ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGYCSI – Gorski - 2015

DEFINITION OF SOCIOLOGY

The study of the development, structure, and functioning of human society

Study of social problems

DIVISIONS OF SCIENCE

Natural sciences: disciplines designed to explain & predict events in our natural environmentBiology, geology, chemistry, physics

Social sciences: fields of academic scholarship which explore aspects of human societyUses controlled & repeated observations

Sociology

ORIGINS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

For most of human history, people didn’t question the world & society!

Tradition ruled Religion Original thinking discouraged Monarchies governed

Social questions answered by myths, superstitions, & traditions Why are some rich and some poor? Why are some more powerful? Nothing was tested

CHANGES

Societies became more sophisticated starting with the Renaissance Questioning religion & government Printing press!!

Social order & societies studied in the Enlightenment of the 1700s Growing belief in scientific laws Increased study of government & political science

Examples: Newton’s Laws & John Locke

BIRTH OF SOCIOLOGY

Social sciences gained importance in the 1800s as sociology was created

3 reasons: Industrial Revolution sparked social unrest & upheaval, urbanization, workers’ unions, etc. Science harnessed for modern machines Social Darwinism Natural sciences popular, so people applied scientific method to social world =

Positivism Political Revolutions (American & French) inspired people to think about social life and government forms

Imperialism exposed new cultures, traditions, and ideas why are people so different? Are Europeans superior?

Europe began to modernize & expand its viewpoints & people needed answers to new rising questions

THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

ANTHROPOLOGY

Study of cultureWays of life, artifacts, ideas, values, communication

Most work has been done on tribal peoples

Anthropologists typically live with those they’re studying

Archaeology is a sub-branch of Anthropology

ECONOMICS

Study of production, distribution, and consumption of material goods & services in a society

What is being produced? At what cost? What motivates people to buy one thing over another?

Scarcity – limited amount of goods/materials in a world & how they are used/distributed Oil, gold, money, jobs, pasture, land, etc.

HISTORY

Study of past events and people

Focus on cause & effect relationship and patterns

Why did things happen?Why do things happen today?

POLITICAL SCIENCE

Study of politics & forms of government, voting patterns, etc.

What is the proper form of government?Why do people vote the way they do?Why do nations go to war?Why do nations choose to cooperate with one another?

PSYCHOLOGY

Study of mental processes, intelligence, emotions, perception, memory, dreams, personality, mental illness, etc.

Sigmund Freud

SOCIOLOGY

Study of societiesDiff. from psychology which focuses on individuals

CrimeReligionRace & ethnicityCulturePovertyEducationSocial movements

PARTNER QUESTIONS

Which social science would you like to study? Why?Which social science is most important? Why?Why did the social sciences emerge?