100% satisfaction guarantee Immediately available after payment Both online and in PDF No strings attached
logo-home
Summary Introduction to Sociology $7.99   Add to cart

Summary

Summary Introduction to Sociology

 3 views  0 purchase
  • Course
  • SOCIOLOGY
  • Institution
  • University Of The People

Sociology is the systematic study of society and social interaction. In order to carry out their studies, sociologists identify cultural patterns and social forces and determine how they affect individuals and groups. They also develop ways to apply their findings to the real world.

Preview 1 out of 1  pages

  • November 1, 2024
  • 1
  • 2024/2025
  • Summary
  • University Of The People
  • SOCIOLOGY
avatar-seller
susanwanjiku
lOMoAR cPSD| 39651208




opposed to “objective.” As Herbert Marcuse put it in One Dimensional Man (1964),
critical sociology involves two value judgments:

1. The judgment that human life is worth living, or rather that it can be and ought
to be made worth living
2. The judgment that, in a given society, specific possibilities exist for the
amelioration of human life and specific ways and means of realizing these
possibilities

Critical sociology therefore rejects the notion of a value-free social science, but does
not thereby become a moral exercise or an individual “subjective” value preference
as a result. Being critical in the context of sociology is about using objective,
empirical knowledge to assess the possibilities and barriers to improving or
“ameliorating” human life.
Historical Materialism


The tradition of historical materialism that developed from Karl Marx’s work is
one of the central frameworks of critical sociology. As we noted in the discussion of
Marx above, historical materialism concentrates on the study of how our everyday
lives are structured by the connection between relations of power and economic
processes. The basis of this approach begins with the macro-level question of how
specific relations of power and specific economic formations have developed
historically. These form the context in which the institutions, practices, beliefs, and
social rules (norms) of everyday life are situated. The elements that make up a
culture—a society’s shared practices, values, beliefs, and artifacts—are structured
by the society’s economic mode of production: the way human societies act upon
their environment and its resources in order to use them to meet their needs. Hunter-
gatherer, agrarian, feudal, and capitalist modes of production have been the
economic basis for very different types of society throughout world history.

It is not as if this relationship is always clear to the people living in these different
periods of history, however. Often the mechanisms and structures of social life are
obscure. For example, it might not have been clear to the Scots who were expelled
from their ancestral lands in Scotland during the Highland clearances of the 18th and
19th centuries and who emigrated to the Red River settlements in Rupert’s Land
(now Manitoba) that they were living through the epochal transformation from
feudalism to capitalism. This transition was nevertheless the context for the
decisions individuals and families made to emigrate from Scotland and attempt to
found the Red River Colony. It might also not have been clear to them that they were

The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Guaranteed quality through customer reviews

Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.

Quick and easy check-out

Quick and easy check-out

You can quickly pay through credit card or Stuvia-credit for the summaries. There is no membership needed.

Focus on what matters

Focus on what matters

Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!

Frequently asked questions

What do I get when I buy this document?

You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.

Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?

Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.

Who am I buying these notes from?

Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller susanwanjiku. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.

Will I be stuck with a subscription?

No, you only buy these notes for $7.99. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.

Can Stuvia be trusted?

4.6 stars on Google & Trustpilot (+1000 reviews)

82871 documents were sold in the last 30 days

Founded in 2010, the go-to place to buy study notes for 14 years now

Start selling
$7.99
  • (0)
  Add to cart