The role and importance of Sociology

Through the study of Sociology we hope that students will become informed and active citizens who are fully aware of the complex nature of social life and differentiation in society. The study of Sociology allows students to: Be confident about their own personal identity Learn to express their beliefs and values with conviction Appreciate the role they play in society and how they can influence the lives of others evelop an appreciation of different cultures and learn to respect different lifestyle choices Apply the principle of e!uality in their interaction with others and be sensitive to pre"udice evelop ethical and moral values that help bind society #nderstand how public perception can shape government policy and how social institutions and legislation in turn can influence people$s lives #nderstand the nature of political processes and the significance of participation in democracy %e hope that through discussion& debate and the exploration of sociological themes and concepts students will develop the confidence and interpersonal s'ills they need to become thoughtful listeners and active participants at various levels of society.

Of the various social sciences, sociology seems to be the youngest. It is gradually developing. Still it has remarkable progress. Its uses are recognized widely today. In modern times, there is a growing realization of the importance of the scientific study of social phenomena and the means of promoting what Prof. Giddings calls human ade uacy !human welfare". #he study of sociology has a great value especially in modern comple$ society. Some of the uses of sociology are as follows. %. Sociology studies society in a scientific way. &efore the emergence of sociology, there was no systematic and scientific attempt to study human society with all its comple$ities. Sociology has made it possible to study society in a scientific manner. #his scientific knowledge about human society is needed in order to achieve progress in various fields. '. Sociology throws more light on the social nature of man. Sociology evolves deep into the social nature of man. It tells us why man is a social animal, why he lives in groups, communities and societies. It e$amines the relationship between individual and society, the impact of society on man and other matters. (. Sociology improves our understanding of society and increases the power of social action, capabilities, talents and limitations. It enables him to ad)ust himself to the environment. *nowledge of society, social groups, social institutions, associations, their functions etc. helps us to lead an effective social life. +. #he 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 industrialized society, our e$perience is comparatively limited. ,e can hardly have a comprehensive knowledge of our society and rarely have an idea regarding other societies. &ut we must have some insight into an appreciation of the motives by which others live and the conditions under which they e$ist. Such an insight we derive from the study of sociology. -. #he contribution of sociology is not less significant in enriching culture. Sociology has given training to us to have rational approach to uestions concerning ourselves, our religion, customs, mores, institutions, values, ideologies etc. It has made us to become more ob)ective, rational, critical and dispassionate. #he study of societies has made people to become more broad.minded. It has impressed upon its students to overcome there pre)udices,.misconceptions, egoistic ambitions, and class and religious, hatreds. It has made our life richer, fuller and meaningful. /. 0nother aspect of the practical side of sociology is the study of great social institutions and the relation1s of individuals of each one of them. #he home and family, the school and education, the state and government, industry and work, religion and morality, marriage and family, law and legislation, property and government etc. are some of the main institutions, through which our society functions. 2ore than that, they condition our life in countless ways. *nowledge of sociology may help to strengthen them to serve man better. 3. Sociology is useful as a teaching sub)ect too. Sociology is a profession in which technical competence brings its own rewards. Sociologists, especially those trained in research procedures, are in increasing demand in business, Government, industry, city planning, race relations, social work, social welfare, supervision, advertising, communications, administration, and many other areas of community life. 0 few years ago, sociologists could only teach sociology in schools and colleges. &ut sociology has now become practical enough to be practiced outside of academic halls, areas of application of sociology in schools and colleges. 4areers apart from teaching are now possible in sociology, which are coming more international levels. 5. #he need for the study of sociology is greater especially in underdeveloped countries. Sociologists have now drawn the attention of economists regarding the social factors that have contributed to the economic backwardness of a few countries. 6conomists have now realized the importance of sociological knowledge in analyzing the economic affairs of country.

7. #he study of society is of paramount importance in solving social problems. #he present world is best with several social problems of great magnitude like poverty, beggary, unemployment, prostitution, over population, family disorganization, community disorganization, racial problems, crime, )uvenile delin uency, gambling alcoholism, youth unrest, untouchability etc. 0 careful analysis of these problems is necessary in order to solve them. Sociology provides such an analysis. %8. Sociological knowledge is necessary for understanding and planning of society. Social planning has been made easier by sociology. Sociology is often considered a vehicle of social reform and social reorganization. It plays an important role in the reconstruction of society. %%. Study of society has helped several governments to promote the welfare of the tribal people. 9ot only the civilized. societies, but even the tribal societies are faced with several socio.economic and anthropologists regarding tribal societies and problems have helped many governments in undertaking various social welfare measures to promote the welfare of the tribal people. 6fforts are now being made to treat the tribals on par with the rest of the civilized people. %'. Sociology has drawn our attention to the intrinsic worth and dignity of man. Sociology has been greatly responsible in changing our attitudes towards fellow human beings. It has helped people to become catholic in outlook and broad.minded in spirit. It has made people to become too lenient and patient towards others. It has minimized the mental distance and reduced the gap between different peoples and communities. %(. Sociology is of great practical help in the sense: it keeps us up.to date on modern social situations and developments. Sociology makes us to become more alert towards the changes and developments that take place around us. 0s a result, we come to know about our changed roles and e$pectations and responsibilities.
Importance of Sociology A sociological look at the world provides a number of unique benefits and perspectives. Sociology provides an understanding of social issues and patterns of behavior. It helps us identify the social rules that govern our lives. Sociologistsstudy how these rules are created, maintained, changed, passed between generations,and shared between people living in various parts of the world. They alsostudy what happens when these rules are broken. Sociology helps us understand the workings of the social systems within which we live our lives. Sociologists put our interactions with others into a socialcontext. This means they look not only at behaviors and relationships, but also how the larger world we live in influences these things. Social structures the way society is organi!ed around the regulated ways people interrelate andorgani!e social life" and social processes the way society operates" are at workshaping our lives in ways that often go unrecogni!ed. #ecause of this perspective,sociologists will often say that, as individuals, we are social products.$ven though we recogni!e their existence, these structures and processesmay %appear to people in the course of daily life as through a mysteriousfog& 'emert ())*, +". Sociologists strive to bring these things out of the fog, toreveal and study them, and to examine and explain their interrelationships andtheir impacts on individuals and groups. #y describing and explaining these socialarrangements and how they shape our lives, sociologists help us to makesense of the world around us and better understand ourselves. Sociology helps us understand why we perceive the world the way wedo.,e are inundated with messages in a variety of forms about how we, and theworld around us, both are and should be. These messages come in forms as diverseas guidance from parents and teachers, laws handed down by religious andpolitical entities, and advertisements ranging from pitches for athletic shoes tofeeding hungry children. Sociology helps us examine the types of messages weare constantly receiving, their source, how and why they influence us, and ourown roles in producing, perpetuating, and changing them.

Sociology helps us identify what we have in common within, and between,cultures and societies. Sociologists know that, although people in differentparts of the city, country, or world dress differently, speak differently, andhave many different beliefs and customs, many of the same types of social forcesare at work shaping their lives. This is an especially important perspective in aworld where media headlines are often accused of focusing on divisive issues.Sociologists look for what social structure and processes mean for variousgroups. They look at how various groups shape, and are impacted, by society.Sociologists can help groups find common concerns, understand other groups-perspectives, and find ways to work together rather than work at odds with eachother. Sociology helps us understand why and how society changes. .bviously, the social world is constantly changing. This change has been a ma/or interest to sociologists from the beginning of the discipline. 0owever, many sociologists believe that sociology should not stop with only explaining society and how and why the world changes. They argue that sociologists also have an obligation to act, using their unique skills and perspectives to work to improve the world. Sociology, they argue, is a %field of inquiry simultaneously concerned with understanding, explaining, critici!ing, and improving italics mine" the human condition& 1estivo *22*, 3". Armed with a sociological perspective, we can more effectively take action if we don-t like what is happening. ,e can better participate in shaping the future for ourselves and for others. Sociology provides us theoretical perspectives within which to frame these understandings and research methods that allow us to study social life scientifically. Sociology is a social science. That means sociologists work to understandsociety in very structured, disciplined ways. 'ike scientists who studythe physical world, sociologists follow scientific guidelines that incorporate anassortment of theories and methods that provide for accuracy in gathering, processing,and making sense of information.In the case of sociology, theories focus on how social relationships operate.They provide a way of explaining these relationships. Scientific methodsprovide ways of generating accurate research results. Sociology is not /ust common sense. 1esults of sociological research may be unexpected. They often show that things are not always, or even usually, what they initially seem. %4eople who like to avoid shocking discoveries, who prefer to believe that society is /ust what they were taught in Sunday School, who like the safety of the rules and maxims of what Alfred Schult! . . . has called 5the world6taken6for6granted-, should stay away from sociology& #erger *2+7, (3". This challenge means that sociological findings are often at odds with so6called common sense, or those things that %everybody knows.& ,hat we think of as common sense, or something that everybody knows, is actually based on our own experiences and the ideas and stereotypes we hold. This gives us a very limited view of how the larger world actually is. Taking a sociological perspective requires that we look beyond our individual experiences to better understand everyday life Straus *223". It allows us to look for the social forces that impact our lives and form those experiences. .nce we have a solid understanding of these forces, we can better address them. 8or example, a common perception is that suicide is an act of those with individual psychological problems. 0owever, an early sociological study of suicide by $mile 9urkheim *:;:<*2*=" revealed the importance of social factors, including relationships within church and family, in suicide 9urkheim *2++". Another common perception is that crimes are always committed by some %criminal element,& identifiable as troublemakers. In his textbook on social problems, Thomas Sullivan *2=7, (2+" introduces the chapter on crime by arguing that this is a far too simplistic view of criminality. 0e notes a study >imbardo *2=7" in which researchers abandoned a car on a ?ew @ork Aity street and watched from a hidden position to see if it was vandali!ed and by whom. The vandals discovered by the researchers included a family, a person with a toddler in a stroller, and many people who were well dressed and interacted with people who passed by during their activities.