Sociology
Sociology is a branch of Social Sciences concerned with the study of human behiaviour, specifically in social relations, using the scientific method of observation. Sociology, with psychology, is at the crux of the long standing Nature vs. Nurture debate. Sociology represents nurture and psychology represents nature.
History
The term sociology was coined by [Auguste Comte] in 1839. Comte is also the father of [positivism]. [1] Comte's theory of positivism limits knowledge to the observable, and is crucial in approaching sociology as a science. The study of society dates back to Greek philosophers, however it was not distinguished as its own field of study until Comte.
Key Theories
There are a number of formative theorists who laid the groundwork for sociology, who have had a great deal of influence in Sociology through the following key theories:
- Conflict Theory - Karl Marx, Frederich Engels, Max Weber
- Functionalism - Emile Durkheim
- Symbolic Interactionism - George Herbert Mead
- Feminist Theory - Harriet Martineau
Top Ten Most Influential Books
- Max Weber, Economy and Society
- C. Wright Mills, The Sociological Imagination
- Robert Merton, Social Theory and Social Structure
- Max Weber, The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism
- P.L. Berger and T. Luckmann, The Social Construction of Reality
- Pierre Bourdieu, Distinction: A Social Critique of the Judgment of Taste
- Norbert Elias, The Civilizing Process
- Jürgen Habermas, The Theory of Communicative Action
- Talcott Parsons, The Structure of Social Action
- Erving Goffman, The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life
Source: Books of the Century
Professional Organizations
References
- â Pickering, M. (2007). Auguste Comte. In J. Scott (Ed.), Fifty key sociologists: the formative theorists (pp. 21-26). New York: Routledge.