Introduction to Sociology

and Demography

Objectives
define sociology and demography;
understand the fields, main areas of
inquiry, and methods of sociology
and demography; and
trace the historical foundations and
contexts that led to the development
of sociology and demography.

Introduction
Human behaviour
can only be
adequately
understood by
looking into the
relationship of man
with other
members of the
society.

 Man is not just a mere biological and

rational being but also a social being.
He is always in the company of
others and never in isolation.

 Man associates and interacts with

other social beings in different social
settings in order to satisfy his varied
needs.

 How and why man behaves in a

certain way is greatly influenced by
the norms, values, ethos,
expectations, prescriptions and
proscriptions of the social group to
which he belongs.

Sociology
It is the science that deals with the study of
society and the social interactions taking
place therein.
It is concerned with the study of human
societies and of human behaviour in social
settings.
As a discipline, sociology undertakes a
scientific study of mans behaviour as a
consequence of his being a members of a
social group.

Etymology
Latin word socius meaning
companion or associate
Greek word logos meaning study
Sociology coined by Auguste Comte

Thus..
Sociology is the study of association,
group, society and social interaction.
Sociology begins with the idea that
humans are to be understood in the
context of their social life, that we are
social animals influences by interaction,
social patterns, and socialization.
It focuses on society, social
organization, social institutions, social
interactions and social problems.

Essential Characteristics of
Sociology
1. Sociology is neutral .
2. Sociology is concerned with
the study of human social
life.
3. Sociology is a science.

Why study Sociology?

to obtain factual information about our
society and different aspect of our social
life.
sociological information enables us to
understand our society more objectively
and to see our place in it.
through sociology, we develop the capacity
to see through some of the folk, traditional
and conventional wisdom of our society.

 it enables us to see the connection

between our own personal experiences
and the social forces in the bigger social
world which influence our life.
the promise of sociology, according to
Wright Mills, is that with all the problems
and confusion of modern life, it can help
us understand what is happening to us
and why such social phenomena occur.

Areas of Sociology
1. Social Organization- this filed
includes the study of social groups,
social institutions, social
stratification and mobility, ethnic
relations and bureaucracy
2. Social Psychology- this field includes
the study of human nature as the
outcome of group life, personality
formation and collective behavior.

Areas of Sociology
3. Social Change- social organization and
social disorganization. This area
involves the study of change in
culture and ongoing social problems.
4. Human Ecology- this area studies the
behaviour of a given population and
its relationship to the groups social
institutions and natural resources.

Areas of Sociology
5.

6.

7.

Population Studies- this field is concerned with

the population size, composition, change, and
quality as they influence the economic, political,
and social systems and vice versa.
Sociological Theory and Research- this area is
concerned with the discovery, development, and
replication of research tools that will test the
applicability of the principles of group life as
basis for the regulation of the social environment.
Applied Sociology- this area is concerned with the
application of the findings of pure sociological
research to such various fields as marriage and
family, criminology, penology, social work,
education and industrial relations.

Historical Development of
Sociology
Sociology, as a science, gradually developed from the early part
of the eighteenth to the first quarter of the nineteenth century.
The early practitioners of the field were multidisciplinary in their
orientation, deriving ideas from philosophy and the physical and
biological sciences.
It was between 1760 and 1825 that Henri Saint-Simon wrote his
ideas on the science of society based on the assumption that
the law of human behavior could be determined in the same
manner that the law of nature had been arrived at by
astronomers, physicists, biologists, geologists, chemists, and
other natural scientists.
Most significant of the forerunners of sociology are Henri SaintSimon, Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, Emile
Durkheim and Max Weber.

Henri de Saint-Simon
founder of French
socialism
believed that social life
is governed by laws of
social organization
which can be discovered
through science that
should guide society
towards reform,
progress, and stability

Auguste Comte
Father of Sociology
Frenchman who coined
the term sociology.
advocated the
application of scientific
method to social life
and positivism or the
use of empirical
investigation in order
to uncover laws that
govern society

Herbert Spencer
A British philosopher who
argued that human societies
go through an evolutionary
process and who coined the
concept of survival of the
fittest.
His theory of social
evolution espoused the idea
that societies develop from
relative homogeneity and
simplicity to heterogeneity
and complexity.

mile Durkheim

Frenchman who established

sociology as an academic
discipline

he focused on the characteristics

of social groups, particularly the
cohesion or non-cohesion of
religious groups.

He advanced social theory along

with social methodology with his
classic study of suicide as it was
influenced by certain social forces
such as social integration, religion,
marital status and parenthood.

Karl Marx

German economist-lawyer whose

works dwelt on the significance of
subjective meanings people give
to their interactions with others.

He encouraged the study of

social action through qualitative,
subjective methods as well as
objective, quantitative methods.

believed that conflict among

social classes causes social
change and that social conditions
were reflective of the economic
situation

Sociology in the Philippines

The development of sociology in the
Philippines may be divided into three
stages:
Sociology viewed as social philosophy
Sociology regarded as a problem or
welfare-oriented
Sociology geared towards scientific
orientation

Demography
Demography is the study
of human population
dynamics.
It encompasses the study
of the size, structure and
distribution of
populations, and how
populations change over
time due to births,
deaths, migration, and
aging.

 The study of human

populations with regard to
their size and structure,
their composition by sex,
age, marital status and
ethnic origin, and the
changes to these
populations like changes
in their birth rates, deaths
rates and migration.

Population
To sociologists, population is the number of
persons occupying a certain geographic area,
drawing substance from their habitat, and
interacting with one another.
Demographers define population as a
collective group of individuals occupying a
particular place at a given time.

Father of demography
Ibn Khaldun is
regarded as the father
of demography for his
economic analysis of
social organization
which produced the first
scientific and theoretical
work on population,
development and group
dynamics.

Sources of Demographic
data
1. Population Census like population
count.
2. Vital registration statistics system like
birth, death, marriage and divorce.
3. Sample or Special surveys like
surveys of household and
4. Demographic data gathered and
processed by government agencies.

Components of Population Change

1.

2.

3.

Fertility (births) the actual

number of children born to a
woman or group of women
Mortality (deaths) number of
deaths in a given time or place or
the proportion of deaths in relation
to a population.
Migration (immigration and
emigration) the spatial
movements of person or group of
persons from one place to another,
more or less for permanent
residency.

Why study demography?

Demographic data provide a basis for predicting
future trends and making informed decisions.
Demographic data are important for the
formulation, implementation, and evaluation of
plans, policies and programs for education, housing,
health, employment, transportation, recreational
needs and other forms of social services.
Demographic data can guide policy makers in
meeting the needs of various sectors of the society,
such as the young, the adult, the aged the
unemployed, the poor, and the various cultural
group.

Homework:
Write a critique on the two theories
on population growth and decline.
Determine which theory is a more
plausible explanation and explain
why.