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Homework answers / question archive / Respond to the question below after reading chapter one: How would you describe or define the nature (key attributes) of sociology as an academic discipline? (i
Respond to the question below after reading chapter one:
Length: At least 550 words. Indicate word count at the end of your response
ESSENTIALS OF SOCIOLOGY, 7TH EDITION
CHAPTER 1: SOCIOLOGY: THEORY AND METHOD
1
Please review the entire chapter to gain a more comprehensive view and understanding of
the subject matter. Do not rely solely on the chapter summary.
CHAPTER SUMMARY
What Is the "Sociological Imagination"?
• Sociology is the systematic study of human societies, with special emphasis on modern,
industrialized systems. Sociologists attempt to understand the far-reaching changes that
have occurred in human societies over the past two to three centuries. Social scientists
recognize that these seemingly “personal” troubles, if occurring in patterned ways to
large numbers of individuals, reflect important “public issues” or consequences of social
structures to make the process of structuration.
• Major social changes have also occurred in the most intimate and personal
characteristics of people's lives, or at the "micro" level. The development of romantic
love as a basis for marriage is an example of this.
• The practice of sociology involves developing a sociological imagination - the ability to
think imaginatively and to detach oneself from preconceived ideas about social
relationships.
What Theories Do Sociologists Use?
• Sociologists use a wide range of theoretical approaches. Theoretical disputes are difficult
to resolve even in the natural sciences, and in sociology we face special difficulties
because of the complex problems involved in subjecting our own behavior to study.
• Important figures in the early development of sociological theory include Auguste Comte
(1798–1857), Herbert Spencer (1820-1903), Émile Durkheim (1858–1917), Karl Marx
(1818–1883), and Max Weber (1864–1920). Many of their ideas remain influential in
sociology today. The work of sociologists Harriet Martineau (1802-1876), and W. E. B. Du
Bois (1868-1963) – though unacknowledged during their lifetimes – deserves a place
alongside the classical sociologists.
• The main theoretical approaches in sociology are symbolic interactionism,
functionalism, Marxism, feminism and feminism theory, and postmodernism. These
theories complement each other, yet major contrasts exist between them; these
differences influence the ways in which theoretical issues are handled by the adherents
of the different approaches.
• The study of face-to-face interaction is usually called microsociology. By contrast,
macrosociology involves the study of larger groups, institutions, and social systems.
Micro and macro analyses are interrelated and complement one other.
What Kinds of Questions Can Sociologists Answer?
• Sociologists investigate social life by posing clearly defined questions and investigating
the answers via systematic research. These questions may be factual, comparative,
developmental, or theoretical.
ESSENTIALS OF SOCIOLOGY, 7TH EDITION
CHAPTER 1: SOCIOLOGY: THEORY AND METHOD
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What Are the Steps of the Research Process?
• All research begins with a research problem that interests or puzzles the investigator.
Research problems may be suggested by gaps in the existing literature, theoretical
debates, or practical issues in the social world.
• Theoretically, there are seven distinctive steps in the development of research
strategies—although researchers rarely follow these exact steps in this exact order. The
steps are: defining the research problem, reviewing the evidence, making the problem
precise, creating a design, carrying out research, interpreting the results, and reporting
the findings.
What Research Methods Do Sociologists Use?
• Sociologists have a range of methods at their disposal, both qualitative and
quantitative.
• In fieldwork, or ethnography, the researcher spends lengthy periods of time with a
group or community being studied. Survey research involves sending or administering
questionnaires to samples of a larger population. Documentary research uses printed
materials from archives or other resources, as a source for information. Other research
methods include experiments, life histories, historical analysis, and comparative
research.
• Each research method has strengths and limitations. For this reason, researchers will
often combine two or more methods in their work, where each method is used to check
or supplement the material obtained from the others. This process is called
triangulation.
What Ethical Dilemmas Do Sociologists Face?
• Sociological research often poses ethical dilemmas. These may arise either where
researchers deceive the subjects of the research, or where the publication of research
findings might adversely affect the feelings or lives of those studied.
• Informed consent and debriefing are two strategies used to uphold research ethics.
Although there is no entirely satisfactory way to resolve ethical issues, all researchers
must be sensitive to the dilemmas they pose.
How Does the Sociological Imagination Affect Your Life?
• Adopting a sociological imagination can affect both individuals and society. Individuals
are better able to control their circumstances if they understand why something is
happening. We can better understand and interact with our fellow actors if we are aware
of cultural similarities and differences.
• Understanding the consequences (intended and unintended) of policy initiatives can
promote effective program change.