Society- is composed of interacting individuals and interacting groups sharing a common

culture (Perucci and Knudsen, 1983; p.9)

Sociology- scientific study of human society (Hun, 1994).

Branches of Sociology
1. Social psychology- It deals with the study of human nature as an outcome of
group life, social attitudes, collective behavior, and personality formation.

2. Social organization- It deals with the study of various social institutions, social
groups, social stratification, social mobility, bureaucracy, and other similar topics.

3. Social change/Social disorganization- It deals with the study of the change in

culture and social relations and the disruption that may occur in society. It includes
the study of current social problems in society.

4. Human ecology- It studies the nature and behavior of a given population and
its relationships to the group’s present social institutions.

5. Population or demography- It is concerned with the study of population number,

composition, change, and quality as they influence the economic, political, and
social system.

6. Sociological theory and method- It includes theory building and testing the
applicability of the principles of group life as the basis of prediction and control of
man’s social environment.

7. Applied sociology- It utilizes the findings of pure sociological research in various

fields such as criminology, social work, community development, etc., and other
aspects and problems of daily life.

Social investigations require:

1. Empirical Observation- knowledge must be obtained through direct observation
and experience using the senses.
2. Objectivity- ability to give account on things as they are not as what you want
them to appear.
3. Critical Spirit- makes skillful judgment; “critical thinking”- details are being
analyzed and supported by reason/evidence.
 4. Sociological Imagination- (C. Wright Mills)
- is the set of mind that enables the individual to examine his own
experiences by locating himself in the period in which he lives and studying the
events in his personal life against events in society.

How Sociology Developed?

The conscious adoptions of the scientific approach began in the early part of the
18th century and the first quarter of the 19th century when social philosophers began to
be interested in the natural development of sciences that would eventually lead to the
development of society.

19th Century Europe

 A period of turmoil, a time when the existing social order was being shaken by the
growing Industrial Revolution.
 I.R.- major change in technology and lifestyle of people.
Effect of I.R. - a new social classes of businessmen and capitalists emerged

Henri Saint-Simon (1760-1825)- wrote his ideas on the science of society which he
discussed with Isadore Auguste Marie Francois Comte, his student and secretary.

FATHER OF SOCIOLOGY > Auguste Comte – a French philosopher who coined the
term sociology in 1838 . He believed that the methods and techniques of the natural
sciences could also be applied to the study of society. He advocated the idea of
positivism or the use of empirical investigations to understand phenomena. He
described sociology as the “queen of social sciences”.

Two Divisions of Sociology according to Comte.

1. Social statics- the study of the structure of society; and
2. Social dynamics- concentrated itself with social evolution and change.

Relationship of Sociology to other Social Sciences

1. History- provides the data and information needed by the sociologist in studying
the forces that influence man’s behavior.

2. Political Science- It studies the patterns of power, authority, dominance and

subordination among members of society.
 3. Economics- It studies man’s ways of making a living and society’s ways of using
and allocating resources. The economic activities of man involve the production,
distribution, and consumption of material goods and services. These processes
influence the behavior of a group and that of individual.

4. Anthropology- The interest is in primitive and folk cultures. An understanding of

society can be gained by comparing various cultures particularly the folk type
with modern urban society.

Standard procedures of a scientific investigation.

1. Identification of the problem.- the problem should be feasible, clear, with
significance and ethical consideration.
2. Gathering of data. ( e.g . observation, interview, comparative method, archival
research, etc.)
3. Analysis of data
4. Checking and reformulating conclusions
5. Communicating the results to others

Anthropology- anthropos-man + Logos-study

The scientific study of man and his origin.

History of Anthropology
 Its history traces its roots to ancient Greek historical and philosophical writings
about human nature and the organization of human society.
 It is generally regarded by anthropologists that Herodotus, a Greek Historian who
lived in the 400 BC, as the first thinker to write widely on concepts that would later
become central to anthropology.
 They provided vivid descriptions of the exotic cultures they encountered on their
journeys in Asia, Africa, and Americas.
 The Age of Enlightenment in Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries marked the
beginning of scientific and rational philosophical thought.
Scottish-born David Hume, John Locke of England, and Jean-Jacques
Rousseau of France wrote a numbers of humanistic works on the nature of
humankind.
  In the early 19th century, flint tools and other artifacts were discovered in France
and other parts of Europe.
 The 20th century marked the beginning of MODERN ANTHROPOLOGY
 FATHER OF AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGY > Franz Boas

Fields of Anthropology
1. Biological or Physical Anthropology- It deals with man’s biological
foundations, race evolution, racial classifications, and differentiation. It
traces the evolutionary development of man and studies the biological
variation within the species.
 Racial History- It deals with the study of the nature of races.
 Paleontology- It deals with the origin of man.
 Human Genetics- It deals with the study of various ways of inheritance that
take place in man.

2. Cultural Anthropology- It deals with the evolution and development of

culture per se.

3. Archaeology- It constructs the cultural events of the past since the

development of culture through material remains such as fossils and artifacts.
 Prehistoric Archaeology- It studies societies that have no written records
 Historical Archaeology- It studies societies within written records.

4. Linguistics- It refers to the systematic study of recorded and unrecorded

languages all over the world. It also deals with the relationship of
language and culture.

5. Ethnology- It concentrates on the diverse cultures of the present and

analyzes the structure and function of humans, the role of individuals in society
and the development of personality related to cultural traditions.

Relationships between Sociology and Anthropology

1. Both disciplines are interested in the study of social issues such as population
growth, urban poverty, environment degradation, and similar subjects.
2. Both use the scientific method of inquiry.
3. Both are interdependent in the use of concepts.
4. Both sciences attempt to understand the way of life of various cultures, or various
societies.
5. Both are recent as far as social sciences are concerned.
 Three Major Perspectives in Sociology
1. Structural-Functional Perspective
2. Conflict Perspective
3. Symbolic-Interaction Perspective

Early Social Thinkers

HERBERT SPENCER
(1820–1903)

• Claims that the “Natural process of ‘survival of the fittest’ also plays a role in social
formation.”
• Survival of the Fittest- species of animals best adapted to the environment
survived and prospered, while those poorly adapted died out.

 He likened society to a living organism.

 Society undergoes growth from simple to complex.
 Society is made up of different structures and these structures serve certain
purposes, just like the body cannot function without the different parts working as
a whole.
EMILE DURKHEIM
- Born in France (1858)
- Finished his schooling in philosophy in 1882.
- He believed sociology could help change society for the better

Durkheim was particularly interested in what holds society together. Why is society
relatively unchaotic? How is this related to social change?

Theory of Solidarity- A society won’t be a society without solidarity.

Two Types of Solidarity/Society
1. Mechanical solidarity- refers to a society in which there is little differentiation:
individuals are all fairly similar to one another, with similar responsibilities,
tasks, and behaviors.

In such societies all individuals are part of, or integrated into, the same group,
and they share common views of what is right and wrong, important and
unimportant.

Durkheim called these common beliefs, values, and norms the collective
consciousness.

2. Organic Solidarity- A society where there is much differentiation, with people

performing diverse types of work and exhibiting various behaviors.
Individuals may also belong to any number of different groups, from families
and work organizations to religious groups, political parties, and networks of
friends.

Durkheim believed that people are exclusively the product of their social
environment, the society shapes people in every possible way.

Three Types of Suicide

1. Anomic-People who have no longer consistent, clear-cut norms to direct
them, no constant collective consciousness to guide them and they would
be more likely to commit suicide.

2. Altruistic- A person is willing to die for a great cause.

 3. Egoistic- It is due to a defect in social organization, the person would search
for an escape from a group.

KARL HEINRICH MARX

- born in Germany in 1818.
- Marx became attached to the “Young Hegelians”.
- Pursued his interest in radical social and economic analysis and worked for a
while as a newspaper writer and editor in Germany.
-Marx was greatly concerned with the conditions that the workers of his day faced.
-He questioned why oppression and inequality existed and how this situation might
change?
-Marx suggested that in any society those who control the means of production are
the dominant group.

Social change may occur due to conflict between the two opposing classes.
1. Bourgeoisie- the capitalists who owned the factories and mills (oppressor).
2. Proletariat- the workers (the oppressed).

-Marx dreamt for an ideal society which is a classless society. He is considered as

the Father of Communism.

MAX WEBER
- Born in Germany (1864).
- Had an excellent education in his early years and was extremely well read.
- He was trained as an economic historian.

Weber gave central importance in his analyses to social action, the meanings that
people attribute to their actions , and the way these actions and meanings affect
the social order.

Theory of Authority-

1. Charismatic authority- It exists when the control of others is based on an

individual’s personal characteristics.

2. Traditional authority- The legitimacy of the leader is rooted in customs. The

authority is vested on the individual who inherits the position.

3. Rational-legal authority- the exercise of authority is subject to a system of

generalized rules. A position is based on formal system of rules.