Sociology is the systematic study of human action in social context PDF

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Notes global sociology, winter...

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Sociology is the systematic study of human action in social context. It is based on the idea that our relations with other people create opportunities for us to think and act but also set limits on our thoughts and actions.  Sociology is an elastic discipline that shares some elements in common with many other fields Philisophical foundations  Ontology: what is real?  Epistemology: How do we know what we know Early social philosophers contributed to classical sociology theory through these fundamental tenets:  Thomas Hobbes’s assertion that government’s appropriate role lies in preserving peace while allowing individuals to pursue their self-interests  John Locke’s belied in individual freedom and autonomy  Charles de Montesquieu’s comparative methodology and his appreciation for cultural diversity  Jean-jacques rousseaus analysis of the social contract and his belief in autonomy Birth of sociology  The scientific revolution (16th c) encouraged the use of evidence to substantiate theories-provide data, evidence.  The democratic revolution (18thc) encouraged the view that human action can change society-we can have a say in how society is organized  The industrial revolution (19th c) gave sociologists their subject matter.how do u make lots of people living closely work Sociology-Asking a set of questions-how do you manage certain conflicts?  How do you see the world?  How do you form your opinions and accumulate information?  What is your culture and what role does it play in your life?  How did you become the person you are today?  How do you relate and interact with your family, friends and strangers around you?  What are the effects of your class position on how you live your life?  What racial or ethnic group do you identify yourself with?  How do you feel your gender shapes your identity?  What impact have changes around the world had on your life? Sociological perspective  At the heart of sociology is a special point of view called the sociological perspective.

 Sociological perspective as seeing the general in the particular. By this we mean that sociologists identify general patterns in the behavior of particular individuals.  Collecting pieces of data and using it to see if there are emerging patterns. Wants to identify the patterns that effect more than one person.  While acknowledging that each individual is unique, sociologists recognize that society acts differently on various categories of people (children compared to adults. Women versus men, he rich as opposed to poor)  We think sociologically when we realize how the general categories into which we happen to fall under shape our particular life experiences.  Sociological perspective illustrated through considering causes of suicide  Suicide often regarded as a supremely antisocial and non social act  Yet there are hidden social causes of suicide Sociological explanation of suicicde: Durkheim’s explanation  Emile Durkheim. At the end of the 19th century, demonstrated suicide rates were strongly influenced by social forces  Examined association between rates of suicide and rates of psychological disorder for different groups  Found suicide rates and rates of psychological disorder did not vary directly, and often appeared to vary inversely. Durkheims contribution  Durkheim argued suicide rates varied as result of differences in degree of social solidarity in different categories of the population  Social solidarity refers to: The degree to which group memebers share the beliefs and values: and the intensity and frequency of their interaction...