Sociology courses cover a range of theories, from positivism to antipositivism, functionalism to conflict theory. They study social behavior in governments and people, and attempt to answer questions about society’s actions. Positivism asserts that only scientific and testable knowledge is true, while antipositivism argues that society cannot be judged in the same way as other forms of nature. Other courses include contemporary social theory, economic sociology, and criminology. Sociology is the study of society and its people.
Sociology courses range from positivism to antipositivism and from functionalism to conflict theory. Other sociology courses, such as contemporary social theory, economic sociology, and criminology, help students study the role of social behavior in governments and people. Political sociology is another type of sociology course that attempts to address the questions of why some humans do not participate in electing officials and passing laws. Sociology is the study of society and the people who make up societies.
Most sociology courses focus on the study of people and attempt to answer questions about the behavior and actions of members of any given society. Positivism is one of the oldest forms of studying society and focuses on the belief that only the scientific method can be used to explain society’s actions. Positivism asserts that the only true knowledge is scientific and testable knowledge.
Early sociologists linked sociology with the natural sciences. They argued, through positivism, that the social sciences are logical extensions of the natural sciences. As such, they must maintain the same objectivity, rationalism, and causality when trying to explain a society’s behavior as those used when explaining any other group actions that might occur in nature.
Other sociology courses such as antipositivism argue that society cannot be judged in the same way as other forms of nature due, in part, to the ability of human beings to make decisions and form beliefs independently of science. The functionalism type of sociology course studies the actions of society as a necessary requirement to allow societies to function as intended. Conflict theory is another type of sociology course that focuses its beliefs on the struggle between opposing forces in society such as master and slave, oppressor and oppressed, and king and servant. This is also known as Marxist theory, as Karl Marx subscribed to this school of thought.
The late 1960s gave way to a new course of study for the sociologist, this new sociology course focused on contemporary social theory. One of the most notable theories from this course of study is the structuralist movement. This course of study examines the structure of the social system as a whole. Another major in the field of sociology is Social Organization, Social Psychology, and Social Change and Dysfunction, which studies criminality, juvenile delinquency, and drug addiction. Other social phenomena such as divorce, prostitution and the death penalty are studied in this type of sociology course.
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