The Origins of Sociology

1
TheOrigins of Sociology
2
Early Sociologists

• Auguste Comte - France
• Herbert Spencer - England
• Karl Marx Germany?England
• Emile Durkheim - France
• Max Weber Germany
• Harriet Martineau - England

3
Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

• Responded to social change
• Industrial Revolution
• Urbanization
• Political revolutions
• Scientific revolution
• Labeled sociology
• Positivism apply science to society
• Statics and dynamics
• Evolution toward social progress
• Reform society w/knowledge tested through
  research

4
Herbert Spencer (1820-1903)

• Society evolves to more civilized form
• Laissez-faire philosophy
• Applied survival of fittest
• concept to society
• Originator of Social Darwinism
• Applied organic analogy to society

5
Karl Marx (1818-1883)

• Class conflict basis of change and structure
• Economic - Class based on relationship to the
  means of production
• Struggle between bourgeoisie and proletariat
• Class consciousness
• Proletariat revolts to eliminate oppression
• Result is classless society
• Everyone works
• Contribute according to talents, abilities
• Everyones needs are met

6
Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

• Get sociology recognized
• First academic appointment
• University of Bordeaux
• Basis of the social order
• Typology mechanical organic solidarity
• Impact of social forces on individual
• E.g., suicide
• Did first research using quantitative method
• Collected statistical data on suicide rates

7
Max Weber (1864-1929)

• Professor of sociology
• Prolific studied religion, bureaucracy, class,
  power, authority
• Disagreed with Marx on class
• wealth income
• power
• prestige

8
Max Weber (cont.)

• Protestant Ethic the Spirit of Capitalism
• Religion is the major force of social change
• Proposed qualitative methodverstehen

9
Emergence of American Sociology

• Late 19th C
• American Soc. Society 1905
• First departments
• Univ of Kansas 1890 (Henslin)
• Univ of Chicago 1892 (Shepard)
• American Journal of Sociology 1895
• Tension theory vs. reform

10
Comparing Basic Applied Sociology

• Basic Sociology Applied
  Sociology
• Audience Other Sociologists Clients
• Product Knowledge Change

Constructing theory Testing hypotheses
Research on basic social life
Middle Ground Criticism of society policy
Analyze specific problems Evaluating effectiven
ess of policy/program
Suggesting solutions to problems Propose
improvements policy/program
Implementing solutions
11
Early American Sociologists

• Jane Addams
• Hull House in Chicago in 1889
• Social justice for poor
• Research of immigrants, poor
• W.E.B. DuBois
• First Harvard doctorate
• Atlanta University
• American race relations
• Founder of NAACP in 1909

12
Early American Sociologists

• Talcott Parsons
• Focused on theory
• Models of societal system
• C. Wright Mills
• Concern about power elite
• Encouraged reform