Introduction
Sociology is a discipline that provides awareness and studies human relationships. Sociologists study social events, interactions, and patterns (Stolley, 2007). Science is divided into three major theoretical perspectives: positivist sociology, interpretive sociology, and critical sociology. With these three types of sociological theories, four paradigms dominate sociological thinking: structural functionalism, critical sociology, feminism, and symbolic interactionism (Stolley, 2007). Structural functionalism focuses on how society function together to contribute to the whole, symbolic interactionism focus on one-to-one interactions and communications and critical sociology is how inequalities contribute to social differences and perpetuate differences in power (Stolley, 2007).
Purposes of Sociology
The purpose of sociology is to attempt to explain how individuals are influenced by their attributes and characteristics in their social environment. To do so, it seeks out the cause-and-effect relationships between different social variables, which include race, religion, economic position, education, gender, stereotypes, prejudices, and others (Giddens & Sutton, 2017). In so doing, the science directly connects itself with other areas of scientific inquiry, such as psychology, philosophy, history, and economics, as well as any other areas where the human factor is present.
History of Sociology
Sociology as a field of research first appeared during the 16th century but was formalized into an academic discipline only by the end of the 19th century through the efforts of Albion Small and Emil Durkheim, who have established and operated the first Department of Sociology in the world, opened at the University of Chicago in 1892 (Mitchell, 2017). The first implementations of sociology revolved around statecraft, criminology, and religious practices. But as the world was transformed both politically and economically, giving rise to numerous ideas and perspectives, sociology grew to include other areas, such as sexuality, biology, history, economics, and other fields. With the rise of feminism, both as a movement and a subset of sociology, gender relationships became a part of the inquiry as well.
Conclusion
Sociological research typically utilizes a combination of qualitative and quantitative approaches to determine the relationship between various factors affecting social phenomena (Giddens & Sutton, 2017). Quantitative research helps in researching factors that could be identified with numbers and are not subject to interpretation, such as salary, gender, race, and other types of data (Giddens & Sutton, 2017). Qualitative research, on the other hand, busies itself with fluid and interpretable information, including opinions, preferences, political views, and others. When combined, this data helps present a clear and concise sociological view of the world.
References
- Giddens, A., & Sutton, P. W. (2017). Essential concepts in sociology. John Wiley & Sons.
- Mitchell, G. D. (2017). A hundred years of sociology. Routledge.
- Stolley, K. S. (2007). The basics of sociology. British Columbia, Canada: BC Open Textbooks.