Sociology

Sociology Study Guide

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Sociology Objectives 1. To define “sociology.” 2. To understand how sociology can be called a science. 3. To understand what makes sociology a social science. 4. To previewmany of the terms and important figures found throughout this study of sociology. 1.1 What is Sociology? As a social science, sociology is a systematic approach to thinking about, studying, and understanding society, human social behavior, and social groups. The topics discussed andstudied within this field are as varied as the means sociologist use to study them. The broad expanse includes many different theories, methodologies, and areas of interest which this text will explore as fully as possible. One important distinction to make note of when beginning a study of sociology is that its primary focus is groups. Social interactions are a favored observation as they are rife with examples of people interacting with others as members of groups. 1.2 The Sciences To understand exactly how sociology fits into the realm of science, a definition of science should be examined. Science refers to any logical, systematic method by which knowledge can be acquired; it also refers to the actual body of knowledge produced by such methods. All sciences can be differentiated into one or two prevailing types: • The natural sciences: referring to the study of physical and biological phenomena. o Typically more objective findings. • The social sciences: referring to the study of various aspects of human behavior. o Typically more subjective findings. Within both schools of scientific thought, the assumption is held that an underlying order in the universe exists. Scientists commonly search for predictable generalizations that can not only be applied to specific organisms but also to others of that type of organism. Social Sciences As a discipline, Sociology is less advanced than most of the other social and natural sciences. Themain reason is the subject matter. Studying human social behavior with scientific methods is often challenging; subjects being studied typically know they are being studied and thus alter their

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