Running Head: THE HISTORY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES The History Of Social Sciences: Senior Seminar Project Rebecca Pottle In order to provide a historical view of the social sciences‚ it is critical to include a definition of just what exactly social science is. Social science is a somewhat complex field‚ in that it encompasses several sub-fields within‚ or sub-branches if you will. The simplest definition is the study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society. It
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Classical social theory Main article: History of sociology The first “modern” social theories (known as classical theories) that begin to resemble the analytic social theory of today developed almost simultaneously with the birth of the science of sociology. Auguste Comte (1798–1857)‚ known as the "father of sociology" and regarded by some as the first philosopher of science‚[4] laid the groundwork for positivism - as well as structural functionalism and social evolutionism. In the 19th century
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Are the ideas of Marx‚ Weber and Durkheim useful for understanding social change today? Illustrate your answer using the ideas of one of these theorists This essay will discuss Karl Marx’s theory to understand social change in contemporary society. This will be explored through the relevance of Marx’s theory on class divisions and Globalisation in today’s society. Additionally‚ it will also incorporate arguments on the restrictions on Marx’s theory of social change. Globalisation is described as
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people from farms to cities: • Poverty in the cities • Crowded housing • Broken families • Rising crime Important Thinkers Auguste Comte Emile Durkheim Karl Marx Max Weber Micheal Foucault Jurgen Habermas European Sociology (large scale social theories) Crime Broken families Poor neighborhoods Racial problems Social order and change US sociology (pragmatic) Prostitution Street gangs Racial discrimination in employment Scope of Sociology To some
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SOCIAL FACTS - AGENCY/STRUCTURE - SOCIAL TYPES Social facts should be considered as things - in Durkheim’s view‚ they are things‚ meaning they are "sui generis‚" peculiar in their characteristics: they are the effect or creation of human activities‚ actions or agency but they are not intended; they are not the product of conscious intentions - they are the unanticipated consequence of human behavior/agency. Social facts are things because they are outside us‚ they are not a product or creation
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adaption’s as to how people respond to the disjunction of goals and means to achieve such goals. This paper will then examine social anomie in South Africa; racial differences in social anomie and whether the socio economic inequalities between races help to explain these differences; the possible relations between race‚ social inequality and anomie. Anomie is the social instability caused by the erosion of standards and values. It is alienation and purposelessness experienced by a person or a class
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Social structure is the way society is organized into predictable relationships. There are five elements when you break down social structure. The first being status. We usually associate having a status to the amount of influence‚ wealth and fame. But sociologists use the term status to refer to any of the full range of socially defined positions within a large group or society‚ from the lowest to the highest. Examples of this are being a son or daughter‚ dental technician or the president of the
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individual identity: social structure or social interaction. Social Structure and social interaction both have an equal importance when shaping an individual’s identity and presents itself in our lives at different times and under different circumstances. This essay will explore the argument of nature‚ a persons physiology vs nurture‚ a persons socialisation and what has more of an influence and importance when shaping an individuals identity. George Ritzer (2011‚ p 159) refers to social structure as
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CRIME IS A SOCIAL CONSTRUCT Crime is the product of the social structure; it is embedded in the very fibres of society. In this essay‚ I aim to explore different theories as to why crime exists within society and how we as a society therefore construct it. Crime is a social construct; it is always in society and is on the increase. It is inevitable. Where does it come from? It comes from legislation‚ from the making of laws. Functionalists see crime deviance in society as a function‚ in that it
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type of social system in place‚ whether it is capitalism‚ feudalism or slavery; the common denominator in each system is the routine practice of social control. In this essay‚ we will discuss components of social control by exploring it from a materialistic‚ moral‚ and rational perspective. These three perspectives are found in the theories of sociological canons Karl Marx‚ Émile Durkheim‚ and Max Weber respectively.
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