Chapter 1 An Invitation to Sociology

1
Chapter 1 An Invitation to Sociology

• Section 2 The Origins of Sociology

2
European Origins

• Sociology began in the late nineteenth century,
  so it is a relatively new science
• Began in Europe during a time of social upheaval
• It is important to understand the ideas of the
  pioneers of sociology to understand what
  sociology is today

3
Auguste Comte

• The Father of Sociology

4
Auguste Comte

• Main concern was the improvement of society
• If society was to advance social behavior had to
  be studied scientifically
• Called the science sociology

5
Auguste Comte

• Positivism using scientific observation to
  study social behavior
• Sociology should be a science based on knowledge
  of which we can be positive or sure
• Distinguished between social statics (social
  stability) and social dynamics (social change)
• Published theories in the book Positive
  Philosophy

6
Harriet Martineau

• Pioneering feminist theorist

7
Harriet Martineau

• Wrote Society in America
• Saw a link between slavery and the oppression of
  women
• Believed womens lack of economic power helped
  keep them dependent

8
Herbert Spencer
9
Herbert Spencer

• Compared society to the human body to explain
  social stability
• Society is composed of parts working together to
  promote its well-being and survival

10
Herbert Spencer

• Introduced theory of social change called Social
  Darwinism
• Evolutionary social change led to progress
  natural selection would ensure the survival of
  the fittest society
• Opposed social reform because it interfered with
  the selection process

11
Karl Marx

• Believed social scientists should try to change
  the world rather than merely study it

12
Karl Marx

• Predicted that all industrial societies would
  eventually contain only two social classes
• Bourgeoisie those who own the means for
  producing wealth in society
• Means for producing wealth are called capital
  those who own them are called capitalists
• Proletariat those who work for the bourgeoisie
  and get paid just enough to stay alive

13
Karl Marx

• Class conflict would occur between the
  bourgeoisie and proletariat
• Wage workers would overtake capitalists
• Out of the conflict would come a classless, or
  communistic, society
• Believed that a planned revolution would speed up
  the change from capitalism to communism

14
Emile Durkheim
15
Emile Durkheim

• Society exists because of broad consensus, or
  agreement, among members of society
• Pre-industrial societies were based on mechanical
  solidarity widespread consensus of values and
  beliefs, strong social pressures for conformity,
  and dependence on tradition and family

16
Emile Durkheim

• Industrial societies were based on organic
  solidarity social interdependency based on a
  web of highly specialized roles
• Specialized roles make members of society
  dependent on each other

17
Emile Durkheim

• Introduced the use of statistical techniques in a
  groundbreaking study on suicide (will study
  later)
• Showed that human social behavior must be
  explained by social factors rather than
  psychological ones

18
Max Weber

• Human beings act on the basis of their own
  understanding of a situation
• Sociologists must understand the personal
  meanings underlying social behavior

19
Max Weber

• Understanding the personal intentions of people
  in groups can be accomplished using verstehen
  understanding the social behavior of others by
  putting yourself mentally in their places
• You temporarily shed your values and see things
  from a different point of view

20
Max Weber

• Rationalization emphasizes knowledge, reason,
  and planning
• Pioneered research techniques that helped prevent
  personal biases from unduly affecting the results
  of sociological investigations

21
Sociology in America

• 1892 First department of sociology was
  established at the University of Chicago

22
Jane Addams

• Early social reformer in the United States
  spent her life seeking social justice

23
Jane Addams

• Co-founded Hull House
• People who needed refuge could find help
• Focused on problems caused by the imbalance of
  power among the social classes
• Active in womens suffrage and peace movements

24
W.E.B. DuBois

• Analyzed and attacked racist policies
• Active in the Pan African movement which was
  concerned with the rights of all African
  descendants

25
Assignment

• Section 2 Assessment
• Chapter 1 vocabulary handout
• Read Section 3 of Chapter 1 (pp. 23 31)