Sociology


The presentation of sociology on this site is distinctly different that the usual academic tradition. As here presented, it includes parts of sociology as usually interpreted, and much of cultural anthropology, or ethnology. In the usual treatments, the study of modern or industrialized peoples is considered to belong to sociology, while the study of non-modern and non-industrial peoples is considered to belong to anthropology. While this distinction has a good deal of historical tradition giving weight to it, it is artificial in important respects. Sociology on this site includes the study of social structure and change, cities and communities, and the study of whole societies and civilizations, whether industrialized or not.	Sapience Home Site Map About Sapience Social structure and change Communities Peoples

The presentation of sociology on this site is distinctly different that the usual academic tradition. As here presented, it includes parts of sociology as usually interpreted, and much of cultural anthropology, or ethnology. In the usual treatments, the study of modern or industrialized peoples is considered to belong to sociology, while the study of non-modern and non-industrial peoples is considered to belong to anthropology.

While this distinction has a good deal of historical tradition giving weight to it, it is artificial in important respects. Sociology on this site includes the study of social structure and change, cities and communities, and the study of whole societies and civilizations, whether industrialized or not.

Social Structure and Change

Social structure and change will include more of sociological theory. It deals with social structure, including things such as demographic structure, cultural and institutional organization, social classes, and community organization. It also includes social types, such as hunting and gathering societies, horticultural societies, agrarian societies, and industrial societies. It also includes large and small scale social change, processes, and movements such as urbanization, imperialism, colonialism.

Communities

At present, this will be limited to considering the larger cities of the world. No further attempt at classifying or analyzing them is yet included, although this may be added in the future.

Peoples

There is limited information on particular nations.These are at present divided into four major categories: Asiatic peoples and civilization,Western peoples and civilization, African peoples and civilization, and American Indian peoples and civilization.


Science Physics is at too low a level to be directly useful in sociology. Chemistry including chemical systems does not seem to be directly applicable. Astronomy is somewhat useful. Galactic astronomy are usually not directly observed. Stellar events and events in the solar system sometimes influence human society. Cosmology has little direct connection to sociology. Earth science including geology, hydrospheric science, atmospheric science, physical geography including mapping, terrestrial geography, and oceanic geography is mostly indirectly useful. Geohistory including Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic history seems to be less useful than Cenozoic events. Biology including molecular biology, cell biology, organism biology, and systematics is also mostly indirectly useful. Ecology including behavioral ecology, population ecology, community ecology, systems ecology, evolution, ecosystems, and biogeography including marine and terrestrial biogeography will be useful. Biohistory is somewhat indirectly useful. Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic history seems to be less useful than Cenozoic life. Personal studies Connections to the human body, including body systems, life cycle, disease, and appearance are mostly indirectly important.	Links to other sites Social Sciences - Wikipedia Social Sciences in the Yahoo! directory WWW Virtual Library: Social and Behavioral Sciences Julian Dierkes Sociology The SocioWeb Ed Stephan's Timeline of Sociology Sociology Online Allyn and Bacon Sociology Intute: Social Sciences Internet Public Library - Social Sciences
Psychology also has limited direct use. Its divisions of behavioral elements, mind, behavior patterns, developmental psychology, mental disorders, personality, and social psychology seem to be mostly indirectly useful. Biographies are useful in identifying the most important movements and changes, and in helping measure the relative influence of particular societies. There are too many people to list here: they are discussed in the particular divisions of sociology. Anthropology Social foundations is more usually considered part of sociology than anthropology. Social presentation, social interaction, social control, Social group behavior, and group types are all fundamentals that apply to all societies. Demography including studies of birth and fertility, migration, morbidity and mortality, population size and structure, and population change is highly important to sociology. Physical anthropology including human origins, racial variation, and human dispersion, while significant, is generally less important than culture. Human ecology, which considers the impact of the environment on people, relationships with other living things, and the impact of people on the environment, is also important. Human geography is vital to these studies, since it gives a place to events, communities, and peoples. European geography including the Balkans, Italy, Iberia, Northwest Europe, Island Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia is important. Asian geography including Southwest Asia down to the Near East, Arabia, and Asia Minor is also significant. Geography of South Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and North Asia is also important. African geography including North African geography, East African, West African, North Central, South Central, and Southern AFrican geography is also useful. North American geography including Southern North American, Middle North American, and Northern North American geography are vital to these studies. South American and Oceanic geography are a little less significant at present. Particular groups are highly important. One example of these is the Wright Brothers. Culture Material culture is an important part of society and is almost the only means of studying some. Industrial technology including tools, fuel, machinery, utilities, and other technology can be considered. Building technology including materials, components, structures, and outdoor strutures is also important. Foodstuffs including agricultural products, processed and preserved food, and prepared food is also important. Clothing with textiles, garments, and adornnment is also useful. Transportation technology including containers, land, water, air transportation, and space transportion can be considered. Communications technology including written, graphic, and electronic communications is also significant. Other artifacts such as toys, weapons, medicines, musical instruments, and sculpture are also important. Conceptual culture is vital to the study of sociology.Language including linguistics and writing is essential. Languages of the world including Indo-European languages, Afro-Asiatic languages, Asiatic languages, African languages, and American Indian languages is significant. Graphic arts including drawing, painting, printmaking, and later photography and computer graphics is significant. literature with oral tradition, literary forms, types and genres, and particular literary works is also useful. Mathematics including mathematical foundations, arithmetic, algebra, analysis, geometry, and statistics can also be used. Applied science such as measurement, engineering science, navigation, medical science, information science, accounting and applied social science is also important. Philosophy including metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics, epistemology, and philosophical schools and doctrines can also be applied to the study of sociology. Behavioral culture is useful. Customs including vital, living and dwelling, dress and adornment, social interaction, and institutional customs are important. Occupations such as food-related, building-related, communication-related, and transportation related occupations are useful. Industrial occupations are useful. Service related occupations such as social and medical, commercial and financial, sports, recreation, and entertainment, and institutional such as legal, education, training, and library, protective and military occupations are also useful. Recreation and entertainment with music, dance, theater, games, and sports are likewise significant to societies. Cultural events such as miscellaneous events, disasters, gatherings, and holidays are also important. Institutions Families including marriage, parent-child relationships, kinship, and particular families form the basic structure of society. Education is also valuable. This includes research, teaching, cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, and venues such as arenas and auditoriums, educational organization including course organization, student organization, faculty, and administration and particular schools such as primary, secondary, and higher education such as Harvard University and Cambridge. Economics is higly important to sociology. This includes activities such as production, distribution, and consumption. It also includes studies of industries such as agriculture, extraction and manufacture, building and construction, transportation, communications, and social and medical services. Particular companies include Wal-Mart, Royal Dutch Shell, and BP. Extraction and manufucturing industries include large companies such as Exxon-Mobil. Commercial and financial services can be connected. It also includes economic systems including firms, networks, types of systems, and system behavior, such as economic growth, decline, and business cycles More attention is given to government. Studies of law including tribal law, Asiatic law, Western law, and International law may reveal information about sociology. Government structure including political parties, judicial systems, legislative systems, executive systems, heads of state, and forms of government is also significant. Government activities such as administration are also influential. Succession including inheritance, election, appointment, and siezure are important. State relations, including espionage, diplomacy, and warfare are important. Particular governments can have an important influence on sociology. Local governments including dependent and autonomous are varieties usually the most directly connected. National governments including monarchies, dictatorships, and democratic governments are also significant. International government are also connected. Traditional empires have been significant. colonial empires have been more significant. Modern compacts including temporary associations, special-purpose associations, regional associations (such as the EU) and world governments including the old League of nations and the United Nations are also useful. Studies of modern society tend to overlook the importance of religion, which plays a part in social structure and chagne, communities, and various peoples of the world. Beliefs, practices, organization such as unstructured, fragmented, and highly structured organization, and particular traditions are also vital. Abrahamic religion is extremely important. Judaism is very important.Christianity including Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodoxy, and Mormonism has also been significant, as has Islam. Asiatic religion is also useful. Indian religion includes Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism among its major varieties. Oriental religion which includes Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto is also significant. Persian religion, which includes Zoroastrianism, Manicheanism, and Mithraism is less important than it once was. Secular philosophies are also significant. Pagan religion including European, Asiatic, African, and American Indian religions are among the oldest. History Various aspects of sociology can be examined through prehistory, antiquity, classical and medieval history, modern history, and into the future. Many studies of sociology virtually ignore history. This seems to be a profound error. Many aspects of human society only make sense in the context of history. If direct experimentation on societies and communities is impossible, impractical, or unethical, consideration of history is the next best thing to it.

Science

Physics is at too low a level to be directly useful in sociology. Chemistry including chemical systems does not seem to be directly applicable. Astronomy is somewhat useful. Galactic astronomy are usually not directly observed. Stellar events and events in the solar system sometimes influence human society. Cosmology has little direct connection to sociology.

Earth science including geology, hydrospheric science, atmospheric science, physical geography including mapping, terrestrial geography, and oceanic geography is mostly indirectly useful. Geohistory including Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic history seems to be less useful than Cenozoic events.

Biology including molecular biology, cell biology, organism biology, and systematics is also mostly indirectly useful. Ecology including behavioral ecology, population ecology, community ecology, systems ecology, evolution, ecosystems, and biogeography including marine and terrestrial biogeography will be useful. Biohistory is somewhat indirectly useful. Precambrian, Paleozoic, and Mesozoic history seems to be less useful than Cenozoic life.

Personal studies

Connections to the human body, including body systems, life cycle, disease, and appearance are mostly indirectly important.

Psychology also has limited direct use. Its divisions of behavioral elements, mind, behavior patterns, developmental psychology, mental disorders, personality, and social psychology seem to be mostly indirectly useful.

Biographies are useful in identifying the most important movements and changes, and in helping measure the relative influence of particular societies. There are too many people to list here: they are discussed in the particular divisions of sociology.

Anthropology

Social foundations is more usually considered part of sociology than anthropology. Social presentation, social interaction, social control, Social group behavior, and group types are all fundamentals that apply to all societies.

Demography including studies of birth and fertility, migration, morbidity and mortality, population size and structure, and population change is highly important to sociology.

Physical anthropology including human origins, racial variation, and human dispersion, while significant, is generally less important than culture.

Human ecology, which considers the impact of the environment on people, relationships with other living things, and the impact of people on the environment, is also important.

Human geography is vital to these studies, since it gives a place to events, communities, and peoples. European geography including the Balkans, Italy, Iberia, Northwest Europe, Island Europe, Central Europe, Eastern Europe, and Scandinavia is important. Asian geography including Southwest Asia down to the Near East, Arabia, and Asia Minor is also significant. Geography of South Asia, East Asia, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, and North Asia is also important. African geography including North African geography, East African, West African, North Central, South Central, and Southern AFrican geography is also useful. North American geography including Southern North American, Middle North American, and Northern North American geography are vital to these studies. South American and Oceanic geography are a little less significant at present.

Particular groups are highly important. One example of these is the Wright Brothers.

Culture

Material culture is an important part of society and is almost the only means of studying some. Industrial technology including tools, fuel, machinery, utilities, and other technology can be considered. Building technology including materials, components, structures, and outdoor strutures is also important. Foodstuffs including agricultural products, processed and preserved food, and prepared food is also important. Clothing with textiles, garments, and adornnment is also useful. Transportation technology including containers, land, water, air transportation, and space transportion can be considered. Communications technology including written, graphic, and electronic communications is also significant. Other artifacts such as toys, weapons, medicines, musical instruments, and sculpture are also important.

Conceptual culture is vital to the study of sociology.Language including linguistics and writing is essential. Languages of the world including Indo-European languages, Afro-Asiatic languages, Asiatic languages, African languages, and American Indian languages is significant. Graphic arts including drawing, painting, printmaking, and later photography and computer graphics is significant. literature with oral tradition, literary forms, types and genres, and particular literary works is also useful. Mathematics including mathematical foundations, arithmetic, algebra, analysis, geometry, and statistics can also be used. Applied science such as measurement, engineering science, navigation, medical science, information science, accounting and applied social science is also important. Philosophy including metaphysics, aesthetics, ethics, epistemology, and philosophical schools and doctrines can also be applied to the study of sociology.

Behavioral culture is useful. Customs including vital, living and dwelling, dress and adornment, social interaction, and institutional customs are important. Occupations such as food-related, building-related, communication-related, and transportation related occupations are useful. Industrial occupations are useful. Service related occupations such as social and medical, commercial and financial, sports, recreation, and entertainment, and institutional such as legal, education, training, and library, protective and military occupations are also useful. Recreation and entertainment with music, dance, theater, games, and sports are likewise significant to societies. Cultural events such as miscellaneous events, disasters, gatherings, and holidays are also important.

Institutions

Families including marriage, parent-child relationships, kinship, and particular families form the basic structure of society.

Education is also valuable. This includes research, teaching, cultural institutions such as museums, libraries, and venues such as arenas and auditoriums, educational organization including course organization, student organization, faculty, and administration and particular schools such as primary, secondary, and higher education such as Harvard University and Cambridge.

Economics is higly important to sociology. This includes activities such as production, distribution, and consumption. It also includes studies of industries such as agriculture, extraction and manufacture, building and construction, transportation, communications, and social and medical services. Particular companies include Wal-Mart, Royal Dutch Shell, and BP. Extraction and manufucturing industries include large companies such as Exxon-Mobil. Commercial and financial services can be connected. It also includes economic systems including firms, networks, types of systems, and system behavior, such as economic growth, decline, and business cycles

More attention is given to government. Studies of law including tribal law, Asiatic law, Western law, and International law may reveal information about sociology. Government structure including political parties, judicial systems, legislative systems, executive systems, heads of state, and forms of government is also significant. Government activities such as administration are also influential. Succession including inheritance, election, appointment, and siezure are important. State relations, including espionage, diplomacy, and warfare are important. Particular governments can have an important influence on sociology. Local governments including dependent and autonomous are varieties usually the most directly connected. National governments including monarchies, dictatorships, and democratic governments are also significant. International government are also connected. Traditional empires have been significant. colonial empires have been more significant. Modern compacts including temporary associations, special-purpose associations, regional associations (such as the EU) and world governments including the old League of nations and the United Nations are also useful.

Studies of modern society tend to overlook the importance of religion, which plays a part in social structure and chagne, communities, and various peoples of the world. Beliefs, practices, organization such as unstructured, fragmented, and highly structured organization, and particular traditions are also vital. Abrahamic religion is extremely important. Judaism is very important.Christianity including Catholicism, Protestantism, Orthodoxy, and Mormonism has also been significant, as has Islam. Asiatic religion is also useful. Indian religion includes Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism, and Sikhism among its major varieties. Oriental religion which includes Confucianism, Taoism, and Shinto is also significant. Persian religion, which includes Zoroastrianism, Manicheanism, and Mithraism is less important than it once was. Secular philosophies are also significant. Pagan religion including European, Asiatic, African, and American Indian religions are among the oldest.

History

Various aspects of sociology can be examined through prehistory, antiquity, classical and medieval history, modern history, and into the future. Many studies of sociology virtually ignore history. This seems to be a profound error. Many aspects of human society only make sense in the context of history. If direct experimentation on societies and communities is impossible, impractical, or unethical, consideration of history is the next best thing to it.

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