What is Sociology?

Sociology is the scientific study of

human society & social behavior.
What is Sociology?
 Sociology is the scientific study of
human social life, groups, and societies
with emphasis on modern, industrialized
Systems.
 The Sociological
Perspective
1. The sociological perspective is important because it
provides a different way of looking at familiar
worlds. It allows us to gain a new vision of social
life.
2. This perspective stresses the broader social context
of behavior by looking at individuals’ social
location, employment, income, education, gender,
age, and race and by considering external
influences.
3. The sociological perspective enables us to analyze
and understand both the forces that contribute to
the emergence and growth of the global village
and our unique experiences in our own smaller
corners of this village.
Subject Matter of Sociology
 Sociological analysis: An analysis of human
society and culture with a sociological
perspective. Also to analyze the factors &
forces underlying historical transformations of
society.
 Study of primary units of social life: It is
concerned with social acts and social
relationships, individual personality, groups,
communities, associations, organizations and
populations.

Development, structure & function of a wide
variety of basic social institutions: Such as the
family , religion & property, economic, political, legal,
educational and scientific, recreational & welfare,
aesthetic & expressive institutions.
 Fundamental social processes: Such as
cooperation & competition, social conflict including
war & revolution; communication; social
differentiation, socialization, social control & crime,
suicide, social integration & social change.
 Emphasis on social research: Contemporary
sociology has tended to become more and more
rational.
 Formulation of Concepts, Propositions, and
Theories:
For example, ‘lower class youths are more likely to
commit crimes than middle class youths’. This
proposition is debatable. It may prove to be false.
 In the present era, sociologists go for
specializations as well. Such as sociology of
knowledge; sociology of history; sociology of
literature; sociology of culture; sociology of
religion; sociology of family etc.
Sociology and the Other
Sciences
1. Sociology is defined as “the scientific study
of society and human behavior.”
2. Science is the systematic methods used to
obtain knowledge and the knowledge
obtained by those methods.
3. Science can be divided into the Natural
Sciences and the Social Sciences.
4. The natural sciences attempt to
comprehend, explain, and predict events in
our natural environment.
5. Social sciences attempt to objectively study
the social world. Like the natural sciences,
the social sciences are divided into
specialized fields based on their subject
matter.
6. Political science focuses on politics or
government.
7. Economics analyzes the production,
distribution, and allocation of the material
goods and services of a society.
8. Anthropology attempts to understand
culture (a people’s total way of life) by
focusing primarily on preliterate people.
9. Psychology concentrates on processes that
occur within the individual.
10. Sociology is similar to the other social
sciences in some ways but it is distinct
because it looks at all social
institutions, focuses on industrialized
societies, and looks at external factors
which influence people.
11. Scientists are guided by a set of
principles as they pursue their goals.
The Development of
Sociology
 Sociology developed in the middle of the 19th
century as a result of three factors:
 a)the social upheaval in Europe as a result of the
Industrial Revolution and the political revolutions in
America and France;
 b)the development of imperialism – as the
Europeans conquered other nations, they came in
contact with different cultures and began to ask
why cultures varied; and
 c)the success of the natural sciences, which
created a desire to apply scientific methods in
order to find answers for the questions being
raised about the social world as well.
 The Development of Social
Thinking
Early Theorists
–Auguste Comte
• Invented the word sociology
• Sociology should contribute to the welfare of humanity
by using science to understand and predict human
behavior.
 –Émile Durkheim

• “Study social facts as things!”

• The continuation of society depends on cooperation
Organic solidarity—specialized systems must
function as integrated whole
• Societies exert social constraint over members’ actions
• Division of labor expands, people become more
dependent on each other
 Relevance of Sociology to
Architecture
•Sociology of settlement, the city and the
housing, deals, with building (or architectural) activity of man,
and his perception and needs.

•A large proportion of our human experience and social

interaction occurs in the buildings in which we live and work.
Therefore, architectural sociologists use sociological perspective to enhance
building design.
•Architectural sociology is defined as the application of social theory and
methods to the architectural design process. It provides quantitative and
qualitative research tools to anticipate how designs impact people on a
variety of levels.

•This thing is, sociologists need not necessarily be architects, but architects
have to necessarily be sociologists to understand how people think and
react to element in the built environment.
The following are reasons why architects must
be sociologists:

The beliefs of the people affect the plan form. In indigenous Ghanaian
Societies, the Circle is said to be a sacred shape it symbolises God's
perfection. Therefore the people have their architecture portraying rounded
plan forms. E.g. the people any northern Ghana live in small
clusters of rounded huts. This is influenced by the in belief that that
rounded shapes presents God’s perfection
•The geographical location of the people affect their architecture.

•This mainly affects the materials used. In the temperate regions like the
America’s and the United Kingdom, more glass is in their buildings.

•This help to trap heat indoors. They have a kind of "glassy architecture.
Also the kind walls used in their building is affected. They use insulated
walls which trap heat between the walls.
•In the tropical world, where its relatively hot all year round less glass is
used to prevent the build-up of heat in the buildings.
•In America, especially North America, due to the abundance of wood, the
main building material is wood. Which is not so in the tropical world
(Ghana).
•In northern Ghana, the people there build round huts with mud using the
wattle and daub construction method. These huts are usually roofed in
thatch on straw. Their homes usually have small windows which reduces the
amount of heat entering the building. Generally the choice of materials here
is to cool the building to the maximum.
•In Southern Ghana, where the Sea breeze is enjoyed, the architecture
there is way different from that of northern Ghana. Here, all sort of plan
shapes are used, houses are relatively bigger and Sandcrete block is the
main building material used down in the South. For roofing aluminium
roofing sheets n the most popular. Roofing tiles are also used.

The kind of architecture done in the temperate regions cannot fit in the
tropical world and vice versa. This is because the sociology of the people
(skin Colour and type) are not the same.
Hence the difference in architecture. When people force foreign architecture
into a place it becomes isolated and odd.
 Religion

•Religion is also another factor that Influences sociology. The kind of

religious building people put up vary from religion to religion. Religion as a
whole, gave rise to various architectural forms.

•The ionic, Corinth, and Doric techniques came about due to religion. The
Greeks used these styles to decorate their temples.
•Buddhist build temples with large domes on top called Stupas. The stupas
were built of stone or bricks to Commemorate important events or marls
important places associated with Buddhism.
These were used to house the relics of Buddha. These temples were rock-
cut. That is carved out of the rocks.
•In Islamic architecture, mosques are built with large domes on top. These
domes usually carry the Islamic crescent moon and star. This is the symbol
of Islam.

Also, Special courtyards called Sahn are almost always present. Sahn” refers
to a courtyard Surrounded by an arcade at all sides. It contains
asymmetrical pool where ablutions are performed.
•With traditional African religion, (traditionalists). They are usually found in
the bushes with their gods beside them. They believe the gods are very
powerful. Therefore not everyone is allowed to see them.

•With respect to Christianity, churches are very huge. This is believed to

represent God’s superiority to man. These are usually decorated with
Statues of Jesus Christ and the symbol of a Cross.
•Religion goes all the way to influence the plan shape of churches.
Especially Catholic churches. Most Catholic Churches take the basic shape of
the cross.
•It is believed by Christians that the Cross Symbolises forgiving sin and
reminds Christians of God's love in sacrificing his own son for humanity.

•It represents Jesus' victory over sin and death. The St. Peter’s Basilica,
Italy Is a perfect example of a church with a Cross shaped plan.
 Conclusion

•Sociology affects every aspects of man existence.

•Sociologists need not necessarily be architects, but architects have to

necessarily be sociologists to understand how people think and react to
element in the built environment.

•Architects therefore here to understand how people reason in order to

make them live comfortably.