Chapter-1 - Lecture notes 1 PDF

Preview

Summary

n/a...

Description

CHAPTER 1 SOCIOLOGY AND SOCIETY An Introduction to Sociology (Beltran, 2013) WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY Every human being thinks of himself as an intellectual person capable of planning his own life in whatever way he chooses. He wants to prove his sense of independence through his free choice to decide what he believes is the best for himself. However, one should not discount the fact that he is a member of a society since the time he is born and thereafter many of what happens to him is determined by the nature of his society. It is from this context that sociology which is the scientific study of social life has much to make us understand about ourselves and the world. Sociology is a science which deals with the study of human interaction. By interaction we mean the mutual and reciprocal influencing by two or more people of each other’s feelings, attitudes and action. It is therefore the aim of this chapter is to give you the basic knowledge that will answer your questions about human relationships, society and all the social factors that may affect you.

THE NATURE OF SCIENCE “Science” generally refers (1) to a way of organizing knowledge and (2) to a series of directives concerning the methods by which systematic and accurate knowledge is acquired. Science arranges knowledge into a system of general propositions. Sociology, as a science, is concerned with evolving sets of valid propositions regarding discoverable uniformities in a man’s behavior society. It is of course true that the human behavior has a great many variables influencing it – physical, psychological, social, cultural and so forth. Yet, human life is not just a set of random and accidental events. Behavior falls into patterns of one sort or another. We usually encounter accent, dress, hairstyle, and the like. A surprising number of such regularities occur in human behavior, and lend themselves to reasonably reliable prediction. In fact, all of us in our daily lives by necessity constantly engage in predicting social behavior – for example, that our professor will come to class, occupy a place at the front of the classroom, give graded examinations and so on.

SCIENCE AS A METHOD Science is also a method which provides us with an approach to the entire empirical world – that is, the world that is susceptible to the man’s experience. This method is characterized by objectivity in analysis and observation. A given subject matter is scientific to the extent to which its theories are refined and tested in accordance with scientific method. Science is concerned with what is rather than with what should be. The task of science is not persuasion or conversion – that is, it is not the function of science to convince people that something is good, worthwhile, desirable or right. The task of science is demonstration to show that a given relationships exists.

SOCIOLOGY AND OTHER SOCIAL SCIENCES Sociology is one of the social sciences. All social scientists deal with human behavior, the relationships and interactions of people in groups. Social scientists stress that understanding human relationships is difficult to achieve not unless we study individuals as we understand salt by studying sodium and chloride. In the same manner when salt and sodium are put together something new happens, so when people come together new things happen. The behavior of people is not the action of Juan plus the action of Carmelo but the interaction of Juan and Carmelo which is difficult to predict if taken separately. The social sciences – psychology, anthropology, sociology, history economics and political science – are the academic disciplines that deal with people as they relate to their social environment. These various social sciences have different emphasis and perspectives on group life. Anthropology deals with the physiological and behavioral similarities and differences among the people of the world. It emphasizes the concept of culture. Economics focuses on the activities of people as they manipulate their environment to produce goods and services and as they distribute and consume them. Political science studies the political life and government and the distribution of power in a society. It aims to maintain social order and achieve social change. History is the study of human past. It selects and arranges the gathered data according to their relationships and significance. Psychology is the study of human behavior. It studies the mental and emotional state of man. The social science disciplines are inter-related of course and profit from each other’s studies. Sociology cannot ignore any of them. Sociologists focus on people in groups and on their relationships to oner another, as well as on the relationships of groups to other groups. Sociologists try to answer how such relationships arise, why they last or dissolve, how they change and what are their effects on people involved and on other individuals and groups.

THE DISTINCTIVE FIELD OF SOCIOLOGY Although Sociology can profit from finding all of the social sciences, it has a distinctive field – a field that was clearly defined by one of its founders, Emile Durkheim. Sociology’s distinctive field is the study of group life, how an individual is influenced by others and hoe they are swept by such social contagions as fads, panic, hysterias, ideologies, to what degree “society” is a tyrant, and to what extent it is a filled of the individual.

HOW SOCIOLOGY DEVELOPED Sociology in Europe August Comte (1798-1857) went on to form a new school of intellectual inquiry. For this new discipline he coined the term Sociology and began to pursue a science of society. Rather than speculating on things as they ought to be, he advocated the study of society solely on the basis of observation. Since each science needs a father in order to be considered legitimate, Comte obtained himself the title “Father of Sociology”. He saw himself as the founder of a new science that would eventually help man create a better world than he had ever known before. The word “sociology” is derived from the Latin word “socius” which means companion or associate and logos, a Greek word for study. Hence, etymologically, sociology means the study of society. Perhaps the greatest single contribution to the early development of sociology was made by Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), the first Frenchman to hold the title of Professor of Education and Sociology. In 1898, he founded and edited the first French journal of sociology and thereby helped to publicize the new area of scientific investigation. By way of actual contribution to the fund of sociological knowledge, Durkheim added the statistical method, the social causes of suicide, the relation of values to sociology, a theory on the origin of religion, an examination of the dynamics of social control and an explanation of collective behavior. His interests reached into laws, politics, education, familial relationships, psychology and anthropology. From each of these areas of interest he was able to develop ideas relevant to the subject area of sociology. Sociology in United States In the United States, Sociology was first introduced trough the writings and teachings of Lester Frank Ward (1841-1913). Ward was convinced that man could help direct the course of social reform. He worked diligently to institute a system of free public education and championed the movement to grant full equality to women in the social and political system.

Probably the best known American sociologist of the nineteenth century was William Graham Summer (1840-1910). In his famous work “Folkways” he gives a detailed description and analysis of social control that is considered to be his most significant contribution to the field. From its founding over 100 years ago, Sociology has progressed as a discipline and has continued to refine its methods of inquiry.

Sociology in the Philippines It started as a college subject taught in the University of Sto. Tomas in 1896, in the University of the Philippines in 1911 and in Silliman University in 1919. Fr. Valentin Martin was the first to teach Sociology and Serafin Macaraig was the first qualified Filipino Sociologist. Today, Sociology is going through a period of extensive expansion and is a basic requirement in all academic courses offered.

OCCUPATIONS SOCIOLOGISTS PURSUE Sociology is a good background for a number of fields of employment, including some that are only indirectly sociological, such as welfare, probation, parole work, many kinds of juvenile work and advisory positions to the poor. For the person working directly on to a higher degree, Sociology offers a supervisory job in welfare, but more typically college teaching, college research and governmental and industrial research. Some sociologists combine academics and professional roles as consultants on specific problems, urban planners, advisers on community development or advisers to political offices. They feel they broaden their mastery of the discipline by applying their knowledge and methods in social action....