into to Sociology A level Notes

Adriana Zahra

JANUARY 1, 2025
Introduction to Sociology
Chapter 1:
1.1 Meaning & Definitions of Sociology
1.2 Origin of Sociology
1.3 Nature of Sociology
1.4 Major Three Perspectives of Sociology
1.5 Sociology in Science
1.6 Applications/ Scope of Sociology
1.7 Relationship of Sociology with other Social Sciences

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1.1 Definition of Sociology
- The term has been derived from two words. The Latin word
“Socious” means companionship and the Greek word “Logos”
means study.
- So, the term means the study of human companionship or
association or society.
- Here are some important statements said by very influential
sociologist:
o Max Weber said that “Sociology is the study of social
action”.
o Auguste Comte said that “Sociology is the scientific study
of society”.
o Emilie Durkheim said that “Sociology is the study of social
facts through social institutions (family, education,
religion, economics and politics)”.
o Park & Burgess said that “Sociology is the study of
collective behaviour”.
- On the basis of the above definitions, we can conduct that:
“Sociology is the science of society, human behaviour,
human interaction and relationships”.

1.2 Origin of Sociology

- Initially Sociology was introduced by Muslim
Sociologist “Ibn-e- Khaldun (1332-1406)”. Who
belonged to Tunisia. He used the term of
“Immraniyat”
o Imran: Society
o Yat: Study
- “Sociology is the study of Society”.
- Ibn-e-Khaldun was a historian and studied the
different societies. His methodology was based on “Casual
Relationship”.
- Sociology was originated as a special discipline in 1838 by a French
Sociologist ‘August Comte’. He wanted to lay its foundation by using
the scientific methodology. He was also known as the “father of
Sociology”.

1.3 Nature of Sociology

- Sociology is an Independent Science.
- Sociology is a social science not a physical science.

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 - It is a categorical and not a normative discipline.
- It is a relatively abstract science not a concrete science,
- & sociology is a generalising and not a particularising science.

1.4
Three perspectives visualised
Perspective Major Tenets Believes that Macro or
sociology Micro Focus
should enact
social
change
Structural Society is an No Macro
Functionali organic
sm whole of
stable parts
Conflict Society is a Yes Macro
set of groups
competing
for power
and
resources
Symbolic Society is No Micro
Interactioni the sum of
sm daily
interactions
guided by
symbols

Major Three perspectives of Sociology

1. The Structural Functionalist
2. The Conflict
3. The Symbolic Interactionist

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1. Structural Functionalism
o Popularised by American sociologist Talcott Parsons in the
1940’s.
o Society is a stable arrangement of parts that fit together.
o Society is glued together by shared values.
o Each part contributes to the overall function.
o Macro-level focus.

2. The Conflict Perspective

o Originated from German economist/historian Karl Marx, the
‘father of communism’. (1818-1883)
o Social groups (i.e. workers and capitalists, men and women)
struggle for resources and power.
o Conflict is the normal, stability and order are not.
o Macro-level focus.
o Karl Marx viewed struggle between social classes as inevitable
because workers are exploited under capitalism.
o They claimed that the Capitalist exploit the working class by
giving them low wages.
o The conflict perspective encouraged the working class to gain
their rights by radical movements (to transform or replace the
fundamental principles of a society or political system, often
through social change, structural change, revolution or radical
reform).

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 3. The Symbolic
Interactionism
o Micro-level analysis of society.
o Society is ‘played out’ through daily interactions between
people.
o People interact through shared symbols (physical ones and
intangible ones like body languages) which gives meaning in
social interactions
o All reality is based on shared subjective agreement.
o The interactionist perspective focuses on social behaviour in
everyday life. It tries to understand how people create and
interpret the situations they experience, and it emphasises
how countless instances of social interaction produce the
larger structure of society-government, the economy and
other institutions.
o This perspective presumes that it is only through these social
behaviours of the people that society can come into begin.

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 Society is ultimately created, maintained and changed by the
social interaction of its members.
o The Interactionist perspective in general invites the
sociologists to ask specific kinds of questions:
 What kinds of interactions are taking place between
people?
 How do the understand and interpret what is happening
to them?
 Why do they act towards each other as they do?
 How does someone learn to experience cigarette
smoking as pleasurable?
 What tactics are used by political leaders to convivence
something to an angry mob?

1.5 Sociology as Science

- SCIENCE:
o According to Neuman “Science is a social institution and a way
to produce knowledge”.
o Testable knowledge is called science.
- Types of SCIENCES:
o Natural Science (Physical science, biological science)
o Social Science
- Social sciences deal with social processes and human behaviour. It
is more concerned, with the human society. This includes sociology,
history, anthropology, economics, political science, philosophy etc.

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1.6 Application/ Scope of Sociology
1. Education & Research
2. Agriculture
3. Industry
4. Trade & Business
5. Health
6. Population & Planning
7. Social Welfare
8. Social Policy, Planning & Development

1. Education & Research

o Sociology is thought as a subject in many different universities
around the world.
o There are different institutions that are conducting the
research highlighting the different problems faced by the
members of society.

2. Agriculture
o Agriculture is the main source of economy in some cultures,
like for example, Pakistani. But unfortunately, due to different
socio-cultural dogmatic beliefs our farmers resist the
innovations.
o Sociologists played an important role in brainwashing the
farmers and to prepare them for the usage of different modern
technologies.
o In this way Sociologists played a vital role in the upgrade of
the agriculture sector.

3. Industry
o Sociologists played an important role in the domain of industry
for building a good relationship between the workers and the
owners of the factory.

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1.7 Relationship of Sociology with other Social Sciences

Relationship between Sociology and History

- There is a direct relationship between sociology and history.

- Both sociology and history cannot be separated from because
sociology is the present and history deals with the past events.

Difference between Sociology and History

Sociology History
It is interested in the study of the It deals with past events of
study of the present social humans; it is slightly also about the
phenomena. present.
It is a young social science. It is an age-old social science. It
has a long story of more than 2000
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 years.
It is based on analytics. It is a descriptive science.
It is absorbed in nature. It studies History is concrete. The historians
mostly regular, the recurrent and are interested in the unique, the
the universal. particular, and the individual.

Relationship of Sociology and Economics

- Sociology and Economics as social sciences have close relations.

- The relationship between the two is so close that one if often
treated as the branch of the other, because society is greatly
influenced by economic factors, and economic processes are
largely determined by the environment of the society.
- Economics deals with economic activities of man. It deals with
production, consumption and distribution of wealth. The economic
factors play a vital role in the very aspects of our social life. Total
development of an induvial depends very much so on the economic
factors. Without economic conditions, the study of society is quite
impossible. All the social problems are directly connected with the
economic conditions of the people.

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Relationship of Sociology with Political Science

- Definition of Political Science: Political Science is the science of the

state and Government. It studies power, political system, political
process, and international relations.
- Sociology and Political Science are very closely and deeply related
with each other, one is meaningless without the other.
- According to Morris: Historically, sociology has its roots in political
science and philosophy of history.
- Sociology depends on political science. For example, the state and
government make laws for the welfare of society, it removes evils
like poverty, unemployment, and crimes, etc.
- According to F.H. Gidding: “To teach the theory of state to men who
have not learned the first principles of sociology is like teaching
astronomy or thermodynamics to men who have not learned the
Newton Law of Motion”.
- According to G.E.G. Catlin: “Sociology and political science are the
two faces of the same figure or things”.

Differences between Sociology & Political Science

Sociology Political Science

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 Sociology is the science of Political science studies only the
society. politically organised societies.
Sociology studies all kinds of Political science is a narrow field.
societies, organised as well as
unorganised.
Sociology has a wider scope. Political science concentrates only
on the human relationships which
are political in nature.
Sociology is quite young. In Political science is another science
fact, it is not even two comparatively. It has centuries of
centuries old. history.

Anthropology

- Definition: The study of human beings and their ancestors through

time and space, in relation to physical character, environmental
relation and culture.
- Theology deals with the origin, nature and destiny of human beings.
- According to Eric Wolf: “Anthropology is less a subject matter than a
bond between subject matters. It is part history, part literature, part
social science; it strives to study, men both from within and without;
it represents both a manner of looking at men and a vision of men-
the most scientific of the humanities, the most humanist of
sciences.”
- Western Washington University stated that: “Anthropology explores
what it means to be human. Anthropology is the scientific study of
humankind in all the cultures of the world, both past and present.”

Similarities between Sociology & Anthropology

- Sociology and Anthropology involve the systematic study of social

life and culture in order to understand then causes and
consequences of human action.
- Sociologists and Anthropologists study the structure and processes
of traditional culture and modern, industrial societies in both
western and non-western cultures.
- Sociology and Anthropology combine scientific and humanistic
perspectives in the study of society.
- Drawing upon various theoretical perspectives, Sociologists and
Anthropologists study areas such as: culture, socialisation, deviance,
inequality, health and illness, family pattens, social change &race,
and ethnic relations.

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 Differences between Sociology & Anthropology
Sociology Anthropology
Sociology is the study of modern Anthropology is concerned with un-
civilised and complex societies. civilised or primitive and non-
literate societies.
Sociologists study small as well as Anthropologists study human
large societies. primitive cultures.
Sociology makes use of Anthropologists directly go and live
observation, interviews, social in the communities they study.
surveys, questioners, and other They make use of direct
methods of technique in observation and interviews.
investigations.
Sociology focuses on social Anthropology focuses on culture
problems and institutions. and community.
Subfields such as: gender studies, Subfields such: linguistics,
criminology, & social work. archaeology, and forensic
anthropology.

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