Sociology
The Science of studying
society
• Social Staticstudy of social
stability
• Social Dynamic- study
of social change
• Conflict Perspective- emphasis is on competition,
change and constraint within society
• Functional Perspective- looks at the contribution of
each part of society (family, economy, religion, etc.)
• Symbolic Interaction Perspective- focuses on the
interaction of people based on mutually understood
symbols
• Theoretical Perspective- set of assumption about
an area of study
Independent Variable
• A character that
causes something to
occur
• The independent
variable brings about
change.
Dependent Variable
• A character that
reflects the change
• It is dependent on the
independent variable.
• Reflects the change
from the independent
variable
Quantitative Variable
• Can be measured numerically
Survey
• People respond to questions
• It is usually done independently
• Less chance of lying
Interview
• A survey method in which the researcher
asks question and records responses
Sample
Representative Sample
• Whole Population
• Open Ended
Question
– What is your opinion of
the state of education
today?
• Closed Ended
Question
• Education today is in
need of total reform
–
–
–
–
–
Agree
Disagree
Strongly Agree
Strongly Disagree
Neutral
Ethnography- the study of Ethnicities
Texas Youth 2002
Case Study- investigative study of
a group, incident or community
Field Research
Participant Observation- the
researcher becomes part of the
group
Auguste Comte 1798-1857
• Known as the “Father of
Sociology”
• Used the scientific method
to identify what holds
society together
(positivism)
• Comte was more of a
social philosopher than a
true sociologist
• Thought that the study of
society could bring about
social reform
Harriet Martineau 1802-1876
• First female
sociologist
• “when one studies a
society, one must
focus on all its
aspects, including key
political, religious, and
social institutions”
Herbert Spencer 1820-1903
• Compared Social
Stability to the human
body
• Used ideas of Charles
Darwin and thought
that only the fittest
societies survived
(Social Darwinism)
Karl Marx 1818-1893
• Believed that the engine of
human history is class conflict
and economics as a force for
social change
• Society was a battle of the
have’s (bourgeoisie) against
the have not’s (proletariat)
• Struggle could only end
through revolution when the
workers defeated the capitalists
• The result would be a classless
society where people will work
according to their abilities and
receive according to their
needs
Emile Durkheim 1858-1917
• Studied how social forces
effect behavior
• Identified social integration,
how people are influenced
by their social group,
effected peoples behavior.
• Human behavior can’t be
understood on individualistic
terms, it must always be
examined with the effects of
social forces
Max Weber 1864-1920
• Studied religion as a force for
social change
• Human beings act on the basis
of their own understanding of
the situation
• Sociologist must discover
personal meaning, values,
beliefs and attitudes
• Verstehen- put yourself in the
place of others in order to better
understand their world
Jane Addams 1860-1935
• US women social
reformer
• Women had a
responsibility to clean
up their communities
and make them better
places to live, arguing
they needed the vote
to be effective
• Role model for middleclass women
WEB Dubois 1868-1963
• African-American who
studied sociology and
race relations
• Sociology he used
was not theoretical
but for social reform
• Studies led him to
write books on social
reform in America