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Definition of Sociology
Sociology is the systematic and scientific study of human social life. Sociologists study people as they form groups and interact with one another. The groups they study may be small, such as married couples, or large, such as a subculture of suburban teenagers. Sociology places special emphasis on studying societies, both as individual entities and as elements of a global perspective.
The Sociological Perspective
The sociological perspective is a way of looking at the world through the lens of social structures and interactions. It allows individuals to see beyond their personal experiences and consider the broader social context that influences behavior, beliefs, and outcomes. This perspective helps sociologists understand the relationship between individuals and society as a whole.
A key concept in the sociological perspective is the sociological imagination, introduced by American sociologist C. Wright Mills. The sociological imagination is the ability to connect personal experiences to larger social and historical forces. For example, instead of viewing unemployment as a personal failure, the sociological imagination encourages us to examine how economic trends, globalization, or government policies contribute to job loss. By linking personal troubles to public issues, the sociological imagination empowers people to better understand their place in the world and how social forces shape their lives.
The sociological perspective emphasizes patterns of behavior and the ways social structures influence individual and group actions. For instance, sociologists study phenomena like marriage rates, crime, or educational achievement, not just as isolated events, but as outcomes influenced by cultural norms, economic systems, and historical context.
Another important element of the sociological perspective is the focus on group behavior and social institutions rather than just individuals. Sociologists examine how groups, from small families to large organizations, operate and how societal institutions like education, religion, and government impact human interaction. This perspective encourages the study of social inequality, power dynamics, and cultural diversity.
Finally, the sociological perspective challenges common-sense assumptions. It asks questions about why society operates the way it does and whether the "natural" way of doing things is truly universal. For example, sociologists might question the assumption that success is solely based on individual effort by exploring the role of social class, privilege, and access to resources in shaping opportunities.
The Birth of Sociology
Auguste Comte (1798–1857), widely considered the “father of sociology,” became interested in studying society because of the changes that took place as a result of the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. During the French Revolution, which began in 1789, France’s class system changed dramatically. Aristocrats suddenly lost their money and status, while peasants, who had been at the bottom of the social ladder, rose to more powerful and influential positions. The Industrial Revolution followed on the heels of the French Revolution, unfolding in Western Europe throughout the 1800s. During the Industrial Revolution, people abandoned a life of agriculture and moved to cities to find factory jobs. They worked long hours in dangerous conditions for low pay. New social problems emerged and, for many decades, little was done to address the plight of the urban poor.
Comte looked at the extensive changes brought about by the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution and tried to make sense of them. He felt that the social sciences that existed at the time, including political science and history, couldn’t adequately explain the chaos and upheaval he saw around him. He decided an entirely new science was needed. He called this new science sociology, which comes from the root word socius, a Latin word that means “companion” or “being with others.”
Comte decided that to understand society, one had to follow certain procedures, which we know now as the scientific method. The scientific method is the use of systematic and specific procedures to test theories in psychology, the natural sciences, and other fields. Comte also believed in positivism, which is the application of the scientific method to the analysis of society. Comte felt that sociology could be used to inspire social reforms and generally make a society a better place for its members. Comte’s standards of “research” were not nearly as exacting as today’s, and most of his conclusions have been disregarded, as they were based mostly on observation rather than serious investigation.
In the United States, sociology was first taught as an academic discipline at the University of Kansas in 1890, at the University of Chicago in 1892, and at Atlanta University in 1897. Over time, it spread to other universities in North America. The first department of sociology opened at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, in 1922, followed by sociology departments at Harvard University in 1930 and at the University of California at Berkeley in the 1950s.
