Sociology

Sociology is classified under the umbrella of the social sciences. The discipline is defined as the systematic study of human behaviour within the larger social context. http://www.dartmouth.edu/~socy/intro.html Sociology is classified as a social science and defined as a systematic study because sociologists study human behaviour using various theories and research methods http://www.laurentian.ca/Laurentian/Home/Departments/Laura+Test/What+is+Sociology.htm?Laurentian_Lang=en-CA.

The study of human behaviour allows the individual to see how personal behaviour is shaped by the society around us. It opens the door for society and individuals to question normative behaviour. It can begin to ask questions like; why do girls play with dolls while boys play with trucks, can people effect change through protesting, should capital punishment be legal, and even, are the children of today the same as the children of the 1850’s?

Functionalism: Is a perspective that is based on the assumption that society is stable and orderly system. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Three-Major-Perspectives-in-Sociology.topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26837.html The system is made up of parts and each part works together to create a whole. The parts each have a function and serve to maintain the stability of the entire system. The parts or institutions include family, education, government, religion and the economy.

Conflict Theory: This theory arises from Karl Marx’s works on class struggle. Conflict theory believes that the social order is maintained through a top down approach. This means that the elite or the rich upper class shape the social order over the lower classes http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Three-Major-Perspectives-in-Sociology.topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26837.html. Theorists find that social conflict is where inequality exists. Conflict theorists challenge the status quo and examine areas like racism and gender equality http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Three-Major-Perspectives-in-Sociology.topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26837.html.

Symbolic Interactionism: This theory examines the micro-structures of society. It considers the details and symbols of everyday life. http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Three-Major-Perspectives-in-Sociology.topicArticleId-26957,articleId-26837.html This theory was introduced to American Sociology by George Herbert Mead in the 1920’shttp://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-symbolicinteractionism.html. It is believed that people attach meaning to symbols and then act on their interpretation of these symbols. Popular topics in the symbolic interactionist perspective are marriage, language, and other social interactions between peoplehttp://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O88-symbolicinteractionism.html.

• August Comte
• Harriet Martineau
• Herbert Spencer
• Karl Marx
• Émile Durkheim
• Max Weber
• Lester Frank Ward

Deviance and Conformity, Crime and Punishment, Family, Inequality, Mass Media, Culture, Race and Ethnicity, Gender and Sexuality, Religion, Capitalism, Communism, Corporations, Education, Childhood and Adolescent Sociology, Social Movements, Feminism, and Globalization