MOHAMMAD ALI JINNAH UNIVERSITY KARACHI, PAKISTAN

M. Shaharyar Saeed

SP10-BB-0039

Dated; 17th January, 2012

Introduction to Sociology

Section “A”

ARTICLE # 01

On

Utility of Sociology

Dr. Shafqat BukhariWhat is Sociology?

Definition

"Sociology" is the broad discipline interested in the study of societies. "Sociology of education" is a subset of this, not unlike sociology of work, of gender, of the family, of development, of organizations,

etc. It is a thematic subset of the broader discipline.

OR

The study of sociology has a great value especially in modern complex society. Some of the uses of sociology are as follows.

OR

Sociology, or social science, studies people and the communities they live in, the systems and structures they build and work within, and the habits, customs and traditions they create and perform every day. When conducting a sociological study, primary data is data acquired directly from the source through

interviews, surveys or observations. This data presents several advantages over secondary data, which is based on the research of others.

Utility of Sociology

Uses of Sociology

1. Technologies of the self, which permit individuals to effect by their own means or with the help of others a certain number of operations on their own bodies and souls, thoughts, conduct, and way of being, so as to transform themselves in order to attain a certain state of happiness, purity, wisdom, perfection, or immortality.

2. From another perspective, a cyborg world might be about lived social and bodily realities in which people are not afraid of their joint kinship with animals and machines, not afraid of permanently partial identities and contradictory standpoints.

3. Does not fulfill himself in his work but denies himself, has a feeling of misery rather than well-being, does not develop freely his mental and physical energies but is physically exhausted and mentally debased.

4. A cyborg body is not innocent; it was not born in a garden; it does not seek unitary identity and so generate antagonistic dualisms without end (or until the world ends); it takes irony for granted.

5. The cyborg appears in myth precisely where the boundary between human and animal is transgressed. Far from signalling a walling off of people from other living beings, cyborgs signal disturbingly and pleasurably tight coupling.

6. This fact expresses merely that the object which labour produces — labour's product — confronts it as something alien, as a power independent of the producer.

7. By the public sphere we mean first of all a realm of our social life in which something approaching public opinion can be formed. Access is guaranteed to all citizens. A portion of the public sphere comes into being in every conversation in which private individuals assemble to form a public body.

8. External control and the threat of punishment are not the only means for bringing about effort toward organizational objectives. Man will exercise self-direction and self-control in the service of objectives to which he is committed.

9. Sociology studies society in a scientific way. Before the emergence of sociology, there was no systematic and scientific attempt to study human society with all its complexities.

10. Sociology throws more light on the social nature of man. Sociology evolves deep into the social nature of man. It tells us why man is a social animal, why he lives in groups, communities and societies. It examines the relationship between individual and society, the impact of society on man and other matters.

11. Sociology throws more light on the social nature of man. Sociology evolves deep into the social nature of man. It tells us why man is a social animal, why he lives in groups, communities and societies. It examines the relationship between individual and society, the impact of society on man and other matters.

12. Sociology improves our understanding of society and increases the power of social action, capabilities, talents and limitations. It enables him to adjust himself to the environment. Knowledge of society, social groups, social institutions, associations, their functions etc. helps us to lead an effective social life.

13. The study of sociology helps us to know not only our society and man but also others, their motives, aspirations, status, occupations, traditions, customs, institutions, cultures etc. In a huge industrialised society our experience is comparatively limited.

14. The contribution of sociology is not less significant in enriching culture. Sociology has given training to us to have rational approach to questions concerning ourselves, our religion, customs, mores, institutions, values, ideologies etc. It has made us to become more objective, rational, critical and dispassionate.

15. Sociological knowledge is necessary for understanding and planning of society. Social planning has been made easier by 'sociology.

Advantages of Sociology

Control

When a sociologist uses primary data, she has maximum control over how data is collected, who it is collected from, who it is collected by and for what purposes it is used in her study. Secondary data collected by another sociologist at another time remains

somewhat disconnected from the sociologist who is trying to use it for her own study; as a result it will not be tailored to the question she is attempting to answer.

Bias

Most sociological studies set out to answer a question or at least explore possibilities or a hypothesis. When a sociologist does her own study, she can be aware of the biases that she brings to the research and the writing of that study. On the other hand, the sociologist will have no way of telling where the bias of another sociologist lies in his own paper. What she takes for factual data in the paper of another sociologist may simply be opinion.

Accuracy

Sociologists attempt to determine the "representativeness" of every study they conduct themselves and the studies of others that they use to back their claims. Representativeness measures how accurately a study truly represents the person, people, community or group it claims to represent, and how accurate the data is to reality. When a sociologist is using primary data, she is at the scene where data is collected and is observing the data in real time. The sociologist can therefore be reasonably certain that the data she records is reflecting reality.

Compare/Contrast

Primary data stands as a useful comparison to secondary data. By finding primary data, a sociologist can see how her data measures up to a study done by another sociologist on the same topic. If the data does not match, her new findings must be justified and may result in new information that will discredit a former belief.

Depth

When reporting on the level of an individual or a small, intimate group in a sociological study, it is impossible to get the appropriate depth necessary if only using secondary data. Recording words, thoughts, feelings and observations directly from primary data is a type of depth that truly solidifies a study and makes it relatable to general readers.

Refrences:

http://www.preservearticles.com/201107028753/what-were-the-uses-of-sociology-in-contemporary-period.htmlhttp://www.ehow.com/list_6455221_advantages-primary-data-sociology_.html

http://books.google.com.pk/books/about/The_uses_of_sociology.html?id=eRlUkI140wIC&redir_esc=y

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_Advantages_of_sociology