Nature, Scope AND Importance OF Sociology PDF

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'Man is a social animal,' Aristotle said centuries ago. Human beings are born and raised in society, where they are nourished and nurtured. Our lives are made bearable by society. Society has been a source of speculation and inquiry since the dawn of civilization. The restless and inquisitive mind o...

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NATURE, SCOPE AND IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY INTRODUCTION

'Man is a social animal,' Aristotle said centuries ago. Human beings are born and raised in society, where they are nourished and nurtured. Our lives are made bearable by society. Society has been a source of speculation and inquiry since the dawn of civilization. The restless and inquisitive mind of man has continued to be awed by social phenomena. St. Simon was the one who began the scientific study of society much later. Auguste Comte carried on his legacy and coined the term sociology to describe a new branch of social science. We will discuss the nature and scope of sociology as a discipline in this unit. ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIOLOGY

In the middle of the nineteenth century, sociology became recognised as a distinct social science. Its emergence was aided by a number of factors. There were three major factors that accelerated the development of sociology as a distinct science. They're briefly discussed below.

• England's Industrial Revolution and France's Social and Political Revolution • Inspiration derived from the development of natural sciences; • Inspiration derived from the colonial empires' radically diverse societies and cultures.

In the second half of the 18th century, Western Europe underwent significant transformations. These changes agitated some people's minds and made them acutely aware of what was going on around them. To begin with, the Industrial Revolution, which began in England in the late eighteenth century, was a monumental social event. Never before in history has there been such a massive shift in society. The Industrial Revolution not only revolutionised production methods, but also ushered in significant social changes. Complex urban life and mass production of goods replaced

simple rural life and small-scale home industries. Civilization changed course as a result of industrialization. In fast-growing cities, social problems became rampant. Suddenly, the people were confronted with problems that neither they nor their forefathers had ever faced before. Men's minds were stirred by these challenges. And they began to consider how to combat the social ills that arose as a result of the Industrial Revolution. Social thinkers such as Comte, Spencer, and others argued that a separate science of society was urgently needed. They believed that such a science would be extremely beneficial in understanding society's nature and problems, as well as finding solutions to them.

Natural sciences advanced significantly during the nineteenth century. Natural scientists' achievements inspired and even enticed a number of social thinkers to follow in their footsteps. People began to wonder if the methods used by natural science could be successfully applied to the social world to understand social phenomena if they could be successful in the physical world to understand physical or natural phenomena. Comte and others successfully demonstrated that these (scientific) methods could also be used to study the social world in response to this question. In addition, European colonial powers were exposed to a variety of societies and cultures in the colonial empires. The social scientists of the time faced an intellectual challenge as a result of their exposure to such a wide range of societies and cultures. As a result, both intellectual and social factors influenced the development of sociology as a distinct discipline.

NATURE OF SOCIOLOGY

Sociology is a scientific field. In other words, sociology attempts to conduct a scientific investigation into social actions or events. This statement may have prompted you to wonder what constitutes a scientific study.

A scientific study is one that attempts to understand a phenomenon in a systematic and logical manner. In other words, a scientific study must be based on facts, and the

researcher's subjective feelings must not be a factor in the study. Second, appropriate methods must be used to unravel facts and analyse them for logical conclusions. In relation to the phenomena under investigation, such conclusions or generalisations must be empirically verifiable, reliable, and valid.

Because sociology is concerned with people and the values that they hold, the methods used in sociology differ slightly from those used in natural sciences. Nonliving particles are the subject matter of natural sciences such as physics and chemistry. These particles do not have their own consciousness. However, as previously stated, sociology's subject matter is a human being with a self-awareness who tends to act differently when he or she realises that his or her behaviour is being observed. Furthermore, human beings cannot be studied in a laboratory, and sociologists must study them in their natural environment in order to understand their true nature. However, all sciences (including sociology) have one thing in common: observation must be conducted in a scientific manner. This means that an observer must be able to accurately record what he or she sees. As a result, a sociologist must be able to keep his or her preconceived notions at bay while conducting research. For example, a researcher may have preconceived notions about a society he or she is attempting to research, but while doing so, he or she must record what he or she has observed rather than how he or she 'feels' about that society. Some of the characteristics of sociology are discussed below, as described by Robert Bierstedt in his book "The Social Order."

1. Sociology is a distinct field of study. 2. Sociology is a social science, not a science of matter. 3. Sociology is a categorical discipline, not a normative one. 4. Sociology is a pure science, not a practical one. 5. Sociology is a relatively abstract, rather than a concrete, science. 6. Sociology is a general science, not a specific or individual one. 7. Sociology is a science that is both rational and empirical.

Methods in Sociology

Sociologists use a variety of methods to uncover the truth about the social world. Some of these techniques are briefly discussed below:

Survey method: This method entails the systematic collection of information about a group of people who live in a specific geographical, cultural, or administrative area, such as a census. Social surveys are usually conducted to elicit social facts about various aspects of a society (attitudes, opinions, or behaviour patterns). This method is usually used to cover a larger area. As a result, a researcher will typically use a questionnaire to elicit data that is relevant to his or her research. A questionnaire is a collection of questions that are relevant to a researcher's research. A questionnaire is mailed to the respondents or given to them directly by hand. The respondents are expected to complete the questionnaire and return it. The research comes to a conclusion after analysing the responses. Historical method: This method assumes that a society's current social situation has its origins in its past social life. As a result, a researcher begins to investigate the events, processes, and institutions that existed in a previous society. Karl Marx, for example, studied the problems of modern capitalist society by studying the early stages of modern society. Comparative method: In this type of research, a researcher tries to understand man's social behaviour in different contexts by comparing different societies or different groups within the same societies. For example, in order to understand why capitalism emerged in western societies, Max Weber compared eastern and western religions. Case study method: In this method, a specific phenomenon is studied in depth by examining an individual, a group, or a community. This method entails a thorough examination of every aspect of the unit (individual, group, or community) under investigation. Statistical method: This method employs mathematical calculations to attempt to comprehend a social phenomenon. This method is widely used in studies involving migration, standard of living, divorce, marriage, crime, suicide, and other topics.

Content analysis: In this method, the researcher analyses a text from a published work, such as a newspaper or a magazine, in order to better understand a phenomenon. For example, if a researcher wants to learn more about how the mainstream media portrays north-east India, he or she might start by looking at how many times the national dailies have reported on the region's events. A researcher could also start looking into the words that have become associated with the area. If more positive words are used, the north east will be portrayed in a positive light. However, if negative words are used more frequently, the region is being portrayed negatively. Ethnography: This method aims to describe rather than explain the social life of a particular group. In other words, a researcher tries to figure out what the person he or she is studying thinks about their social world and the meanings they assign to their daily activities.

SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY

Sociologists have been interested in man and the dynamics of society since the beginning of the discipline. As a result, the scope of sociology as a field of study has expanded dramatically. The following is a general outline of sociology's subject matter:

Sociology's main concern is sociological analysis. It means that sociologists attempt to provide a sociological analysis of human society and culture.

The study of primary units of social life has received sufficient attention in sociology. It is concerned with social acts and social relationships, diverse groups, communities (urban, rural, and tribal), associations, organisations, and populations in this area.

• Sociology has studied the evolution, structure, and function of a wide range of basic social institutions, including family and kinship, religion, economy, polity, legal, and educational institutions.

• Sociological studies emphasise social processes like cooperation, competition, accommodation, and assimilation, social conflict, social change, social differentiation and stratification, socialisation, social control, and deviance. The method of research has also been given a high priority in sociology. Instead of being philosophical and idealistic, sociology has tended to become more rational and empirical. • The task of "formulating concepts, propositions, and theories" is what sociologists are concerned with. • In this era of exploding knowledge, sociologists have experimented with specialisations as well. As a result, a plethora of specialised fields of inquiry have emerged in recent years. Such specialised fields include sociology of knowledge, sociology of history, sociology of medicine, sociology of culture, sociology of religion, sociology of education, and so on.

Because the field of sociological inquiry is so vast, any sociology student with a creative mind and a wide sociological imagination can add new dimensions to the discipline as a whole.

The scope and subject matter of each subject are distinct. The scope of sociology is a point of contention among sociologists. As a result, there is no consensus among scholars regarding the scope of sociology. Some sociologists believe that sociology studies everything and anything under the sun, while others believe that sociology's scope is very limited because it only studies things that other social sciences do not. "Because sociology is such an ephemeral science, it is difficult to determine where its boundaries begin and end, where sociology becomes social psychology and social psychology becomes sociology, or where economic theory becomes sociological theory, something that is impossible to decide," writes V.F. Calberton. However, an attempt has been made to define sociology's exact scope.

Formal school and synthetic school are two schools of thought with opposing viewpoints on the scope and subject matter of sociology. Sociology was conceived as a social science with a clearly defined field, according to the formal school. The main proponents of this school were George Simmel, Ferdinand Tonnies, Alfred Vierkandt, and Leopold Von Wiese. The synthetic school, which included Emile Durkheim, L.T. Hobhouse, and Pitirim Sorokin, advocated for a synthesis in the form of coordination between all social sciences.

• Formal School of Sociology: The formal school of sociology argued that sociology should be given a specific subject matter in order to be considered a distinct discipline. It placed a strong emphasis on the study of different types of social relationships and regarded sociology as a distinct discipline. Sociology, according to Simmel, is a branch of social science that describes, categorises, analyses, and delineates the various forms of social relationships. In other words, social interactions should be classified into various forms or types and analysed. Social interactions, according to Simmel, come in a variety of shapes and sizes. He investigated formal relationships such as cooperation, competition, subordinate and superordinate relationships, and so on. Sociology, according to Vierkandt, should be concerned with the ultimate forms of mental or psychic relationships that bind people in a society together. The goal of sociology, according to Max Weber, is to interpret or understand social behaviour. However, social behaviour does not encompass all aspects of human interactions. Not all human interactions are social, after all. The study and classification of different types of social relationships is the subject of sociology. • Synthetic School of Sociology: The Synthetic School of Sociology wished to broaden the scope of sociology by making it a synthesis of the social sciences. Sociology, according to Durkheim, is divided into three categories: social morphology, social physiology, and general sociology. The geographical or territorial basis of people's lives, such as population, size, density, and distribution, is addressed by social morphology. The study of the origins and nature of various social institutions, such as religion, morals, law, and economic institutions, is known as social physiology. The main goal of general sociology is to formulate general social laws. Hobhouse saw

sociology as a science that encompassed all aspects of man's social life. Its interactions with other social sciences are characterised by mutual exchange and stimulation. Sociology is divided into two sections by Karl Mannheim: systematic and general sociology and historical sociology. Insofar as they can be found in any kind of society, systematic sociology describes the main factors of living together one by one. Historical sociology is concerned with the historical diversity and reality of society's general forms. Ginsberg summed up sociology's main functions by stating that it seeks to classify various types and forms of social relationships, particularly those that have come to be known as institutions and associations. It attempts to establish the relationship between various aspects of social life, such as the economic and political, moral and legal, intellectual and social elements. It aims to decipher the fundamental conditions of social change and persistence, as well as sociological principles that govern social life.

We can conclude from the preceding discussion that sociology's subject matter is social life as a whole, and it deals with the more general principles that underpin all social phenomena. As a result, sociology has a very broad scope. It is a general as well as a specialised science.

IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY The value of sociology is increasing all the time. Individuals' social lives and society are constantly changing. Sociology is a discipline that helps people understand their daily lives and how they are changing. The study of social problems and making adjustments to society is a fundamental aspect of sociology. In his book "Invitation to Sociology: A Humanistic Perspective" (1963), prominent sociologist Peter L. Berger (1929–2017) defines a sociologist as "someone concerned with understanding society in a disciplined way." He claims that sociologists have a natural fascination with both monumental events in people's lives and mundane,

everyday occurrences. Berger also describes the "aha" moment when a sociological theory becomes understandable and applicable:

Some sociological investigations have a deceptive simplicity and obviousness to them. One reads them, nods at the familiar scene, and thinks to himself, "I've heard it all before; don't people have better things to do than waste their time on truisms," until one is suddenly confronted with an insight that calls into question everything one had previously assumed about this familiar scene. This is when one starts to get a sense of sociology's excitement. (1963, Berger)

Sociology is fascinating because it teaches people how to recognise their place in the world and how others see them. Looking at themselves and society from a sociological standpoint allows people to see how they fit into various groups based on the various ways they classify themselves and how society classifies them. It raises awareness of the impact of classifications like economic and social status, education, ethnicity, and sexual orientation on perceptions.

People are taught in sociology not to accept simple explanations. It teaches them how to organise their thoughts so they can ask better questions and come up with better responses. It makes people more aware of the fact that there are many different types of people in the world who do not necessarily think in the same way they do. It increases their willingness and ability to look at the world through the eyes of others. This prepares them to live and work in a world that is becoming more diverse and integrated.

People who study sociology gain a broad range of knowledge and skills that they can apply in a variety of settings, including the workplace.

• the ability to design and carry out research projects to determine whether a programme or policy is working; • the ability to collect, read, and analyse statistical data from polls or surveys; • the ability to recognise important differences in people's

social, cultural, and economic backgrounds; • skills in writing reports and communicating complex ideas; and • the capacity for critical thinking about s (University of Alabama, Department of Sociology)

Sociology prepares students for a wide range of occupations. People with a sociology degree are hired by government agencies and corporations in fields such as social services, counselling (e.g., family planning, career, and substance abuse), community planning, health services, marketing, market research, and human resources, in addition to conducting social research or training others in the field. In fields such as sales, public relations, journalism, teaching, law, and criminal justice, even a small amount of sociology training can be beneficial. "Sociology tells us how to become what we want to be," Giddings says. Let us now look at how sociology can help in various ways.

a) The academic discipline Sociology is the scientific study of society, the application of scientific knowledge to human society in order to achieve progress in various fields. b) Sociology investigates why man is a social animal, as well as the individual-society relationship. c) Sociology enhances knowledge of society and social relationships. d) Sociology investigates the role of social institutions in the functioning of society. e) Sociology is useful in addressing social issues such as poverty, family disorganisation, unemployment, and juvenile delinquency, among others. f) Sociological knowledge is required for society's understanding and planning. g) It has contributed more to the enrichment of human culture. THE SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE

Sociology offers unique perspectives on the world we live in. A ...