SOCI 221 Basic Concepts in Sociology Session 2 Origin and Emergence of Sociology Lecturer: Dr. Samson Obed Appiah, Dept. of Sociology Contact Information: soappiah@ug.edu.gh College of Education School of Continuing and Distance Education 2014/2015 2016/2017
Session Overview Overview Sociology as a scientific study did not originate out of a vacuum. There were historical and social forces or factors which influenced the emergence and development of sociology. This section seeks to introduce students to the social and/or historical context in which sociology developed within Europe particularly France, Germany and Britain. Objective of Session: At the end of the session, the student will Understand the social conditions in Europe before the 18 th and 19 th century Identify the historical and social factors which influenced the origin of sociology Understand how the social forces particularly influenced the development of sociology Slide 2
Session Outline The key topics to be covered in the session are as follows: Topic One : Social conditions in Europe before the 18 th and 19 th century Topic Two : The Political or French Revolution Topic Three: The Industrial Revolution Topic Four: The Enlightenment or Age of Reason Topic Three: Sociological Imagination Slide 3
Topic One: Europe before the 18 th and 19 th Century Sociology as an academic discipline developed within Europe particularly France, Germany and Britain. As a result, the political, economic and religious conditions within these European societies influences the origins of sociology Politically, European societies were monarchies ruled by kings who were considered divine and could not be challenged Economically, they were agricultural people with little or no division of labour Slide 4
Europe before the 18 th and 19 th Century Cont. Religiously, they were conservative, illiterate and superstitious living in traditional communities. However, by the beginning of the 19 th century, Europeans begun to develop new ideas- This is beginning of the period of Renaissance about their societies and social life and begun questioning the political, economic and religious structures of society This lead to the social factors of the French and Industrial revolutions and the Enlightenment as social and intellectual factors influencing the origin of sociology Slide 5
Topic Two: The Political or French Revolution Before the revolution, France like other European societies were monarchies ruled by kings and a classbased society As a result of new ideas, some people questioned the divine right of the monarchy and there was a revolution in France. The revolution was positive as it brought about the end to the monarchy and class system leading to democracy Slide 6
The Political or French Revolution Cont. The negative effects of the revolution were that it created disrespect for authority, social anarchy, disorder and disintegration of society It was these negative effects that influenced the emergence of sociology as some social philosophers were concerned about the chaos and anarchy in society. Their desire and interest in re-creating orderly and well-integrated societies led to the development of societies (Founding fathers like Auguste Comte). Slide 7
Topic Three: The Industrial Revolution The industrial revolution (1750-1850) resulted in the transformation of western world from a largely agricultural to an industrial system. As a result, the labour force that had hitherto worked on the farms left for industrial factories. The industrial revolution influenced the lives of people in many ways: migration to search for factory work The revolution brought about a new capitalist system with few individuals owned the means of production Slide 8
The Industrial Revolution Cont. This brought about industrialization and urbanization and many social problems; Problems such as unemployment, overcrowding, lack of accommodation, social isolation, creation of slumps among others Social thinkers and early sociologist were concerned about these problems Their attempts to find solutions to these problems by studying them led to the emergence of sociology Slide 9
Topic Four: Enlightenment Period In France, the Enlightenment is often termed the Age of Reason because this was when the hold of religion, tradition and superstition were finally broken During this period, a number of long-standing ideas and beliefs about social life were overthrown and replaced with rational and empirical observation Social philosophers believed in using knowledge and reasoning to create a good society. Slide 10
The Enlightenment Cont. It was these enlightenment ideas that brought about the changes in the political, economic and religious lives of European societies. In an attempt to understand the political, economic and religious changes in Europe at the time, and provide solutions to them; The French social philosopher Auguste Comte proposed that society should be studied scientifically through a new discipline called sociology. Slide 11
Sample Question In what ways did the following influenced the emergence of sociology as a scientific study of society? 1. The French or Political Revolution 2.The Industrial Revolution 3.The Enlightenment Slide 12
Reading List Refer to students to relevant text/chapter or reading materials you will make available on Sakai Hughes, M., Kroehler, C.J. (2005). Sociology: The Core (7 th Edition). Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (Chapter 1, Pages 8-10) Henslin, J.M. (2007). Essentials of Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. Boston: Pearson Custom Publishing. (Chapter one, Pages 5-6) Robertson, Ian (1987). Sociology. New York: Worth Publications (Chapter one Pages ) Slide 13
References Hughes, M., Kroehler, C.J. (2005). Sociology: The Core (7 th Edition). Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (Chapter 1, Pages 6-7) Slide 14