UNDERSTANDING SOCIOLOGY

CHAP#1

Meaning of Sociology: The word “Sociology” has been

derived from two words. The Latin “Socius”, means “Companion”. The Greek “Ology”, means “Study of”.

So the term literally means the study of the processes of companionship OR The study of human association (society).

Definition: Sociology has been defined

differently by different social scientists.

Continued

Auguste Comte: Sociology is a general study of the whole society.

Ward: Sociology is a science of society.Gillin and Gillin: Sociology is the study of

interaction arising from the association of living beings.

Giddings: Sociology is the scientific study of society.

Maciver/Sorokin : Sociology is about social relationship. The network of relationship call society.

Richard T. Schaefer: Sociology is the scientific study of social behavior and human groups.

Conclusion On the basis of the above definitions,

we can conclude that Sociology is the science of society, human behavior, human interaction and relationships.

SOCIOLOGY AS A SCIENCE

Going into the discussion of sociology as a science, first we will discuss that what is science and what are its characteristics.

Science: Science is the systematic body of

knowledge, conveying both theory and fact. The knowledge that is obtained by Observation & Experimentation is called Science.

Characteristics of Science

Science as a Knowledge: Science is a body of organized,

verified knowledge which has been secured through scientific investigation. It includes concepts, interrelationship of these concepts, explanation of the concepts, and prediction on the basis of explanation etc.

It means that scientific knowledge can be passed through the stages of concepts, its relationship, explanation and prediction.

Continued

Science as methods: Scientific methods can be having the

characteristics of Observation, Hypothesis, Verification, Re-verification and Measurement. These are the stages through which we can pass a scientific method.

Scientific Tools: Different tools & Techniques are used

in science. For example, microscope, telescope etc.

Is Sociology is a Science? Yes, Sociology is a Science

Sociology is a Social Science

Sciences are commonly divided into Natural and Social sciences.

Natural Science

It is the study of the physical features of nature and the ways in which they interact and change.

Examples: Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, and Physics etc.

Social Science

It is the study of the social features of humans and the ways in which they interact & change.

Examples: Sociology, Anthropology, Economics, History, Psychology, and Political Science etc.

SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY

Society is a web of social institutions these institutions i.e. family, education, religion, political, economic, etc. are inter related and inter-depended on one another.

Being the study of society the scope of sociology is very wide. The subject does not confine its study to only economic or political life of human beings but to all aspects of life with which man in society is concerned therefore we say that sociology is the mother of all social sciences.

The scope has been divided into two divisions i.e.

(A ) Scope in the field of knowledge

(B) Scope in the Profession

Scope of Sociology in the field of knowledge

Sociologists have the primary & basic aim to build up knowledge about the society & social interaction. The sociologists are required to gain the knowledge about the social problems & their solution. This is possible for the sociologists but on the basis of scientific knowledge.

To train the students of sociology, they are taught research methodology, community development etc. They get knowledge about the factors of the problems & their solutions.

So in the field of knowledge, sociology provides understanding of the society & what is going on in the society.

Scope of sociology in the field of profession

Sociology is also a professional discipline. It performs the following services as a profession.

Teaching

Research

Administration.

• Teaching: The persons, who get great

knowledge, become qualified. These qualified persons are serving in the teaching profession. Teaching profession serves to transmit knowledge about culture & to train the students for community development.

Research: • The qualified persons in the discipline of sociology

are involved in the field of research. They work to detect serious problems, their factors & are able to get these problems solved. The sociologists as researchers are engaged in different governmental & non-governmental organizations, like:

Ministry of local government, social welfare & rural development.

Population census commission..Department of jails & reclamation(recovery) The researchers except the above

mentioned agencies and departments are working in many national as well as international organizations like UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR etc.

Administration: The sociologists are employed in different

programs of governmental & non-governmental organizations as administrators. They direct & guide the people in organizations about development in different sectors.

From the above discussion, it is concluded that the sociologist gets knowledge about society. Then they serve as teachers, researchers and administrators to make the development of the community possible.

UTILITY/IMPORTANCE OF SOCIOLOGY

Sociology has proved its utility in many ways, discussed as under:

Locating social problems: Where there is human association,

there will be a problem. How to locate the problem, is the responsibility of the sociologists. They bring the attention of the people towards the problem. They also differentiate between the more & less severe problems.

Scientific study: The sociologists are trained in using the

scientific methods. They study the problems scientifically & make their solution possible with the help of sociological knowledge.

Solutions for problems: If the problems are located & scientifically

studied, then their solution is possible by the cause & effect study. Through Sociological study the cause of the problems are found out and also their effects on the society.

Conti…

Reconstruction: Today every society is engaged in

economic, as well as political reconstruction. It is a continuous process, but impossible without social reconstruction. Therefore, we can say that sociology helps in political & economic reconstruction.

Preserve and growth of culture: The sociologists collect information

about their culture & transmit it to others. They as teachers are doing the same job. The Sociologists also write books etc to preserve the cultural heritage. So they preserve and give growth to the culture in different ways i.e. Writing about culture and to teach it to the students in the subject of sociology.

PURE AND APPLIED SOCIOLOGY

A distinction between pure and applied science is drawn in every scientific field. Both pure and applied sociology and discussed below.

Pure Sociology

Applied Sociology

Pure Sociology Pure sociology searches for new

knowledge. It is related to the aim & scientific study of society for the pure knowledge. Pure Sociology is not interested in practical use of knowledge.

Applied Sociology Applied Sociology tries to apply

sociological knowledge to solve practical problems. It is the practical use of sociological principles & insights to the analysis & understanding of a social situation.