Chapter 1:

The Development of Sociology

-​ The scientific study of society and human behavior (Belief & Value Systems)
-​ Society: People who share a culture and a territory
-​ Social Location: The group membership that people have because of their location in
history and society
What is Sociological Imagination/Perspective? (Different Systems)
-​ Understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context, coined by
C. Wright Mills
-​ Personal Troubles: Private problems in an individual’s life
-​ Public Issues: Affect large numbers of people. These issues shape the context within
which troubles arise
-​ Ex. Obesity (People many believe they don’t go out much, its their parents’ fault but
could be in a food desert, impoverished, and healthier foods cost more)
-​ Ex. Poverty (People may believe they did not go to college or are lazy but it could be that
they were previously incarcerated and are not provided any resources afterward, those
that deal with grief turn to substance abuse, mental health issues - PTSD, depression, and
high housing prices)
Pioneers in the Development of Sociology
-​ Auguste Comte: Considered the “Father of Sociology,” coined the term Sociology,
believed that sociology could discover laws of human social behavior and help solve
society’s problem, suggested that we apply the scientific method to the social world also
known as positivism -> (If we observe the scientific world with the scientific method,
why can’t we observe the social world with the scientific method?)
Herbert Spencer: Coined the “Survival of the Fittest,” believed that social reform would
interfere with a natural process that improves society, “survival of the fittest” often
credited to Charles Darwin, disagreed with Comte. (Believed that we came from a
barbaric society and to become a more advanced society, it's going to be the ones who are
most fit to survive).
-​ Karl Marx: Provides an analysis of the political economy known as capitalism
(oppressive and exploitative system), society is made up of two classes: Bourgeoisie:
 Those who own the means of production & Proletariat: The exploited workers who do
not own the means of production, Social Change: Revolution, where workers will untie
and break their chains of bondage, people will working according to their abilities and
receive goods and services based on their needs.
-​ Emile Durkheim: Worked to have Sociology recognized as a discipline, awarded the first
academic appointment in sociology, he believed that social forces affect people’s
behavior and conducted research studies on “suicide” -> Found that social integration
played a significant role in suicide rates, people who have weaker social ties or are less
integrated are more likely to commit suicide (The stronger your connections you have
with other people, the stronger you are and thus the less likely to commit suicide).
-​ Max Weber: Believed sociology had three dimensions: political, economic, and cultural,
believed that to understand social behavior one had to understand the meaning that a
behavior had for social actors (actors, interactions), unlike Marx he believed religion was
the central force in social change.
-​ W.E.B Du Bois: The first African American to earn a doctorate at Harvard University,
believed that knowledge was essential in combating prejudice and achieving tolerance
and justice, helped found the NAACP, most of his work spent on race relationships
between African Americans and whites, coined the term “double consciousness” to refer
to the division of an individual’s identity into two or more social realities -> (How we
view ourselves but conscious about how the world views you).
-​ Exam Prep Questions:
1.​
Basic, Applied, and Public Sociology
-​ Basic Sociology: Is objective research for the purpose of making discoveries about life in
human groups, not for making changes in those groups.
-​ Applied Research: The use of sociology to solve problems.
-​ Public Sociology: Applying sociology for the public good, especially the use of the
sociological perspective (how things are related to one another) to guide politicians and
policy makers.
Theoretical Perspectives
-​ Sociologists place their observations into a conceptual framework called “theory” -> A
general statement about how some parts of the world fit together and how they work, an
explanation of how two or more facts are related to one another.
-​ Basic assumptions about how society functions, the role of sociology, and the application
of specific sets of theories in studying social life.
-​ Three major types: Symbolic Interactionism, Functional Analysis, Conflict Theory
-​ Symbolic Interactionism: Symbols or the things to which we attach meaning are the key
to understanding how we view the world and communicate with one another -> Believes
sociology should not enact social change with a micro focus (The Chicago School (SI
Theorists) -> Charles Horton Cooley & George Herbert Mead).
-​ Functional Analysis: Society is viewed as composed of various parts, each with a
function that, when fulfilled, contributes to society’s equilibrium (parts must work
together in harmony). In order to understand society, we must understand both structures
(how parts of society fit together) and functions (how it contributes to society) (Auguste
Comte, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim, Robert Merton).
-​ Functionalism: Can be either manifest or latent (not yet discovered). Can be functional or
dysfunctional. Manifest functions are intended and widely recognized while latent
functions are unintended and less well known -> Believes sociology should not enact
social change with a micro focus.
-​ Conflict Theory: Society is composed of groups that are competing for scarce resources
-> Believes sociology should enact social change with a macro focus (Karl Marx).
Theory and Research
-​ Theory can not stand alone nor can research.
-​ C. Wright Mills argues “theory without research is abstract and empty. But research
without theory is simply a collection of unrelated facts.”
-​ Both are essential for sociology -> Every theory must be tested, which requires research
and research needs to be explained.
Research Model
1.​ Select a topic
2.​ Define the problem
3.​ Review the literature
4.​ Formulate a hypothesis
5.​ Choose a research method
6.​ Collect the data
7.​ Analyze the results
8.​ Share the results
-​ Types of Research Models: Surveys, Participant Observation, Case Studies, Secondary
Analysis, Experiments
-​ Surveys: The collection of data by having people answer a series of questions. ->
Population: A target group to be studied.
-​ Sample: Individuals from target population.
-​ Random Sample: Everyone in the target population has a chance of being included.
Respondents: People who respond to the survey
-​ Participant Observation: Research in which the researcher participates in a research
setting while observing what is happening in that setting.
-​ Case Studies: The researcher focuses on a single event, or individual. The purpose is to
understand the dynamics of relationships and power or even the thinking that motivates
people.
-​ Secondary Analysis: Researcher analyzes what someone else has already collected.
-​ Experiments: Allows us to determine cause and effect (Experimental group, control
group, independent variable, and dependent variable).
-​ Gender in Sociological Research: Gender can lead to interviewer bias, with participants
shaping their responses based on the gender of the researcher.
-​ Ethics in Sociological Research: Ethics are of fundamental concern to sociologists, who
are committed to openness, honesty, truth, and protecting their subjects from harm.