Public Sociology And Its Normative Commitment

After having read the first three chapters of “You May Ask Yourself: An Introduction to Thinking Like A Sociologist,” I easily discovered that I have been a budding sociologist since I began forming my own thoughts. A sociologist questions everything and tries to relate the unknown, and I do that on a daily basis. Three specific ways in which I have noticed myself thinking like a sociologist have involved the Conflict Theory, the Reflection Theory, and the idea of “positivism.”

Before commencing a discussion on analyzing the article “What makes sociology a different discipline” from the other sciences we should have the know-how about sociology. In the words of modern thinkers of sociology namely Karl Marx, Max Weber and Emile Durkheim “Social fact should be the subject matter for the study of social life and can provide explanations for human thinking and behavior (p19)”. What we infer from the above definition is that man is born as a social animal. Man cannot live alone. He prefers to live in groups and his behavior that is actions and deeds are well governed and regulated by certain rules and laws of conduct that comprises of moral ethics and civic standards. His standard of living is said to be within the

To commence, we first began our journey into sociological enlightenment by analyzing the most basic way in which a sociologist evaluates a social problem, with the use of the sociological imagination. By utilizing our sociological imagination, we can associate our personal problems with the broader problems of society. By learning this method of evaluation, we can open our mind to differing views on problems. This allows us to attempt to solve social dilemmas in a nonbiased fashion. I particularly appreciated this unit as non-bias is something I strive for in everyday life. Likewise, I attempt to learn both sides of any argument to ensure that I can make the best decision that I can, and I believe that the sociological imagination encompasses those very same values.

Misfit. Rebel. Troublemaker. These are all names that may be given to people who go against the social norm. According to Andersen, Taylor, and Logio, the authors of Sociology: The Essentials, norms are defined as the specific cultural expectations for how to act in a given situation (2016). When someone disrupts the expectations, they commit a norm violation and may display deviant behavior. Since norms are so automatically built into our everyday lives, the rules of social interaction can be subtle and may be imperceptible to the people who participate in them. Therefore, sociologists often purposefully commit a norm violation in order to study what the rules or norms are. This approach, known as ethnomethodology, interprets society as being

Throughout this essay, I will explain the distinction between sociological and common sense understanding, highlight the differences between sociology and other social sciences, and evaluate two sociological perspectives – Marxism and feminism.

A key part of engaging in sociology is to adopt a sociological viewpoint or 'think sociologically'. Etymologically, sociology is the 'study of society' but this doesn't differentiate sociology from other forms of social study. Hence, many begin to describe thinking sociologically by what it is not - it is not thinking politically, thinking anthropologically, thinking historically or thinking psychologically, for example (Berger 1966: 11-36; Reiss 1968: 2-3). Others try to determine the nature of sociological thinking by detailing practical phenomena which can be thought about such as social systems and their subsystems, social institutions and social structure, and social aggregates, relationships, groups and organisations (Reiss 1968: 1),

By explaining the humanistic perspective proposed by him, the author convincingly demonstrates that sociology is more than its methods, such as surveying, or its theories. There are many sociological theories, but they all are part of the fundamental vision of all processes as the effects of human interactions. Berger (1963) often refers to his own experience of being a sociologist, and this adds reliability to his arguments. Also, despite beginning the book in a light and humorous manner, the author further turns to complicated scientific notions and perspectives; this shows his expertise and makes the book’s major thesis more persuasive.

Sociology and sociological thinking are a vital part of society, and through examining both society and individuals, sociology is able to make changes to areas such as policies, and attitudes that may have usually negatively affected them, and instead gained a positive result through the careful research, and applied knowledge.

Along with Marx and Weber, Durkheim is considered one of the founding members of modern sociology. He is also credited with making sociology a science through his application of scientific and empirical research. Durkheim believed that sociology should be seen as a science separate from other sciences such as psychology, by studying “social facts” objectively as things. (Kiviston, 2011)

The field of sociology is an old but ever changing study that originated around the time of the Industrial Revolution (Furze et al. 2015, p. 2); this revolution evoked a series of new and serious social troubles that attracted the attention of many social thinkers. Such social thinkers included the American sociologist C. Wright Mills. In his famous work, The Sociological Imagination, Mills (1978) discusses the relationship between ‘private troubles’ and ‘public issues’ by highlighting the connection between the aspects of private troubles and social structures. From the works of sociologists such as Mills; sociology was shaped into the diverse field as we presently know it. Essentially in descriptive terms, sociology is the “systematic study

The authors state “One problem for many contemporary sociologists, as for most classical sociologists, is that they do not develop a moral perspective that goes substantially beyond the confines of the nation-state in which they live and work” (Vera and Hernan pg. 243). One might not understand how deeply ingrained this notion is in one’s self. The perspective shrinks down not only from nation-state but can reach the level of immediate family. The ideals that our families become part of ourselves, and it is not always easy to remove ourselves from these ideals (Feagin and Vera 2008). When these ideals are reaffirmed in the mainstream media, it becomes nearly impossible for individuals to question them (Feagin and Vera 2008). How can we as society expose youth to ideas such as liberation sociology when they are not being exposed in the home? When oppressed groups attempt to educate those in power, it is easy for the powerful to disregard what the oppressed are saying (Feagin and Vera 2008). Let us say we were to institute liberation sociology in schools. Who would teach it? Would they have background in sociology? It is important to expose youth to broader concepts, yet there are many obstacles, such as their teachers and parents (Feagin and Vera 2008). For liberation sociology teachings to be successful, they would have to be so powerful that youth would grasp their

However, Interpretivist (anti-positivist) sociologists are sceptical about sociology’s scientific status. They argue that human behaviour is not the result of

The theoretical works of Karl Marx, Emile Durkheim and Max Weber still influence sociological theory. Though their works are decades old they still are a major part of what sociology is today. Though their theories can seem very different, there are some similarities. To become a great sociologist one most learn and understands how to use all sociological perspectives. To do this one must understand and use the different theoretical perspectives created by Marx, Durkheim, and Weber.

In sociology there are two major communities. One community is based on presenting its information to a wider audience and making a change. The other is more concerned with the end result of its research and presenting it to other scholars. These are public and academic sociology.

Durkheim is a highly influential name to remember when thinking of sociology. Durkheim’s mission was to develop sociology so it could be defined and to develop a method on how sociology should be used. Durkheim’s main concern in his career was primarily associated with how societies might preserve their integrity and rationality within modernised society, when things such as shared religious views and ethnic backgrounds are seen as things of the past. In relation to Durkheim’s social realism his concern was with the growing individualism in society. Durkheim argues that we are in an era which is imperfectly moving towards a morality based on individualism as “Durkheim regarded individualism as a collective representation, a force that