Download Applied Sociology

CHAP#1
UNDERSTANDING
SOCIOLOGY
 Meaning of Sociology:
The word “Sociology” has been derived from
two words. The Latin “Socius”, means “Companion”.
The Greek “Ology”, means “Study of”.
So the term literally means the study of the
processes of companionship OR The study of human
association (society).
 Definition:
Sociology has been defined differently by
different social scientists.
Continued
 Auguste Comte: Sociology is a general study of the
whole society.
 Ward: Sociology is a science of society.
 Gillin and Gillin: Sociology is the study of
interaction arising from the association of living
beings.
 Giddings: Sociology is the scientific study of
society.
 Maciver/Sorokin : Sociology is about social
relationship. The network of relationship call
society.
 Richard T. Schaefer: Sociology is the scientific
study of social behavior and human groups.
 Conclusion
On the basis of the above definitions, we can
conclude that Sociology is the science of society,
human behavior, human interaction and
relationships.
SOCIOLOGY AS A SCIENCE
 Going into the discussion of sociology as a science,
first we will discuss that what is science and what are
its characteristics.

Science:
Science is the systematic body of knowledge,
conveying both theory and fact. The knowledge that
is obtained by Observation & Experimentation is
called Science.
Characteristics of Science
 Science as a Knowledge:
Science is a body of organized, verified
knowledge which has been secured through scientific
investigation. It includes concepts, interrelationship
of these concepts, explanation of the concepts, and
prediction on the basis of explanation etc.
It means that scientific knowledge can be passed
through the stages of concepts, its relationship,
explanation and prediction.
Continued
 Science as methods:
Scientific methods can be having the
characteristics of Observation, Hypothesis,
Verification, Re-verification and Measurement.
These are the stages through which we can pass a
scientific method.
 Scientific Tools:
Different tools & Techniques are used in
science. For example, microscope, telescope etc.
Is Sociology is a Science?
Yes, Sociology is a
Science
Sociology is a Social Science
 Sciences are commonly divided into
and Social sciences.
Natural
Natural Science
 It is the study of the physical features of nature and
the ways in which they interact and change.
 Examples: Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Geology,
and Physics etc.
Social Science
 It is the study of the social features of humans and
the ways in which they interact & change.
 Examples: Sociology, Anthropology, Economics,
History, Psychology, and Political Science etc.
SCOPE OF SOCIOLOGY
 Society is a web of social institutions these
institutions i.e. family, education, religion,
political, economic, etc. are inter related and interdepended on one another.
 Being the study of society the scope of sociology is
very wide. The subject does not confine its study to
only economic or political life of human beings but
to all aspects of life with which man in society is
concerned therefore we say that sociology is the
mother of all social sciences.
The scope has been divided into two divisions i.e.
(A )
Scope in the field of knowledge
(B)
Scope in the Profession
Scope of Sociology in the field of
knowledge
 Sociologists have the primary & basic aim to build up
knowledge about the society & social interaction. The
sociologists are required to gain the knowledge about the
social problems & their solution. This is possible for the
sociologists but on the basis of scientific knowledge.
 To train the students of sociology, they are taught research
methodology, community development etc. They get
knowledge about the factors of the problems & their
solutions.
 So in the field of knowledge, sociology provides
understanding of the society & what is going on in the
society.
Scope of sociology in the field of
profession
Sociology is also a professional discipline. It
performs the following services as a profession.
 Teaching
 Research
 Administration.
• Teaching:
The persons, who get great knowledge,
become qualified. These qualified persons
are serving in the teaching profession.
Teaching profession serves to transmit
knowledge about culture & to train the
students for community development.
Research:
• The qualified persons in the discipline of sociology are
involved in the field of research. They work to detect
serious problems, their factors & are able to get these
problems solved. The sociologists as researchers are
engaged in different governmental & non-governmental
organizations, like:
 Ministry of local government, social welfare & rural
development.
 Population census commission..
 Department of jails & reclamation(recovery)
The researchers except the above mentioned agencies
and departments are working in many national as well as
international organizations like UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR
etc.
 Administration:
The sociologists are employed in different programs of
governmental & non-governmental organizations as
administrators. They direct & guide the people in
organizations about development in different sectors.
From the above discussion, it is concluded that the
sociologist gets knowledge about society. Then they serve as
teachers, researchers and administrators to make the
development of the community possible.
UTILITY/IMPORTANCE OF
SOCIOLOGY
Sociology has proved its utility in many
ways, discussed as under:
 Locating social problems:
Where there is human association, there will
be a problem. How to locate the problem, is the
responsibility of the sociologists. They bring the
attention of the people towards the problem. They
also differentiate between the more & less severe
problems.
 Scientific study:
The sociologists are trained in using the scientific
methods. They study the problems scientifically &
make their solution possible with the help of
sociological knowledge.
 Solutions for problems:
If the problems are located & scientifically
studied, then their solution is possible by the cause &
effect study. Through Sociological study the cause of
the problems are found out and also their effects on
the society.
Conti…
 Reconstruction:
Today every society is engaged in
economic, as well as political reconstruction.
It is a continuous process, but impossible
without social reconstruction. Therefore, we
can say that sociology helps in political &
economic reconstruction.
 Preserve and growth of culture:
The sociologists collect information about their
culture & transmit it to others. They as teachers are
doing the same job. The Sociologists also write
books etc to preserve the cultural heritage. So they
preserve and give growth to the culture in different
ways i.e. Writing about culture and to teach it to
the students in the subject of sociology.
PURE AND APPLIED SOCIOLOGY
A distinction between pure and applied science is
drawn in every scientific field. Both pure and applied
sociology and discussed below.
 Pure Sociology
 Applied Sociology
 Pure Sociology
Pure sociology searches for new knowledge. It is
related to the aim & scientific study of society for the
pure knowledge. Pure Sociology is not interested in
practical use of knowledge.
 Applied Sociology
Applied Sociology tries to apply sociological
knowledge to solve practical problems. It is the
practical use of sociological principles & insights to
the analysis & understanding of a social situation.