Chapter 1: What is Sociology PDF

Chapter 1: What is Sociology  Sociology is the scientific study of human social life, groups and societies. Its subject matter is our own behavior as social beings. The term “sociology” is a combination of the Latin” socius” “companion” and Greek: “logos”, meaning “the study of.” Thus, “...

Chapter 1: What is Sociology  Sociology is the scientific study of human social life, groups and societies. Its subject matter is our own behavior as social beings. The term “sociology” is a combination of the Latin” socius” “companion” and Greek: “logos”, meaning “the study of.” Thus, “sociology” literally means the study of companionship, the study of society.  Sociologists study everything from everyday interactions, which are usually taken for granted, to global issues. Sociology attempts to explain that while each of us is a unique individual, we are all influenced by society’s norms, and values. Sociology is by definition a science, meaning that it deals with knowledge attained and tested through the scientific method.  The beauty of sociology is its relevance to our lives. We all—every one of us— live sociology as we go about our daily activities in the contexts of family, school, workplace, and other social environments. All of us are, without realizing it, amateur sociologists as we go through each day observing and analyzing the human interactions that take place in our own relationships, in the society in which we live, and in the world around us.  Sociologists do not accept something as a fact because “everyone knows it” Guided by theory and supported by research, sociologists attempt to uncover truths about the social world and present their findings in a coherent manner. By no means do sociologists claim to discover absolute truths; rather, they present findings that have an empirical basis of truth. The Sociological Imagination The term was coined by sociologist C. Wright Mills, who articulated how the social environment and the existing social forces (what he called “public issues”) influence our private lives (“personal troubles”). Sociologists gain valuable insights into human behavior by employing the sociological imagination.  Mills (1959) states: The sociological imagination enables its possessor to understand the larger historical scene in terms of its meanings for the inner life and the external career of a variety of individuals. It enables him to take into account how individuals, in the welter of their daily experience, often become falsely conscious of their social positions.  By emphasizing the importance of the historical social context in which an individual is found, the sociological imagination combines the personal biography (life history) of an individual along with his or her current behavior. In this manner, the sociologist has a more complete understanding of the individual.  Mills is encouraging sociologists to take life histories into account when analyzing behavior and not simply to employ a snapshot view of human action. Employing the sociological imagination helps individuals to realize that many of their problems are not due to personal shortcomings but rather are the result of social forces outside their control.  Mills made the distinction between “the personal troubles of milieu” and “the public issues of social structure”: Troubles occur within the character of the individual and within the range of her or his immediate relations with others. They have to do with the self and with those limited areas of social life of which the person is directly and personally aware.  Issues transcend these local environments of the individual and the range of her or his inner life. They have to do with the organization of many milieus into the institutions of a historical society as a whole and form the larger structure of social and historical life.  Within this framework, the sociologist acknowledges that social forces, often out of the control of the individual, affect an individual’s personal life. The sociological imagination allows individuals to shift their focus from their own personal experiences and observations to a macro awareness of the role of public issues on their behaviors. Mills argues that the distinction between personal troubles and public issues is an essential tool of the sociological imagination.... to understand the changes of many personal milieux we are required to look beyond them... To be able to do that is to possess the sociological imagination. (Mills, 1959) French Revolution French Revolution of 1789 The centuries-old monarchy was overthrown, and King Louis XVI and his queen Marie Antoinette were both famously executed by guillotine. The nobility’s dominant role in French society was ended forever. A new social structure did emerge. Industrial Revolution the Industrial Revolution that radically changed a large number of societies around the world beginning in the late eighteenth century. The Industrial Revolution began in the mid-1700s in England; over the ensuing decades, it spread throughout Western Europe. The Industrial Revolution was not a single event but rather a number of interrelated developments sparked by invention and scientific discovery. The once largely agricultural and rural world was about to be transformed to an industrial, urban one.  Many farmworkers and rural inhabitants migrated to the cities in the hope of finding gainful employment in any of the growing number of factories. The use of machinery dramatically increased the productivity of material goods. In turn, this increased productivity sparked the demand for more raw materials, improved means of transportation, better communication, and a more specialized division of labor Cities became overcrowded as more and more rural peasants arrived looking for employment.