Sociology Semester Project
Shelby Todd, stodd18@rockets.rochester3a.net, Sophomore
Sociology Basics
Sociology Founders
A. Comte is known as the "Father of Sociology", because he was the one to come up with the term Sociology. He was also the one that determined what made sociology different from other sciences.
H. Martineau lost her hearing, taste, and smell for she reached adulthood. She translated A. Comte's book Positive Philosophy. Martineau was also an outspoken feminist who wrote Society in America. She was considered outspoken because she wanted to give women a voice and was against slavery. She was well liked in America until she started to speak against slavery.
H. Spencer was born to an school teacher and taught by his father and uncle; he was mainly taught math and science. He didn't enjoy that or the study of languages so he never went to college. His later career was a mix of writing, journalism, drafting, inventing, and engineering. He compared society to the human body. Spencer introduced the theory of Social Darwinism, the theory is that if people didn't interfere natural selection would ensure the survival of the fittest society.
K. Marx didn't consider himself to be a sociologist. His ideas greatly effect sociology today; he was very concerned with the poverty that the working class of his day was faced with and believed that class conflict would be the key to communism. He believed that the only classes left would the: the bourgeoisie- class that owning the means for producing wealth, and the proletariat- working class; works for the bourgeoisie. He believed that class conflict was the key answer to history.
E. Durkheim was born to a French rabbi; he believes that society exists from a general agreement of members of society. He was known for his ground breaking research on suicide. He thought that human social behavior must also be explained by social factors rather than just psychological factors.
M. Weber was born to a German lawyer and politician with a Calvinist mother; the conflicting views of his parents lead to a breakdown later on. He introduced the idea that we make the decisions based on our thoughts and feelings. He created the term, verstehen, which means that we are put in others people's "shoes".
J. Addams was known as one the early female social reformists of the US. She started medical college but had to drop out because she got sick. With a friend, Ellen Gates Starr, they created the Hull House. She was also very active in helping with women's rights and peace movements. She won a Noble Peace Prize in 1931, she was the first sociologist to be awarded one.
W.E.B Du Bois was an African American Educator. He was also a social activist. He went to an integrated high school In Massachusetts; he was the first African American to get a diploma there. He focused on racial issues. He moved past the US border and Pan-African border.