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Showing posts with the label what is sociology for ?

The Development of sociological thinking

The Development of sociological thinking  When they start studying sociology many students are puzzled by the diversity of perspective they encounter. Sociology has never been a discipline where a single body of idea's is accepted as valid by everyone, though there have been times when some theories have been more widely accepted than others. Sociologist often disagree about how to study human behaviour and how research findings should be interpreted. This is quite normal and part of all scientific subjects. However, unlike physics or chemistry, sociology involves studying ourselves, and this can severely challenge our long-held views and attitudes. Sociology can be unsettling and disturbing. Nonetheless, we have to make every effort to set aside our emotional and political commitments while we are in the process of  'doing sociology'.      Theories and theoretical perspectives It is in fact that I brought a cup of coffee this morning, t...

Levels of analysis: microsociology and macrosociology

One important distinction between different theoretical perspective involves the level of analysis at which each is directed. The study of everyday behaviour in situation of face-to-face interaction is usually called mircosociology, while macrosociology is the analysis of large-scale social structures and long-term process of change. At first glance, it might seem that microanalysis and macroanalysis are entirely distinct from one another, but infact the two are closely connected.  Macroanalysis is essential if we are to understand the institutional backdrop of daily life. The ways in which people live their everyday lives are influenced by social institution, as is obvious when we consider the impact our lives of the education system, the political framework and the system of laws by which we live. Similarly, while we may many choose to send acquaintance an email message, we can also choose to fly thousands off miles to spend the weekend with a friend. Neither of these c...