SOCIOLOGY It is a social science which studies the processes and patterns of human individual and group interaction, the forms of organization of social groups, the relationship among them, and group influences on individual behavior, and vice versa, and the interaction between one social group and the other. is the study of society

HISTORY OF SOCIOLOGY Auguste Comte, French Social Philosopher (1798- 1857) Comte was the first social philosopher to coin and use the term sociology (Nobbs, Hine and Flemming, 1978). He was also the first to regard himself as a sociologist. He defined sociology as the scientific study of social dynamics and social static. Karl Marx (German, 1818-1883) Marx was a world-renowned social philosopher, sociologist and economic historian. He introduced key concepts in sociology like social class, social class conflict, social oppression, alienation. According to Marx, economic forces are the keys to underestimating society and social change. He believed that the history of human society has been that of class conflict. Marx introduced one of the major perspectives in sociology, called social conflict theory. Harriet Martineau, British Sociologist (1802- 1876, She was an active advocate of the abolition of slavery and she wrote on many crosscutting issues such as racial and gender relations, and she traveled widely. She helped popularize the ideas and writings of Comte by translating them into English. Herbert Spencer, British Social Philosopher, (1820-1903) Spencer was a prominent social philosopher of the 19th century. He was famous for the organic analogy of human society. He viewed society as an organic system, having its own structure and functioning in ways analogous to the biological system. Spencers ideas of the evolution of human society from the lowest ("barbarism") to highest form ("civilized") according to fixed laws were famous. It was called "Social Darwinism", which is analogous to the biological evolutionary model. Emile Durkheim, French Sociologist, (1858- 1917) Durkehiem was the most influential scholar in the academic and theoretical development of sociology. He laid down some of the fundamental principles, methods, concepts and theories of sociology; he defined sociology as the study of social facts. Max Weber, German Sociologist (1864-1920) Weber was another prominent social scientist. According to him, sociology is the scientific study of human social action. Social action refers to any action oriented to influence or influenced by another person or persons.

Pioneering founders of sociology August Comte, French, (1798-1857); key concepts: social static and social dynamic Karl Marx, German, (1818-1883), key concepts: class conflict, alienation, historical materialism Emile Durkheim, French, (1858-1917); key concept: social fact Max Weber, German, (1864-1920); key concepts: social action; subjective meanings Herbert Spencer, British, (1820-1903); key concept: social Darwinism Harriet Martineau, British, (1802-1876); active advocate of abolition of slavery and gender issues

Sociology may be generally defined as a social science that studies such kinds of phenomena as:

The structure and function of society as a system; The nature, complexity and contents of human social behavior; The fundamentals of human social life; Interaction of human beings with their external environment; The indispensability of social interactions for human development; How the social world affects us

The role and importance of Sociology

Through the research of sociologists, decisions are made within the government .e.g. educational reforms The research conducted by sociologists keeps society updated of the changes and trends that are occurring

Sociological research allows us to observe differences within cultures and society and have a better understanding of human behavior on a global level

Through the study of Sociology we hope that students will become informed and active citizens who are fully aware of the complex nature of social life and differentiation in society. The study of Sociology allows students to:

Be confident about their own personal identity

Learn to express their beliefs and values with conviction

Appreciate the role they play in society and how they can influence the lives of others

Develop an appreciation of different cultures and learn to respect different lifestyle choices

Apply the principle of equality in their interaction with others and be sensitive to prejudice

Develop ethical and moral values that help bind society

Understand how public perception can shape government policy and how social institutions and legislation in turn can influence peoples lives

Understand the nature of political processes and the significance of participation in democracy

We hope that through discussion, debate and the exploration of sociological themes and concepts students will develop the confidence and interpersonal skills they need to become thoughtful listeners and active participants at various levels of society.

The main branches of sociology are as follows:1.Theoretical SociologistIt includes micro theory or small/middle/large theory. The theories of Karl Marx, August Cimte, Max Wever, Emmile Durkhaim, Sorokin, etc are studied under the theories of sociology.Eg. The theories of Economic determinism and the theory of Class Struggle of Karl Marx.Eg. Theory of Sucide by Emmile Durkhaim.2.Historical SociologyIt is the study of social facts and social groups. It studies the background of any social events. How and when different social groups or organizations originated?Eg. The history of Hindu, Roman, Greek, etc. and other major civilizations were studied by P.A. Sorkin.3.Sociology of KnowledgeThe newly emerged branch of sociology indicates that our knowledge is the product of social phenomena. This means our knowledge is always influenced by society. The economic religious political and other interests save the human belief and idea.4.CriminologyThis branch of sociology studies the criminal behavior of individuals or groups. Origin of crime its types nature, causes as well as law, punishment, police, etc. come under this study, The efforts for the improvement is also studied.Different organizations establish to control the crime as well as their role also come under its study.5.Sociology of ReligionThis branch studies the structure of the religion in social system as no society is free from the influence of it. It analyses the social behavior of human beings. It also studies the religious constitutions and their role in the society.Augste Comte, Emmile Durkheim, Herbet Spencer did the study of elementary forms of religious life.6.Sociology of EconomyThis branch of sociology studies production, distribution, consumption and exchange of goods and services.This branch also studies the economic activities of the society in which the focus is given about the socio-cultural factors. The access in production, the mode of distribution, the real consumers, the role of culture in such activities are studied under it.Eg.. Why Hindus dont eat Cow?7.Rural SociologyThis branch of sociology studies the way of life of rural people as the rural population is higher than the urban. The patterns of life such as behavior, belief, culture, tradition norms, values, etc. are totally different than of urban people. So, it studies the rural society in scientific way. It also studies rural life, social institutions, social structure, social processes, etc. of the rural society.8.Urban SociologyThis branch of sociology studies the way of life of urban people. It gives information about the social organizations and intuition of urban society as well as social structure and social interaction. It also studies the social pathology of urban society such as discrimination) crime, corruption, robbery, beggary, loot, theft, unemployment, prostitution, environmental pollution, etc.9.Political SociologyThis branch of sociology studies different political moments of the society. It includes the study of different political ideology (view), their origin, development and functions. In this study, different political parties are considered as social institutions. Various activities and behavior of political parties are studied in this branch. As they are the part of social system.10.Sociology of DemographyDemography of scientific mathematical and statically study of population. It studies about size, situation, composition, density, distribution, and measurement etc. of the population.In this branch of sociology, we study the distribution of human population with the analysis of population change in sociological perspectives. It also finds out the determining factors of population change and its trend.11.Sociology of LawSociology of law and legal system are considered as the part of society, as social institution. Law is one of the very important means of social control. Law is related with other different social sub systems. Such as economy, nature of distribution, authority, structure of family kinship relationships, etc. So, this branch of sociology is related to moral order for the society as formulation and implementation of rules and regulations, law and order come under this.12.Industrial SociologyThis branch of sociology is concerned with the industrial relationship of the human beings. It studies the different industrial organizations and institutions. As well as their interrelationship and links with other various institutions of society. It also studies the inter relationships of industrial institutions with various aspects of human life such as culture, beliefs, customs, religion or the way of life.