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Questions and Answers
Who are among the thinkers who made scientific attempts to study society in the 19th century?
Who are among the thinkers who made scientific attempts to study society in the 19th century?
What is the term for a group of people who live in a defined geographic area and share a common culture?
What is the term for a group of people who live in a defined geographic area and share a common culture?
What is the focus of macro-level analysis in sociology?
What is the focus of macro-level analysis in sociology?
What does the term 'culture' refer to in sociology?
What does the term 'culture' refer to in sociology?
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What is the primary focus of sociology as a discipline?
What is the primary focus of sociology as a discipline?
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What does culture encompass according to the text?
What does culture encompass according to the text?
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What is the term coined by Auguste Comte in 1839?
What is the term coined by Auguste Comte in 1839?
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What is the main idea of sociology, according to the text?
What is the main idea of sociology, according to the text?
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Who described the concept of 'sociological imagination'?
Who described the concept of 'sociological imagination'?
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What is the primary purpose of sociological study, according to the text?
What is the primary purpose of sociological study, according to the text?
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Study Notes
Definition and Meaning of Sociology
- For centuries, philosophers and thinkers have reflected on societies, with notable examples including Plato, Aristotle, Manu, and Confucius.
Development of Sociology
- In the 19th century, scientific attempts were made by Auguste Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Max Weber, and others to establish Sociology as an academic discipline.
Definition of Sociology
- Sociology is the study of groups and group interactions, societies and social interactions, from small to large groups.
Understanding Society
- A society is a group of people who live in a defined geographic area, interact with one another, and share a common culture.
Levels of Analysis
- Sociologists study all aspects and levels of society, using micro-level analysis to study small groups and individual interactions, and macro-level analysis to examine trends among and between large groups and societies.
Culture
- Culture refers to a group's shared practices, values, and beliefs, encompassing a group's way of life and all social rules.
Sociological Imagination
- The sociological imagination is an awareness of the relationship between a person's behavior and experience and the wider culture that shaped the person's choices and perceptions.
Importance of Sociology
- Sociology is a young discipline in social science, recognized for its importance and practical usefulness today.
Founders of Sociology
- Auguste Comte, a French philosopher, is regarded as the Father of Sociology, coining the term in 1839.
Definitions of Sociology
- Auguste Comte: "Sociology is the science of social phenomena subject to natural and invariable laws."
- Alex Inkeles: "Sociology is the study of systems of social action and of their inter relations."
- L.F.Ward: "Sociology is the science of society or of social phenomena."
- Max Weber: "Sociology is the science which attempts the interpretive understanding of social action."
- Giddings: "Sociology is an attempt to account for the origin, growth, structure and activities of society by the operation of physical causes working together in the process of evolution."
- M.Ginsberg: "Sociology is the science that deals with social groups; their internal forms or modes of organization, the processes that tend to maintain or change these forms of organization and relations between groups."
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Description
Explore the history of sociology and its definition through the writings of philosophers and thinkers like Plato, Aristotle, and Auguste Comte. Learn about the scientific attempts to study society in the 19th century.
