SOC 101: Introduction to
Sociology
Lecture1: Definition and scope of
Sociology
Dr. Bulbul Ashraf Siddiqi
Associate Professor
Dept. of Political Science and
Sociology
What is Sociology?
• Scientific study of social behaviour and
human groups.
• It focuses on social relationship and how it
impacts/ influences on people’s behaviour
• It examines the underlying pattern of
human behaviour and social relationship
• the process of development of society (the
sum of these relationships)
What does it mean to be
scientific?
Science refers to the body of knowledge
obtained by methods based on systematic
observation.
Social science is the study of the social features
of humans and the ways in which they interact
and change following
◦ Organised, systematic study of phenomena (i.e.,
human behaviour)
Of course there is a great difference
Social sciences: Sociology, Anthropology,
economics, history, psychology, political science.
Human society is the living laboratory for social
science.
Culture and Society
What is Culture?
◦ Culture is the totality of learned, socially
transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects,
and behaviour. It includes the ideas, values, and
artifacts (for example, DVDs, comic books, and
birth control devices) of groups of people.
◦ Tylor defined culture as the “complex whole which
includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals,
custom, and any other capabilities acquired
[learned] by man as a member of society” (1920:1)
◦ Culture is an historical process, with any culture
composite and hybrid and showing variations with
groups.
◦ Language is the critical element of culture that sets
humans apart from other species.
Culture and Society
What is society?
◦ A society is the largest form of human
group. It consists of people who share a
common heritage and culture. Members of
the society learn this culture and transmit
it from one generation to the next. They
even preserve their distinctive culture
through literature, art, video recordings,
and other means of expression.
◦ Members of society generally share a
common language, which facilitates day-
to-day exchanges with others.
Scope of Sociology
Study various institutions of society
Applied sociology:
◦ To bring positive changes
Generate Knowledge to understand the
society and its impact on member of
society:
◦ It studies the influence of society on people’s
attitudes and behaviour
◦ Process of interaction and how it shapes society
◦ Human behaviour:
why does the attitude and behaviour is culture
and society specific in many cases?
Images
Approach
Sociological Imagination
◦ Critical thinking: Charles Wright Mills
described such thinking as sociological
imagination
◦ This is an awareness of the relationship
between an individual and the wider society.
◦ Seeing ones own society as an outsider.
◦ See the world and its people in a new way
and through a broader lens.
The issue of Divorce
Clean UP Dhaka
Clean Up Dhaka
Clean Up Dhaka
Sociology and Common
sense
What is common sense?
◦ Knowledge on human behaviour based on
experience (personal or collective)
◦ Commonsense knowledge is not always
accurate; not reliable because it rests on
common beliefs without having a systematic
approach to understand a fact.
◦ Sociologists do not accept something as fact,
instead each piece of information must be
tested following a systematic approach/ method
Sociologistsrely on scientific studies in
order to describe and understand a social
environment.
Sociology and Common
sense
Statement 1: Women tend to be
chatty compared to men
Statement 2: violent crime holds
communities on the border
between the United States and
Mexico in a kind of death grip,
creating an atmosphere of
lawlessness reminiscent of the
old Wild West
