How old is the study of sociology

In the thirteenth century, Ma Tuan-Lin, a Chinese historian, first recognized social dynamics as an underlying component of historical development in his seminal encyclopedia, General Study of Literary Remains. In the eighteenth century, Age of Enlightenment philosophers developed general principles that could be used to explain social life. Thinkers such as John Locke, Voltaire, Immanuel Kant, and Thomas Hobbes responded to what they saw as social ills by writing on topics that they hoped would lead to social reform.

Her works were long ignored by the male academic structure, but since the s, Wollstonecraft has been widely considered the first feminist thinker of consequence. The early nineteenth century saw great changes with the Industrial Revolution, increased mobility, and new kinds of employment.

It was also a time of great social and political upheaval with the rise of empires that exposed many people—for the first time—to societies and cultures other than their own. Millions of people moved into cities and many people turned away from their traditional religious beliefs. Auguste Comte is considered by many to be the father of sociology. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

In , the term was reinvented by Auguste Comte — Comte originally studied to be an engineer, but later became a pupil of social philosopher Claude Henri de Rouvroy Comte de Saint-Simon — They both thought that social scientists could study society using the same scientific methods utilized in natural sciences.

Comte also believed in the potential of social scientists to work toward the betterment of society. He held that once scholars identified the laws that governed society, sociologists could address problems such as poor education and poverty Abercrombie et al. Comte named the scientific study of social patterns positivism. While the field and its terminology have grown, sociologists still believe in the positive impact of their work. Harriet Martineau was a writer who addressed a wide range of social science issues.

Her writing career began in with a series of stories titled Illustrations of Political Economy , in which she tried to educate ordinary people about the principles of economics Johnson She is also credited with the first systematic methodological international comparisons of social institutions in two of her most famous sociological works: Society in America and Retrospect of Western Travel Martineau found the workings of capitalism at odds with the professed moral principles of people in the United States; she pointed out the faults with the free enterprise system in which workers were exploited and impoverished while business owners became wealthy.

Much like Mary Wollstonecraft, Martineau was often discounted in her own time by the male domination of academic sociology. Karl Marx was one of the founders of sociology. His ideas about social conflict are still relevant today.

Karl Marx — was a German philosopher and economist. In he and Friedrich Engels — coauthored the Communist Manifesto. This book is one of the most influential political manuscripts in history. He believed that societies grew and changed as a result of the struggles of different social classes over the means of production. Sociology was first taught in high schools in Sociology was also growing in Germany and France during this period. The result was that American sociologists became the world leaders in theory and research for many years.

Sociology has grown into a diverse and dynamic discipline, experiencing a proliferation of specialty areas. Many other countries also have large national sociology organizations.

The ISA sponsored research committees covering more than 50 different areas of interest, covering topics as diverse as children, aging, families, law, emotions, sexuality, religion, mental health, peace and war, and work.

Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Measure ad performance. Select basic ads. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads. Apply market research to generate audience insights. Qualitative sociology seeks to understand human behavior by learning about it through in-depth interviews, focus groups, and analysis of content sources like books, magazines, journals, and popular media.

During his hard-fought campaign, President Joe Biden promised Americans that he would raise the federal minimum wage. Opponents of raising the minimum wage argue that some workers would get larger paychecks while others would lose their jobs, and companies would be less likely to hire new workers because of the increased cost of paying them.

Biden and other proponents of raising the minimum wage contend that some job loss would be greatly offset by the positive effects on the standard of living of low-wage workers and reducing the income gap between the rich and poor. Sociologists may consider the minimum wage issue from differing perspectives as well.

How much of an impact would a minimum wage raise have for a single mother? Some might study the economic effects, such as her ability to pay bills and keep food on the table. Others might look at how reduced economic stress could improve family relationships. Some sociologists might research the impact on the status of small business owners. These could all be examples of public sociology, a branch of sociology that strives to bring sociological dialogue to public forums.

The goals of public sociology are to increase understanding of the social factors that underlie social problems and assist in finding solutions. According to Michael Burawoy , the challenge of public sociology is to engage multiple publics in multiple ways. In the early s, sociology reached universities in the United States.

William Sumner held the first professorship in sociology Yale University , Franklin Giddings was the first full professor of Sociology Columbia University , and Albion Small wrote the first sociology textbook. Early American sociologists tested and applied the theories of the Europeans and became leaders in social research.

Lester Ward — developed social research methods and argued for the use of the scientific method and quantitative data Chapter 2 to show the effectiveness of policies. In order for sociology to gain respectability in American academia, social researchers understood that they must adopt empirical approaches.

William Edward Burghardt W. Du Bois, a Harvard-trained historian, pioneered the use of rigorous empirical methodology into sociology. His groundbreaking study of the African American community in Philadelphia incorporated hundreds of interviews Du Bois conducted in order to document the familial and employment structures and assess the chief challenges of the community. These new, comprehensive research methods stood in stark contrast to the less scientific practices of the time, which Du Bois critiqued as being similar to doing research as if through the window of a moving car.

His scientific approach became highly influential to entire schools of sociological study, and is considered a forerunner to contemporary practices. Du Bois also played a prominent role in the effort to increase rights for Black people. Concerned at the slow pace of progress and advice from some Black leaders to be more accommodating of racism, Du Bois became a leader in what would later be known as the Niagara Movement.

In , he and others drafted a declaration that called for immediate political, economic, and social equality for African Americans. He researched the chronically unemployed, the currently unemployed, the working classes, and the impact of technology and business within society. Veblen is known as a co-founder of the branch or school of institutional economics. Jane Addams founded Hull House , a center that served needy immigrants through social and educational programs while providing extensive opportunities for sociological research.

This school of thought places much importance on environment in which relationships and behaviors develop. Research conducted at Hull House informed child labor, immigration, health care, and other areas of public policy.

Charles Horton Cooley posited that individuals compare themselves to others in order to check themselves against social standards and remain part of the group. If someone reacts positively to our behavior, theoretically we will continue that behavior. At this time, the Department has 11 full time faculty as well as several lecturers and associated faculty from other Case academic departments.

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