4. A period of rapid social changes
A challenge to the established
social order
A challenge to the Church and its
dominance over society
5. Historical processes
French Revolution and Industrial
Revolution
Monarchy to Republicanism
Traditional order to social change
Agriculture to factory production
Village life to city life/ rural to urban
migration
Population explosion
6. Development of Sociology
The evolution and growth of natural sciences had a
profound effect on the early sociologists
Biology help developed the idea of organs and
functional relationship based on the study of life
form.
It also helped developed the idea of evolution
which was used to justify the shifts and changes
happening on account of the revolutions referred
to above
Newton's Laws explained all physical phenomena
– needed a shift to the social
7. Sociology and natural sciences
Natural sciences study the
exteriority of natural
phenomena.
Guided by the principles of causality,
identity,
polarity, probability.
Sociology accepts these principles
and apply them to the study of
human societies.
8. Founding Fathers of Sociology
Auguste Comte
Emile Durkheim
Herbert Spencer
Max Weber
Karl Marx
9. August Comte (1798-1857)
Rejected the lack of empiricism in the
social philosophy of the day
Just as science had discovered the
laws of nature,
Sociology could develop the laws of
human social behaviour
10. 1. The Scientific Method
Sociology and Science
Science is “...a body
of systematically
arranged knowledge
that shows the
operation of general
laws.”
Science employs a
particular set of
approaches to the
study of phenomena
known as the
scientific method
Formulate hypotheses
Choose research design
Gather Data
Analyze Data
Review of literature
11. Positivism
The view that Social phenomena can
be studied using natural science
methods
Promoted by early sociologists like
Durkheim, Comte
12. Interpretivism
Sociology is not a natural science
The researcher should seek to
study social phenomena by
looking at the interpretations
people hold about things
13. Positivism and Interpretivism
Determines the type of research a sociologist
does
E.g positivists tend to use quantitative
methods. E.g. surveys, questionnaires, formal
or structured interviews
Interpretivists tend to use more in-depth
methods. Qualitative methods
E.g. informal interviews, participant
observations
15. Sociology has been traditionally concerned with subjects such as stratification,
culture, class, religion, deviance, etc. Now the focus has broadened to take in a
Range of other social issues
Careers
Sociology of Medicine
Sociology of Race
Sociology of Development
Sociology of Education
Economic Sociology
Political Sociology
Media Studies
Organizational Sociology
Industrial Sociology
Sociology of Knowledge
Sociology of Religion...
Practical Implications of Sociology
In Everyday life
Criminology
STS (Science and
Technology Studies
18. C.W. Mills
The task of Sociology is to :
Understand the relationship between
individuals and the society in which
they live
19. It is the:
Intersection between
biography and history
One has to have the
knowledge of the historical
context
20.
21. Troubles and issues
Troubles: privately felt problems that
spring from events in one’s life
Issues: affect large numbers of people and
originate in the institutions of society
23. example
Time and effort put into appearance
On the one hand its ‘personal grooming’
On the other hand, there are social
origins for this behavior
There is an ideal produced by society
and shaped by a particular context
