Examine the Relationship Between Sociology and Social Policy

â€Å"Examine the relationship between sociology and social policy† Social policies are the actions of governments, such as legal laws. They have a direct impact on citizens, for e.g. may provide them with services or income. Social policies are created after Sociological research identifies social problems of society, for e.g. policies put in place to help vulnerable children (adopted/abused), as they are highly likely to end up in gangs, as drug addicts or prostitutes. According to Worsley (1977) a social problem is some piece of social behaviour that calls for collective action to solve it. In turn, policies help tackle social problems e.g. increasing payment for foster/ adoptive careers to reduce vulnerable children getting involved with†¦show more content†¦Functionalists and positivists believe that the sociologist’s role is to provide the state with objective scientific information. In this view, the sociologist is rather like the medical researcher, th ey discover causes of a disease as a basis for prevention or cure, so the sociologist’s role is to investigate social problems scientifically. Positivist knowledge can be collected via scientific methods, such as questionnaires, experiments, structured interviews, structured non participant observations, Official Statistics and Quantitative methods. These methods can be replicated, are easier to collect data on large samples making the data representative. Therefore may also help to develop social policies and overtime society will became better, such as after the enlightment period when technology and science developed, which helped save many lives. The role of politics in dictating social policy is influential when looking at positivism because their factual evidence based research provides good grounding for policy making when politicians are considering new initiatives. However, these are often not taken into account, and this may possibly be due to the fact that sociology – especially positivist sociology cannot be value free. Becker(1970) poses the view that values are always present in sociology and that soc iologists see things from aShow MoreRelatedSociology: The Study of Humanity Essay1480 Words   |  6 PagesHowever new you are to sociology it is probable that you have an idea, however vague and general, regarding what sociology is supposed to be about. It may be that you have an idea that sociology is about people. And you would be right to think so. We might start then by noting that sociology is one of the human sciences and as such it is a subject to be distinguished from the so-called physical sciences. Sociology is the study of humanity. However this description of sociology is only partiallyRead MoreSdffdgdfgfdg1230 Words   |  5 PagesSOC101-53: PRINCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY LECTURE SUMMER 2013 OUTLINE – 8 WEEKS LOCATION: ONLINE LECTURE HOURS/CREDITS: 3/3 Nancy Reeves, Adjunct Instructor nreeves@gccnj.edu College Center: B-142 (856) 468-5000 ext. 6423 Office Hours: By Appointment Only It is the responsibility of the student to review the Online Syllabus at: http://www.gccnj.edu/academics/liberal_arts/syllabi.cfm. Additional information provided includes Core Competencies, Student Learning Outcomes, Topical OutlinesRead MoreCriminology And Sociology : Criminology1296 Words   |  6 PagesSummary of Criminology and Sociology: Criminology is concerned with examining the complex issues of crime and criminality to find its underlying causes. To do this criminology primarily aims to achieve answers as to why crime occurs; who is committing said crimes and how society as a whole will respond to crime with regards to policy changes and its place in the media (Australian Institute of Criminology: 2015). Sociology is the scientific study of human social interactions in a societal contextRead MoreThe Sociological Theories Of Sociology1198 Words   |  5 Pages1. What is Sociology and who was the founder of Sociology? When and how did Sociology emerge as a field of study? Sociology is study of the human society by observing and doing experiment. Sociology is mainly study in two ways; basic/pure and applied. Auguste Comte was the founder of sociology. Sociology was emerged as a field of study during the 1920s and 1930s. It becomes field of study because people started to observe a lot of things on a society such as: inequality, discrimination, poornessRead MoreSociology Of Sports And Society1081 Words   |  5 Pages Table of Contents Introduction 2 Sociology in Sport 2 Access and Equity 2 Access 2 Equity 2 Figueroa Framework 3 Access Equity in Australia 3 Figueroa Framework â€Å"Interpersonal† 3 â€Å"Interpersonal† Impact on decisions this paragraph should flow directly on from the previous paragraph 5 Barriers 5 â€Æ' Introduction Sociology in Sport Sociology of sports, also referred to as sports sociology, is the study of the relationship between sports and society. It examines how culture and values influence sportsRead MoreThe Social Theory Of Sociology1476 Words   |  6 PagesSociology has been a recognized academic subject in British universities for over a hundred years. The subject maintains its specialist standard but components of it can be found in various degree courses including teaching, health profession, journalism and, social work. Its influence on such a broad range of disciplines and professions grants it a highly regarded status in the academic world. (Cunningham Cunningham: 2008). Sociology examines the social causes, explains outcomes, concentratesRead MoreSociological And Common Sense Understanding1341 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction to Sociology Throughout this essay, I will explain the distinction between sociological and common sense understanding, highlight the differences between sociology and other social sciences, and evaluate two sociological perspectives – Marxism and feminism. Sociology is the scientific study of human society. It examines the development of social structures, and the interaction between these structures and human behaviour. Sociologists aim to provide tools of understanding the processRead MoreSociology : The Social Problem Of Poverty1251 Words   |  6 PagesSociology is the scientific study of interactions and relations among individuals. Sociology allows people to understand why groups of people act the way they do, and allows us to examine their culture, background, and heritage. The study of sociology also explains how culture plays a role in the way groups of people act, and how it reflects their society. C. Wright Mills said that the sociological imagination is the ability to look beyond the personal troubles of people to see the public issuesRead MoreThe Development of the Chicago Schools1684 Words   |  7 Pagesintroducing the Chicago School theory, also known as the, Theory of Social Disorganisation and the Ecological School Theory. The University of Chicago formed a department of Sociology in 1892 its focus related to issues in Criminology and Sociology, with interests in and towards Social Psychology along with Urban Sociology. The main focus of the Chicago school was that human behaviour was both formed and shaped by the environment. T he social and the physical environment, that an individual resides inRead More Common Sense vs Sociological Sense Essay1574 Words   |  7 Pagesinaccurately come to the conclusion that sociology is merely, ‘the study of the obvious’ and the application of common sense, this statement could not be further from the truth. Common sense derives from statements such as, ‘opposites attract’, however the Sociological sense takes this belief and carries out numerous tests to discover whether it is fact, or fiction. Bauman regards common sense knowledge and common sense understandings as powerful social mechanisms which can fundamentally shape