ORIGINS OF SOCIOLOGY

Sociology began in the late 19th century
Effects of industrial revolution and French revolution led to rise of sociology

AUGUSTE COMTE

• "Father of sociology"
• Coined the term sociology
• Wanted to use scientific observation to study social behavior
• Distinguished between social statics and social dynamic

HARRIET MARTINEAU

• Englishwoman, popular writer
• Best known for her translation of Comte's great book
• Pioneering feminist theorist
• Supported emancipation
• Believed women's lack of power kept them dependent on men

HERBERT SPENCER

• Born to an english school teacher
• Compared society to human body
• Theory of change: social darwinism
• Poor deserve to be poor, rich deserve to be rich
• Natural social selection ensures survival of fittest society

KARL MARX

• Felt great concern for inequality and poverty in the workplace
• Predicted only two classes: borgeoisie and proletariat
• Thought the working class should overthrow capitalists
• Out of this would become classless society (communistic)
• Wanted a planned revolution

EMILE DURKHEIM

• Believed society existed because of an agreement among members
• Introduced use of statistical techniques in research on suicide
• Learned that suicide involves more than indiv. and rates vary among groups
• Mechanical/organic solidarity

MAX WEBER

• Psycologically affected by parents conflicting views
• Believed in verstehen, putting yourself in others shoes mentally
• Humans act on the basis of their own understanding of a situation
• Identified rationalization as key to change in society
• Prevented personal bias from affecting sociological investigations

Although early development of sociology was in Europe, greatest development happened in the U.S.

JANE ADDAMS

• Life's work was to seek social justice
• Focused on problems caused by inbalance of power
• Active in woman's suffrage and peace
• Awarded nobel peace prize in 1931

W.E.B DUBOIS

• Learned firsthand about racial discrimination and segregation
• Analyzed sophisticated social structure of black communities
• Decided to attack the "negro problem"

ASSIGNMENT