Onune: Introduction To Anthropology and Sociology
Onune: Introduction To Anthropology and Sociology
Onune: Introduction To Anthropology and Sociology
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Education I Introduction to Anthropology and Sociology
We can say that the study of human beings can be the study of a lifetime.
Great thinkers have spent years getting some answers to questions about
human behavior. Today, there are many fields and sub-fields of study that
engage in trying to understand humankind.
In this lesson, we will discuss the nature and beginnings of sociology and
anthropology.
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. Articulate observations on human cultural variation, social
differences, social change and political identities
2. Recognize the common concerns or intersections of anthropology,
sociology and political science with respect to the phenomenon of
change.
3. Identify the subjects of inquiry and goals of anthropology and
sociology
Nature of Sociology
The nature of sociology is identified by the following characteristics as
enlisted by Robert Bierstadt in his book "Social Order."
1. Sociology is a social science not a physical science. It concentrates on
man, his social behavior, social activities and social life.
2. Sociology is categorical not a normative discipline. As a categorical
discipline, it is a body of knowledge about human society, and not a
system of ideas and values.
3. It is a pure science. It aims to provide knowledge about human society,
not the utilization of that knowledge
4. Sociology is the generalizing and not a particularizing or individualizing
science. Sociology tries to find out general laws or principles about
human interaction and association, about the nature, form, content and
structure of human groups and societies.
5. Sociology is a general science not a special science. It is concerned with
human interaction and human life in general. It only studies human
activities in a general way.
6. Sociology is both a rational and an empirical science. There are two broad
ways of approach to scientific knowledge. Empiricism is the approach
that emphasizes experience and the facts that result from observation
and experimentation. Rationalism is a stressed reason and the theories
that result from logical inference.
Nature of Anthropology
1. Anthropology is the study of humankind in all times and places.
2. It involves the careful and systematic study of humankind using facts .,
hypothesis, and theories.
3. It is concerned with other culture's languages, values, and achievements
in the arts and literature.
4. Anthropology is committed to experiencing other cultures.
Introduction to Sociology
Sociology is the systematic and scientific study of human social life.
Sociologists study people as they form groups and interact with one another.
The groups they study may be small, such as married couples, or large, such
as a subculture of suburban teenagers. Sociology places special emphasis on
studying societies, both as individual entities and as elements of a global
perspective.
Other sociologists:
Albion Small
- founder of the department of sociology at the University of Chicago
- he established the American Journal of Sociology
W.E.B Du Bois
- a black American who conducted research on race relations in the U.S.
Wright Mills
- urged sociologists to get back to social reform
Robert K. Merton
- he stressed that sociologists need to develop middle-range theories as
explanations of human behavior that go beyond the particular
observation or research but avoid sweeping generalizations that attempt
to account for everything
The Development of Sociology in the Philippines
Serfin M. Macaraig
- the first Filipino to acquire a doctorate degree in Sociology and published
a book entitled "An Introduction to Sociology" in 1938.
Fr. Valentin Mann
- he introduced Sociology in the Philippines with the opening of
criminology program at University of Santo Tomas in 1950
Conrad° Benitez and Luis Rivers
- among the first teachers of sociolou in the Philippines
In 1952, Filipino pioneers in Sociology organized the Philippine Sociological
Society which main trust is to collect, interpret and proposed possible
solutions to different Philippine sociological phenomena.
In 1957, the Community Development Research Council was created to
conduct and support social science researchers.
In 1960, Fr. Frank Lynch, Sj, founded the Institute of the Philippines Culture
at the Ateneo de Manila University.
In 1972, Xavier University was given credit as the first school, which opened
a program in PhD in sociology.
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It was the University of the Philippines that offered a bachelor degree in
sociology.
Sociological Perspectives
Symbolic Interaction
The founding father is Mead 11863-19311 an American philosopher.
The theoretical perspective supports that:
• People attach meaning to symbols, then they act according to the subject
interpretations
• Individual, social groups meaning to experience of life: we negotiate
meaning
• Meanings can change or be modified through interaction and through
time.
Structure Functionalism
Two words can give an idea of this approach: structure and function. The
founding fathers of this perspective are Comte, Spencer and Durkheim.
onunE ()Ed Understanding Culture, Society and Politics 7
w Education I Introduction to Anthropology and Sociology
Cultural Theory
The founding father is Karl Marx.
The principles embodied in this theory are:
• A materialistic view of society (focused on labor practices and economic.
reality, we play by the rules (roles and functions] of these social systems
• Unequal groups usually have conflicting values and agenda causing them
to compete against one another.
• This constant competition between groups forms the basis of the ever
changing nature of society.
Sociological Imagination
Sociological imagination is a new concept to social sciences introduced by C.
Wright Mills in 1959 in his book titled 'Sociological Imagination'. This coined
phrase is used throughout sociology today. This 'sociological imagination' is
the concept of being able to "think ourselves away" from the familiar routines
of our daily lives in order to look at them anew. Mills defined sociological
imagination as "the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience
and wider society." It is the ability to see things socially and how they
interact and influence each other. To have a sociological imagination, a
person must be able to pull away from the situation and think from an
alternative point of view. It is also the willingness to view the social world
from the perspective of others. It involves moving away from thinking in
terms of you and your problems (private issues), but focusing rather on the
social circumstances that produce social problems (public issues).
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In short, sociological imagination is all about determining the relationship
between your ordinary lives and the wider social forces. It is turning your
private troubles into 'public issue?.
References
Acton, Ashton Q. (2014. Issues in international sociology and social work
research and application. USA: Scholarly EditionsPrint
Difference Between Anthropology and Sociology.
v v, differencebetween.netmiscellaneous/...anthropology-and-
sociology. Web. 06 June 2015,
Ferrante, J. (2014). Sociolog3.7a Global Perspective. 9th edition. USA: Cengage
Learning, Print
Mauss, M. (2005). The Nature of Sociology Berghahn Series.USA: Durkheirn
Press. Print
Acton, Ashton Q. (2014. Issues in international sociology and social work
research and application. USA: Scholarly Editions.Print
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Education IIntroduction to Anthropology and Sociology
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