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1、1.1 What is Sociology? Sociology is the systematic study of social behaviour and human groups. It focuses primarily on the influence of social relationships upon peoples attitudes and behaviour and on how societies are established and change. As a field of study, sociology has an extremely broad sco
2、pe. The Sociological Imagination In attempting to understand social behaviour, sociologists rely on an unusual type of creative thinking. C. Wright Mills (1959) described such thinking as the Sociological Imagination, an awareness of the relationship between an individual and the wider society This
3、awareness allows people (not simply sociologists) to comprehend the links between their immediate, personal social settings and the remote, impersonal social world that surrounds them and helps to shape them. A key element in the sociological imagination is the ability to view ones own society as an
4、 outsider would, rather than from the limited perspective of personal experiences and cultural biases. Sociological imagination can bring new understanding to daily life around us or even to our view of the past. For example, Claude Fischer (1988) studied gender differences in telephone use during t
5、he half century before World War II and the social meanings of these differences During the period of 1890-1940, telephones became popular in middle-class urban homes as well as on many farms. Fischer observes that, in the period under study, North American women seemed to have a special affinity fo
6、r the household telephone and that affinity seemed to involve sociability. He offers a number of possible explanations for this gender difference, among them: Women, especially homemakers, were typically more isolated from daily adult contact than men were. Therefore telephone calls allowed many wom
7、en to experience some of the social contact that their husbands found in the work place.Womens traditional role as social managers for their families led to extensive telephone responsibilities in service to the household, the extended family, the friendship circle, and the community. Fischer conclu
8、des that, like the bicycle and the automobile, the telephone served as “technology of sociability” that allowed women to increase their social interactions. Sociology and the Social Sciences In a general sense, sociology can be considered a science. The term “science” refers to the body of knowledge
9、 obtained by methods based upon systematic observation. Like other scientific disciplines, sociology engages in organized, systematic study of phenomena (in this case, human behaviour) in order to enhance understanding. All sciences attempt to collect precise information through methods of study whi
10、ch are as objective as possible. They rely on careful recording of observations and accumulation of data. Social science is the study of various aspects of human society. The social sciences include sociology, anthropology, economics, history, psychology and political science. These academic discipl
11、ines have a common focus on the social behaviour of people, yet each has a particular orientation in studying such behaviour. Sociology emphasizes the influence that society has on peoples attitudes and behaviour and the ways in which people shape society. Humans are social animals; therefore sociol
12、ogists scientifically examine our social relationships with people. 1.2 Origins of Sociology People have always been curious about how we get along, what we do, and whom we select as our leaders. Philosophers and religious authorities of ancient and medieval societies made countless observations abo
13、ut human behaviour. These observations were not tested or verified scientifically; nevertheless, they often became the foundation of moral codes. Several of the early social philosophers predicted that a systematic study of human behaviour would one day emerge. Beginning in the nineteenth century, E
14、uropean theorists made pioneering contributions to the development of a science of human behaviour. Early Thinkers: Comte, Martineau, and Spencer In France, the nineteenth century was an unsettling time for that nations intellectuals. The French monarchy had been deposed earlier in the revolution of
15、 1789, and Napoleon had subsequently been defeated in his effort to conquer Europe. Amidst this chaos, philosophers considered how societies might be improved. Auguste Comte (1798-1857) , credited with being the most influential of these philosophers of the early 1800s, believed that a theoretical s
16、cience of society and systematic investigation of behaviour were needed to improve society. Comte coined the word “sociology” to apply to the science of human behaviour and insisted that sociology could make a critical contribution to a new and improved human community. Writing in the 1800s, Comte feared that Frances stability had been permanently impaired by the excesses of the French Revolution. Yet he hoped that the study of soci
