The Concepts of Sociology:-
Sociology is the youngest of all the social science. The word Sociology is derived from the Latin word "societus" meaning "society" and the Greek word "logos" meaning "Study" or "Science". The Ethynological meaning of 'sociology' is thus the "science of society". Prof. Ginsberg accordingly defines it "as the study of society that is of the web or tissue of human inter-action and inter-relations."
In other word, Sociology is the study of man's behaviour in groups or of the interaction among human beings, of social relationships and the processes by human group activity takes place.
Definition of Sociology:-
To understand more carefully what sociology is about it shall be in fitness of things to study some of the definitions given by some important sociologists.
"Sociology is the science of society or of social phenomena." -L.F. Ward
"Science of social institution." -Emile Durkhelm
"Sociology is the study of collective behaviour." - Park and burgess
"Sociology is the study of the relationship between man and woman and his human environment." -H.P. Fairchild
"The subject matter of sociology is interaction of human minds." -L.T. Hobhouse
"Sociology is science which attempts the interpretive understanding of social action" -Max Weber
"Sociology deals with the behaviour of men in group." -Kimball Young
"Sociology is science of social institutions, their genesis and their development." -Durkheim
"Sociology is the science of the structure and functions of social life." -John W. Benner
"Sociology studies the social behaviour of individual and groups." -Lerndberg
"Sociology is a specific science, which studies the forms of social relationships." -Simmel
Nature and Characteristics of sociology
Robert Bierstedt in his book, "Social Order" has mentioned the following:-
1. Sociology is an independent science. It is not studied as a part of any other subject like philosophy or psychology. Its subject matter has well defined boundaries and method of study.
2. Sociology is a social science and is not a physical science.
3. Sociology is a categorical and not normal discipline. It conforms itself to statement about what is, and not what should be or ought to be. It does not make any value judgments.
4. Sociology is a pure science and not an applied science. The main aim of pure science is the acquisition of knowledge and not its application. The immediate aim of sociology is the acquistion of knowledge about human society and not its application.
5. Sociology is relatively an abstract science and not a concrete science. Sociology is not interest in the concrete manifestations of human events. It is more concerned with the form of social events and their patterns.
For example:- Sociology is not concerned with any particular war or revolution, but with wars and revolutions in general or social phenomena, as types of social conflicts.
6. Sociology is a general social science and not particular or individual science.
7. Sociology is general social science and not a special social science.
8. Sociology is both rational and empirical science. The empirist collects facts and their rationalist co-ordinates and arranges them.
Sociology has been studied in one form or other the time of Aristotle. In the beginning, it was a part of philosophy. It grew into an independent subject. Recently with the increase use of scientific methods, it has develop into a positive science. Sociology enjoys a prominent position in the family of social science. Knowledge of sociology is considered essential in the field of medicine, nursing, law, business, social relations, administration, social work and other areas of human endeavour.
Scope of Sociology:-
It is very wide. It is a study of human society. It is a study of inter-relationship of education and the social system. It include the inter-relationships of education with the total cultural milieu, social interaction in schools, social stratification, innovations, political system and social change.
1. Education:- Culture, E.B. Tylor states, is "the complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, moral, law, custom and any other capabilities and acquired by man as a member of the society." Every society has its own culture or social heritage. The object of education is to provide the individuals with the means for understanding their society and its structure and open up for them a way of creating "Meaning" out of their environment and their relationships. Education can assist an individual both in language and thought to classify and provide meaning and relationships to things, ideas and events. By teaching and learning education transmit to culture of a society to the present as well as the oncoming generation.
2. Social Interactions in Schools:- The school as an institution developed for transmission of culture to the people living in the society. School has a direct involvement with culture. It influences community life to a great extent. Taking into consideration the social heads, school shapes the cultural pattern. It socializes people by fostering the values.
3. Education and social stratification:- Social stratification is caused due to social inequality. Such inequality is due to power, prestige and wealth. To bring about flexibility of outlook and to end the socio-economic status of individuals, education plays an important role. The unprivileged people, who were kept in a state of ignorance are coming to light due to education. Educational opportunities are now provided to scheduled caste, the traditional communities.
4. Social mobility and education:- Social mobility is basically the movement of individuals or groups of individuals, from one social position to another. Such movement may be up or down between the classes in social hierarchy or stratification or it may occur with in a particular social class.
The important question now arises concerning the relationship between education and social mobility. The educator believes that education acts as an against reinforcing the present social situation. It also provide opportunity in the economic and social status of people. It is one of functions of education to train the individuals in the skills and technique which will assist him to pursue his personal education and development throughout life.
5. Economy and education:- Education is a service provided by a society for its members. It is also considered as an industry like any other with constant inputs and outputs. It is a product as well as one of the factors of production. It is because education has much multi-function and role in social structure that the economies of education present problems of division making of a very special and particular Kind.
6. Social Philosophy:- It is said that a society without ideas is a society without motivation. If it is importance to know where we have been in our social development, it is equality important to know the direction, in which we are going and to provide some leadership for those who are today becoming very quickly fill members of our society. The concept of human society there must exist norms of behaviour, customs, habit and morals- one choose to call them. We may indeed, as individual, have a limited vision of truth, and of the ideas, which move other to love, hope, faith and action.
The sociologist studies be able to understand man, his social relationship, his behaviour patterns, group interactions; social order and disorder; social structure and social system. It is use ful in many ways.
For example:- In social pathology, the focus is on social problems like prostitution, alcoholism, drug-addiction, juvenile delinquency, beggary and so on. When it studies settlement patterns , it tries to find out ways in which technology and physical environment affect activities and geographical distribution of people. It also studies problems of industrial organisation and its labour problems. The criminologists take the help of sociology for understanding causes of crime. Medical and paramedical professions seek the help of sociology to see the social factors influencing or causing illness. It helps us in gaining knowledge about our self our society. In this way, it can be said that the scope of sociology is very wide.
