INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY - 14.139.185.6

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INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGYII SemesterCore CourseforBA SOCIOLOGY(2014 Admission)UNIVERSITY OF CALICUTSCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATIONCalicut University P.O. Malappuram, Kerala, India 673 635642

School of Distance EducationUNIVERSITY OF CALICUTSCHOOL OF DISTANCE EDUCATIONSTUDY MATERIALCore COURSEB A SOCIOLOGYII SemesterIntroduction to SociologyPrepared by:Module I to IV -Dr. Sr Maries V L (Sociology)PrincipalVimala College, Thrissur - 9scrutinized by :Dr. Sr Maries V L (Sociology)PrincipalVimala College, Thrissur - 9Layout:Computer Section, SDE ReservedIntroduction to SociologyPage 2

School of Distance EducationCONTENTSIntroduction to SociologyMODULE I-4MODULE II-22MODULE III-28MODULE –IV-31Page 3

School of Distance EducationSyllabusCORE COURSE IISOC2 B.02: Introduction to SociologyNo. of credits: 4Objectives1. To understand the basic concepts and the major concerns of sociology.2. To understand the relationship between culture, personality and society.3. To identify the nature and characteristics of social processes.MODULE I BASICS OF SOCIOLOGYI.1. Nature, Scope, SignificanceI.2. Basic Concepts: Society, Community, Institution, Social Structure, Social System,Social Groups, Social OrganisationMODULE II SOCIALISATIONII.1. Definition, FeaturesII.2. Stages of Socialisation, Agencies of SocialisationII.3. Social Norms: Conformity, Deviance, Needs of Social ControlMODULE III CULTURE, PERSONALITY AND SOCIETYIII.1. Definition of CultureIII.2. Material Culture and Non Material Culture, Cultural lagIII.3. Relationship between Culture, Personality and SocietyMODULE IV SOCIAL PROCESSIV.1. Social Process: Associative- Cooperation, Accommodation, Assimilation, InteractionIV.2. Social Process: Dissociative- Competition, Conflict, Contravention, IsolationReferenceBottomore. T. B, SociologyPeter Worsley, Introducing SociologyMacionis, Sociology, 10eMacionis, Sociology: A Global Introduction, 5/eMacIver, Society – An Introductory AnalysisKingsley Davis, Human SocietyTony Bilton, Introductory SociologyVidya Bhushan &D.R. Sachdeva, An Introduction to SociologyJamen. M. Henslin, Essentials of SociologyAnthony Giddens, SociologyIntroduction to SociologyPage 4

School of Distance EducationMODULE I BASICS OF SOCIOLOGYI.1. Nature, Scope, SignificanceI.2. Basic Concepts: Society, Community, Institution, Social Structure, Social System,Social Groups, Social Organisation1.1.Nature, Scope, SignificanceWHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?We live today in a world that is intensely worrying. It is a world awash with change, marked bydeep conflicts, tensions and social divisions, as well as by the destructive onslaught of moderntechnology on the natural environment. Yet we have possibilities of controlling our destiny andshaping our lives for the better that would have been unimaginable to earlier generations. How doesthe world come out? Why are our conditions of life so different from those of our parents andgrandparents? What directions will change take in the future? These questions are the primeconcern of Sociology, a field of study that consequently has a fundamental role to play in modernintellectual life. Sociology is the scientific study of human social life, groups and societies. It is adazzling and compelling enterprise, as its subject matter is our own behaviour as social beings. Thescope of sociological study is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encountersbetween individuals on the street to the investigation of global social processes. Sociologydemonstrates the need to take a much broader view of why we are as we are, and why we act as wedo. Sociology is the youngest of social sciences. Its major concern is society, and hence it ispopularly known as the “science of society”. No other science endeavours to study it in entirely. InSociology we do not study everything that happens “in society” or under social conditions. But westudy culture, for example, only for the light it throws on social relationships. Similarly, we do notstudy religion as religion, art as art orinventions as inventions. We study social relationships, their specific forms, varieties andpatterning. We study how the relations combine, how they build up smaller or greater systems, andhow they respond to changes and changing demands or needs.Definition of SociologyComte introduced the term “Sociology” for the first time in his famous work “PositivePhilosophy” at about 1839. This new science originally and preferably called “Social Physics” byComte but owing to an unfortunate coincidence of the term appearing in the study of Belgianscientist by the name of Quetelet, Comte was forced, to change the name of the study intoSociology. The term Sociology is derived from the Latin word Socius, meaning companion orassociate and Greek word Logos, meaning study or science. Thus the etymological meaning ofSociology is the science of society. Sociology has been defined in a number of ways by differentsociologists. No single definition has yet been accepted as completely satisfactory. For our purposeof study a few definitions may be cited here.Introduction to SociologyPage 5

School of Distance Education1.Emile Durkheim defines sociology as the “science of social institutions”.2.Small defines sociology as the “science of social relations”.3.Kingsley Davis says that “sociology is a general science of society”.4.Park regards sociology as the “science of collective behaviour”.5.Jones defines sociology as the “study of man in relationship to men”.The common idea underlying all the definitions mentioned above is that sociology is concernedwith man, his social relations and his society.Nature of SociologySociology, as a branch of knowledge, has its own characteristics. It is different from othersciences in certain respects. The main characteristics of sociology as enlisted by Robert Bierstedtin his book “the social order”.1. Sociology is an independent science:- As an independent science it has its own field, boundaryand method. It is not treated and studied as a branch of any other sciences. The subject matter ofsociology is social relationship. As a science, it has scientific method.2. Sociology is a social science not a physical science:- As a social science it concentrates itsattention on man, his social behavior, social activities and social life.3. Sociology is a pure science not an applied science:- The main aim of pure sciences is theacquisition of knowledge and it is not bothered whether the acquired knowledge is useful in aparticular field or can be put to use in an area.4. Sociology is relatively an abstract science not a concrete science:- Sociology is notconcerned with particular wars and revolutions but with war and revolution in general, associal phenomena, as types of social conflict. (Amma)5. Sociology is a generalizing not a particularizing science:- It does not study each andevery event that takes place in society. It tries to make generalizations on the basis of the studyof some selected events.6. Sociology is a general science not a special science:- It is concerned with human interactionand human life in general. History and Economics etc also study man and human interaction,but not all about human interaction. They concentrate their attention on certain aspects ofhuman interaction and activities and specialize themselves in those fields.7. Sociology is a categorical science not a normative discipline:- Sociology confines itself tostatements about “what is not what should be”. It does not make any kind of value judgments.Sociology as a discipline cannot deal with problems of good and evil, right and wrong and moraland immoral.8. Sociology is both a rational and an empirical science:- There are two broad ways of approach toscientific knowledge. One known as empiricism, is the approach that emphasizes on experienceand those facts that result from observation and experimentation. The other, known asrationalism, stresses reasons and theories that result from logical inference.Introduction to SociologyPage 6

School of Distance EducationIt is clear from the above that Sociology is an independent, social, pure, abstract, generalizing,general, categorical, an empirical and rational science.Emergence of SociologyIt is the one of the youngest as well as one of the oldest social sciences. Only recentlysociology came to be established as a distinct branch of knowledge with its own distinct set ofconcepts and its own method of inquiry.Since the dawn of civilization, society has been a subject for speculation and inquiry along withother phenomena which have agitated the restless and inquisitive mind of man. Even centuries agomen were thinking about society and how it should organized, and held views on man and hisdestiny, the rise and fall of peoples and civilizations. Though they were thinking in sociologicalterms they were called philosophers, historians, thinkers, law-givers and seers. Thus, “Broadly itmay be said that sociology has had a fourfold origin: political philosophy, philosophy of history,biological theories of evolution and the movements for social and political reforms”.Plato’sRepublic, Aristotle’s Politics, Kaudilya’s Arthasasthra, Manu’s Smrithi are some of the ancientsources of social thought.During the middle ages and early modern times the teachings of the church dominated thehuman mind and hence most part of the human thinking remained as metaphysical speculation faraway from the scientific inquiry. Intellectuals became more active since the 16th century onwards.Their quest for understanding human society, its nature, socio-political system and its problemsnow received new impetus. The literary works of some prominent intellectuals of this periodclearly reveals this urge to understand and interpret man’s socio-political system.Adam smith’s “Wealth of Nations”, Rousseau’s “Social Contract” and Sir Thomas Moore’s“Utopia” are some of the examples of such literary works.Enlightenment of social and political thought paved the way for Revolutionary ruptures intraditional social relations. From the Renaissance on, Western European societies acquired moderncharacteristics, but enlightenment ideas and the American, French and Industrial revolutionsushered in some of the definite characteristics of modern Capitalist society. The profound upheavalof the French Revolution, in particular, highlighted some of the problems and issues of concern topre-Revolutionary Enlightenment thinkers. These became the problems and issues of the “newscience”, Sociology, at the beginning of the 19 th century.How can sociology help us in our lives?Or Uses of sociologySociology has several practical implications for our lives.The study of sociology has a great value especially in modern complex societies. In modern times,there is a growing realization of the importance of the scientific study of social phenomena. Someof the significant aspects of sociology are as follows:-Introduction to SociologyPage 7

School of Distance Education1. Sociology studies society in a scientific way. Before the emergence of sociology, there wasno systematic and scientific way to study human society. The scientific knowledge abouthuman society is needed in order to achieve progress in various fields. Sociology isn’t justan abstract intellectual field but has major practical implications for people’s lives. The bestway to make use of it is by relating sociological ideas and findings to situations in our life.2. Sociological research provides practical help in assessing the results of policyinitiatives. Sociological knowledge is necessary for understanding and planning of society.A program of practical reform may simply fail to achieve what its designers sought or mayproduce unintended consequences of an unfortunate kind. (ex) In the years following WorldWar II, large public housing blocks were built in city centers in many countries. These wereplanned to provide high standards of accommodation for low income groups from slumareas and offered shopping amenities and other civil services nearby. However researchshowed that many people who have moved from their previous dwellings to large apartmentblocks felt isolated and unhappy. High apartment blocks and shopping centres in poorerareas often became dilapidated and provided breeding grounds for muggings and otherviolent crimes.3. Sociology has drawn our attention to the intrinsic worth and dignity of man. Sociologyhas been greatly responsible in changing our attitudes towards fellow human beings. It hasmade people to become tolerant and patient towards others. It has minimized the mentaldistance and reduced the gap between different peoples and communities. Sociology is adiscipline in which we often set aside our personal view of the world to look more carefullyat the influences that shape our lives and those of others. Sociology helps us to know notonly our society but also others, their motives,aspirations, traditions, customs, etc. Sociology emerged as a distinct intellectual endeavourwith the development of modern societies, and the study of such societies remains itsprincipal concern.4. Sociology gives us an awareness of cultural difference that allows us to see the socialworld from many perspectives. The contribution of sociology is not less significant inenriching culture. Quite often, if we properly understand how others live, we also acquirebetter understanding of what their problems are. Practical polices that are not based on aninformed awareness of the ways of life of people, they have little chance of success. (ex) Awhite social worker operating in a predominantly Latin American community in SouthLondon won’t gain the confidence of its members without developing sensitivity to thedifferences in social experiences between members of different groups in UK.5. Sociology can provide us with self enlightenment – increased self understanding. Themore we know about why we act as we do and the overall workings of our society, the morelikely we are to be able to influence our own future. Sociology improves our understandingof society and increases the power of social action. The science of society assists anIntroduction to SociologyPage 8

School of Distance Educationindividual to understand himself, his capacities, talents and limitations. We should not seesociology as assisting only policy makers but help them to be powerful groups in makinginformed decisions. Those in power cannot be assumed always to consider the interests ofthe less powerful or underprivileged in the policies they pursue. Self enlightened groups canoften benefit from sociological research by using the scientific information to respond in aneffective way to govt. policies or form policy initiatives of their own. Self help groups likealcoholic anonymous and social movements like the environmental movement are exampleof social groups that have directly sought to bring about practical reforms, with some degreeof success.6. Sociologists concern themselves directly with practical matters as professionals. Peopletrained in sociology are to found as industrial consultants, urban planners, social workersand personnel managers as well as in many other jobs. An understanding of society can alsohelp for careers in civil service, law, journalism, business and medicine. The various area ofapplied sociology are coming more and more into prominence in local, state, national andinternational levels.7. The study of society is of paramount importance in solving social problems.The present world is beset with several social problems of great magnitude like poverty,crime, family disorganization, communal unrest etc. A careful analysis of these problems bringsforth the root causes. The root cause is mainly the social relationships. Sociology provides thecareful analysis of these problems.Finally, as prof. Giddings has pointed out “Sociology tells us how to become what wewant to be”. Sociology, in short, has both individual and social advantages.Ref: ‘Sociolgy’ by Anthony Giddens p. no. 26-27 ‘Sociology’ by Sankar Rao p. no. 24-25Scope of SociologyEvery science has its own areas of study or fields of enquiry. It becomes difficult for anyone tostudy a science systematically unless its boundaries are demarcated and scope determined precisely.Unfortunately, there is no consensus on the part of sociologist with regard to the scope of sociology.It is difficult to determine just where its boundaries begin and end, where sociology becomes socialpsychology and where social psychology becomes sociology, or where economic theory becomessociological doctrine or biological theory becomes sociological theory something, which isimpossible to decide”.However, there are two main schools of thought regarding the scope of sociology:The specialistic or formalistic school and (2) The synthetic school.(1)(1) The specialistic or Formalistic schoolThis school of thought is led by the German sociologist George simmel. The other main advocatesof this school are Vierkandt, Max Weber, Small, Von Wiese and Tonnies.Introduction to SociologyPage 9

School of Distance EducationSimmel and others are of opinion that Sociology is a pure and an Independent science. As a purescience, it has a limited scope. Sociology should confine itself to the study of the certain aspects ofhuman relationship only. Further, it should study only the ‘forms’ of social relationships but nottheir contents. Social relationship such as competition, division of labour, etc. are expressed indifferent fields of social life such as economic, religious, political etc. Sociology should disentanglethe forms of social relationships and study them in abstraction. Sociology as a specific socialscience describes, classifies and analyses the forms of social relationships.Criticism: The views of Formalistic school are widely criticized. Some critical remarks may becited here.1.They have unreasonably narrowed the field of sociology. Sociology should study not only thegeneral forms of social relationships but also their concrete contents.2.The distinction between forms of social relations and their contents is not workable. social formscan not be abstracted from the content at all , since social forms keep on changing when thecontents change. Sorokin writes, “we may fill a glass with wine, water or sugar withoutchanging its form , but I cannot conceive of a social institution whose form would not changewhen its members change”3.Sociology is not the only science that studies the forms of social relationship. Other sciences alsodo that. The study international law, for example, includes social relations like conflict, war,opposition, agreement, contract etc. Political science, economics also study social relationship.4.The establishment of pure sociology is impractical no sociologist has been also to develop a puresociology so far .no science can be studied in complete isolation from the other science .in fact ,today more emphasis is laid on inter –disciplinary approach.(2)The Synthetic school;The synthetic school of thought conceives of sociology as a synthesis of the social sciences, not apure or special social science. Durkheim, Hob House, Ginsberg and Sorokin have been the chiefexponents of this school.The views of Email Durkheim; Durkheim, one of the stalwarts of this school of thought, says thatsociology has three main divisions or fields of inquiry. They are as follows: social morphology,social physiology and general sociology. 1. Social morphology: social morphology studies theterritorial basis of the people and also the problems of population such as volume and density, localdistribution etc. 2. Social physiology: social physiology has different branches such as sociologyof religion, of morals, of law, of economic life and language etc. 3. General sociology: generalsociology can be regarded as the philosophical part of sociology. It deals with the general characterof the social facts. Its function is the formation of general social laws.The

Introduction to Sociology Page 7 It is clear from the above that Sociology is an independent, social, pure, abstract, generalizing, general, categorical, an empirical and rational science. Emergence of Sociology It is the one of the youngest as well as one of the oldest social sciences. Only recently

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