A B C A B A B C A SOC 302 INTRO TO THE STUDY OF SOCIETY Lecture The Sociological Perspective 09 03 15 I Origins of Sociology 1 Three major social changes during the 17th and 18th centuries that were important to the development of sociology Industrial Revolution women and men lived in different spheres Emergence of urban cities in Europe Rising concern of political freedom The French Revolution was the first sign of political freedom i II Important Sociologists 1 Auguste Comte Coined the term sociology Stages Theology during Medieval Europe using the scripture i ii Metaphysical we understand how society is by human observation iii Herbert Spencer Scientific by scientific methods such as observation and classification 2 Published in 1864 the Principles of Sociology in which Spencer is best known for the expression survival of the fittest after reading Charles Darwin s On the Origin of Species Influenced greatly by Charles Darwin Did a lot of classifications and observation i Classified music 3 Emile Durkheim emerges in the late 19th century Published in 1897 Suicide Durkheim explores the differing suicide rates among Protestants and Catholics arguing that stronger social control among Catholics results in lower suicide rates i Men single people without children Protestants soldiers are at a higher rate of committing suicide ii Suicide rates are higher in times of peace than in times of war a Example The suicide rate in France fell after the coup d etat of Louis Napol on Bonaparte iii Suicide rates are higher in Scandinavian countries B C Interested in the idea of social integration after the French Revolution Two ideas we get about sociology i ii Sociology is divided into groups Sociology needs to collect empirical data III What is Theory and Paradigm 1 2 Theory is a statement of how and why specific facts are related and the goal is to explain social behavior Paradigm is a set of assumptions that guide our reading and research a basic image of society SOC 302 INTRO TO THE STUDY OF SOCIETY Lecture The Sociological Perspective 09 03 15 IV Social Fact and Social Patterns According to Emile Durkheim social fact is any way of acting whether fixed or not capable of exerting over the individual an external constraint or which is general over the whole of a given society whilst having an existence of its own independent of its individual manifestations Social facts are ways of acting and thinking they comprise institutions beliefs practices which eventually crystallize and limit the possible forms of individuals actions and forms of consciousness Social Patterns Social Class Culture Institutions A condition in which society provides little moral guidance to individuals It is the breakdown of social bonds between an individual and the community Popularized by French sociologist mile Durkheim in Suicide Durkheim never uses the term normlessness rather he describes anomie as derangement and an insatiable will For Durkheim anomie arises more generally from a mismatch between personal or group standards and wider social standards or from the lack of a social ethic which produces moral deregulation and an absence of legitimate aspirations V Anomie VI Key Figures of Sociology 1 Karl Marx 1818 1883 Emphasis on class and ideology division The oppression on the factory workers by the factory owners really bothered him These two groups are always in conflict i ii Marx wanted change for the lower class and society iii Believed sociologists should actively change the world 2 Max Weber 1864 1920 Valued freedom sociologist should be objective Interested in power authority domination and status Economic location affects the power you have i Example Local priest still had an amount of power around the town 3 C Wright Mills 1916 1962 Sociologist should get involves in trying to change society Interest in topics of power researched the power elite VII Feminist Approaches 1 Feminist sociologists believe that women center in the world of sociology 1 2 1 2 A B C A B A B A B C A B SOC 302 INTRO TO THE STUDY OF SOCIETY Lecture The Sociological Perspective 09 03 15 They highlight gender relations and inequality 2 3 These gender patterns are not natural but socially constructed