Sociology has been defined from different perspectives by sociologists’. Ward and graham Sumner defined sociology as, “the science of society”. Whereas, F.H Giddings defined it as “the science of social phenomena”. According to Emile Durkheim, sociology is “the science of institutions”. Simmel; considered sociology as “the science of social relationships”. Weber described sociology as “the study of social action”. Park viewed sociology as “the science of collective behavior.

In the light above definitions, we can define sociology as, “the study of society”. Society is the product of social interaction, groups, associations, institutions, (political, economic, education, religion and family) etc. individuals within a society interact with one another to fulfill their needs which lead to the formations of groups, associations and institutions. Social institutions are established and increased, due to increase in the need of people within a society. Furthermore, social institutions play an important role is satisfying the needs of people. Institutions are interdependent, without one others cannot survive. If one institution is dysfunctional it creates problems in the entire social system. Moreover, People have different roles and statuses within social institutions. If they fulfill their responsibilities in accordance with their role and statuses, institutions will function smoothly and will be able to achieve its objective.

Each social institution has its own culture. Rules (Norms) of institutions are formulated on the bases of its culture. Norms are an important factor in the smooth functioning of an institution. It is a blue print for its member’s behavior. Without norm every institution would be disorganized and dysfunctional. There would be confusion among the members about their roles, statuses and objective.

Origin of Sociology

“August Comte”, a French thinker, laid the foundation of the discipline sociology. He observed the rapid social change in European society, post French and industrial revolution. However, there was no discipline at the time; to identify and resolve the social issues which exist within a society. Issues such as, inequality, social change in relationships, conflict, power and power struggle amongst social strata’s. August Comte observed that people in France progressed in material culture but lagged behind in non-material culture. Which had created chaos and unrest in a society. During this social and emotional unrest in the society, August Comte came forward, and laid the foundation of the discipline “social physics”, later sociology. He believed that, there should be a discipline which should study the social issues scientifically and find their solution. He also introduced the scientific method for the study of sociology known as “Positivism”.

However, some authors believe that “Ibne-e-Khaldoon” was the founder of sociology. He was a historian, belonged from Tunis. In his book “Muqa’dima” he discussed the concept of “Illm-ul-imran”, which is defined as the study of people. He believed that, “no one can write history absent the study of “illm-ul- Imran”. There were many ancient Greek philosopher, like Plato, Aristotle and Herodotus, who also discussed the subject of society and social issues, though, Augusta comet was the one who introduced scientific method of research in sociology, therefore, he had been bestowed with the title of “Father of sociology”. On the other hand, ibne- khaldoon method was distinct from Augusta Comte, for obtaining sociological knowledge, which was based on logic and event association. He believed that, historical social, political and economic events are associated with each other, all those events have cause and effect relationship with one another. Sociologists refer to this method as, “inductive logic method”.

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Before attempting to explain sociology let us discuss the misconceptions people often have regarding the subject. When people hear the word sociology they relate the subject to social welfare or helping poor and unfortunate. Some people relate sociology to socialism and some think that sociology is the study of people. However, the word sociology is the combination of Latin and Greek words. The word “socio” is derived from Latin word “socius” which has various meaning including, association, companionship and society. Whereas, the word “logy” is derived from Greek word “logos” which literally means “word or to speak about” but, the term is interpreted as study or science.

We can define Sociology as the scientific study of society and human behavior. It is among one of the pivotal branches of social sciences. Subject matter of sociology is based on empirical research. Society is the product of social interactions, culture, groups, associations, social institutions, etc… In other words, society can be defined as the group of people who share same culture and live in defined geographical territory. Moreover, Sociology covers every aspect of society. Whether, its interaction between two people or, relationship between two societies. People of different societies may behave differently in a similar situation and sociologists tend to determine the patterns which influence the behavior of individuals within a society.
Furthermore, Society can be studied on both micro and macro level. For instance, on micro level sociologists might study or analyze, the accepted way of communication in small groups it could be the group of students or the group of professional bankers. On macro level, sociologist might study or analyze how social media or electronic media influence the behavior of people within a society or in different societies.

SOCIETY, CULTURE AND SOCIAL IMAGINATION;

To comprehend the definition of sociology readers must understand the two concepts; society and culture. “Society” refers to a group of people who live in defined geographical area and share similar culture. Whereas, “culture” refers to the way of life shared by a group of people which include, daily routine and everyday interactions. Furthermore, sociologist study culture via the concept social imagination. The concept was pioneered by C.W Mills. According to Mills social imagination is the relationship between the individuals’ behavior and experiences. In other words, it determines the influence of culture and social structure on individuals’ behavior, choices and perception.

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