What is Sociology? | History of Filipino

Sociology

Where did it start?

Sociology emerged as an academic field right at the height of Industrial Revolution in Europe which mobilized the entire population in a way that had never been before in human history. These era had brought great changes in the way people live in a society.

Sociology started as the study of European society by European people (inward).

During that time, emerging institutions arose and replaced the old ones such as how science was taking over religion, when the reign of kings and queens fell down, and when the era of

feudalism had ended. People saw the importance of studying these emerging institutions and how they started and what impact they could make to an individual and the new society in general.

Who started this field?

Auguste Comte – French philosopher and mathematician. He coined the term sociology. He saw the need for a systematic science of studying society and in dealing with the solution of its basic problems.

Concept

Sociology is the study of society, patterns of social interactions, and culture of everyday life.

Unlike anthropology, the knowledge created by sociology is used to understand one’s own society.

Sociologists use qualitative research method in doing their studies.

Subjects of Inquiry

Anything in a society that influences people’s lives can be subjects of inquiry, like different

social phenomena, issues, and problems.

Sociologists can also look into things that influence life like family background, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, social classes, religion, gender, beliefs, traditions, norms, among others.

Some fields are social organization, social psychology, applied sociology, and human ecology.

Goals

The goals of Sociology are the following:

• Obtain possible theories and principles about society as well as various aspects of social life.
• Study the nature of humanity to further examine our roles within a society.
• Appreciate that all things in society are interdependent.
• Expose our minds to different perspectives in attaining truth.