to what other people believe in and what their religion is. The constraints of our lives also come into factor because we aren’t all equal. All of these societal factors impact our everyday lives.
Sociology is something I didn’t know about until I took this class. This class introduced sociology to me. I learned about how society basically made boys supposed to like blue and girls supposed to like pink. Sociology is “the systematic or scientific study of human society and social behavior, from large-scale institutions and mass culture to small groups and individual interactions” (Ferris and stein 2014: p9). Sociology is not something you just learn when you are just born. You learn about sociology throughout your life. Sociology is displayed around things such as being around different environments, friends, and family. Education is a sociology idea that can examine a person’s class and schooling. The higher the education you have,
This section of sociology focuses on the impact society has on the educational facilities and also how schooling affects individuals. Some of the well-known people for this branch include Durkheim, Sumner, and A.W.Green.
Sociology emerged from the desire of humans to understand our behaviour. However, throughout the years the way humans behave and believe has been passed through generations; and it was mainly explained in religious terms. The origins of sociology started with the social movements of the late XVIII century such as the French Revolution in 1789 and the subsequent Industrial Revolution in Europe. (Giddens, 1997)
The study of sociology is the issues, concepts, investigations, and more importantly, the systematic study of relationships among people. While the study of sociology focuses on groups, or society as a whole, it should not exclude an emphasis on individuals because individuals forms groups and groups produce individuals. We cannot study and fully understand one without the other nor can we study them as if they were merely in competition with each other. Rather, sociology is a personal encounter with the social force which shape our lives, especially those that affect our awareness and ignorance of how we create, maintain, and change those very social forces.
I think everyone should ask themselves what is sociology? I believe that sociology is the scientific study of social behavior or society, including its origins, development, organization, networks, and institutions. This is a huge topic to cover. Sociology explains the way people act and think, based on
Science is the observation of natural events and conditions in order to discover facts about them and to formulate laws and principles based on these facts. Academic Press Dictionary of Science & Technology --------------------------------------------------------------------- Science is an intellectual activity carried on by humans that is designed to discover information about the natural world in which humans live and to discover the ways in which this information can be organized into meaningful patterns. A primary aim of science is to collect facts (data).
Before I started taking the course of sociology I wasn’t really expecting to learn anything, it was just supposed to be an easy online class. However, that was not the case. It challenged my mind. I started to see sociology all around me, starting with family, then friends, and how I see things overall in general. The fact that we have an everyday life in which there are patterns in ways of living is what sets a platform for a sociological breakdown and for being a part in what we do. A better way of understanding ourselves. We use sociology in many ways every day. One central and important study of sociology is the study of everyday social life. Everyday life and sociology are definitely two different words and situations, but they tend to hold a close relationship. While sociology is the study of the human interaction, everyday life consists of everyday human interaction. Everyday life is filled by human beings interacting with one another, ideas, and emotions. Sociology studies the interactions with all of these and shows how mere interaction resulted in things such as ideas. For an example, race and ethnicity are important concepts in the field of sociology and are ones that are studied a great deal. Race plays a large role in everyday human interactions and sociologists want to study how, why, and what the outcomes are of these interactions. Current sociological theories focus mainly on how there are many different factors in our everyday items of life, like movies. We were assigned a final to write a review for a movie in sociological form. The movie that was on the list that also happened to be one of my favorite movies, Toy Story. When we were assigned the assignment, I never thought about how in-depth it was with sociol...
To Quote Anthony Giddens: "Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject matter our own behaviour as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes“(1989). Gidden’s statement describes sociology as a study that helps us understand our own behaviour as human beings in a social word. Sociologist study everything from the interaction between people in the street to the interaction between different countries. Sociologists aim to study how societies have changed over, how societies are structured and organized, the norms of society. It’s also important to understand that not all sociologists agree with each other, Sociologists often debate with one another to prove/disprove certain theories and concepts. By studying Sociology is it helps us analyze social conflicts on a micro and macro scope. Through a macro level, we can study large-scale social organization and large social categories it also examinees social processes and patterns society as a whole. We can analyze individuals much deeper on a micro level. This way we study a human by face-to face interactions. Its important as humans to understand the way our society came together and the reasons to how elements work and function together. Sociology gives us a deeper
Sociology is a study of society social life, social change, and social causes and consequences of human behaviour and allows us to gain an understanding of the structure and dynamics of today’s society, looking at the interlinking links patterns of human behaviour. Sociology looks at the in which social structure and institutions affect our everyday life. Sociological imagination was founded by C. Wright mills in the 1950`s it is an overall understanding of that some of the things that happen in society may lead to a particular outcome. Mills said it is “the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and wider society.” sociological imagination can also be defined as the ability to look at how sociological situations can unfold due to how everyone is different. The way we behave is shaped by the situation that we find ourselves in, the values and norms that we have and the way that other members of society act around us. It is also a way of thinking about how things in society have led to a particular outcome, and understanding of what led to that specific outcome. Sociological imagination is an ability to look at things socially and how they interact and influence each other gaining an understanding of different cultures and class systems.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world,”-Nelson Mandela. In our world, full of endless savagery and pure demise, how can we, as a society, move forward and look past our ample amount of both cultural and ethnic differences? Education: more specifically, Sociology. Sociology, by definition, is “the study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society.” Development. Structure. Function. How are people as a whole changing and adapting to their specific sense of circumstances? Furthermore, how are we, as a species helping each other to survive and flourish? In my opinion, we are not doing well. Ever since mankind's existence, however, you believe it to have started, there has been war, famine,