 What is sociology?

Sociology is the study of human social relationships and institutions. Sociology’s subject
matter is diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions
of race and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and from social stability to
radical change in whole societies. Unifying the study of these diverse subjects of study is
sociology’s purpose of understanding how human action and consciousness both shape and are
shaped by surrounding cultural and social structures.

 What are the different sociological perspectives?

Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the symbolic

interactionist perspective, the functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective. These
perspectives offer sociologists theoretical paradigms for explaining how society influences people,
and vice versa. Each perspective uniquely conceptualizes society, social forces, and human
behavior.

The symbolic interactionist perspective, also known as symbolic interactionism, directs

sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols mean, and
how people interact with each other.

According to the functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, each aspect of

society is interdependent and contributes to society's functioning as a whole.

The conflict perspective presents society in a different light than do the functionalist and
symbolic interactionist perspectives. While these latter perspectives focus on the positive aspects
of society that contribute to its stability, the conflict perspective focuses on the negative,
conflicted, and ever‐changing nature of society.

 What are the contributions of the following: Herbert Spencer, Emil Durkheim, Auguste Comte,
Karl Marx, and Harriet Martineau?
Karl Marx

He explored the relationship between economy and the workers within that system. Marx
developed a theory that human societies progress though a struggle between two distinct social
classes.

Harriet Martineau

She is the Mother of Sociology and the first woman sociologist. In 1853, she was the first to
translate August Comte's work from French to English.

Herbert Spencer
 He was known for his contributions to evolutionary theory and for applying it outside of
biology, to the fields of philosophy, psychology, and within sociology.

Emile Durkheim

He was a well-known sociologist famous for his views on the structure of society. His
work focused on how traditional and modern societies evolved and function. Durkheim's theories
were founded on the concept of social facts, defined as the norms, values, and structures of society.

Auguste Comte

He was a French philosopher who founded sociology, or the scientific study of society. He
believed in positivism, which is the idea that only scientific truth is the real truth.