Industrial and Economic Sociology

Industrial Sociology:

    It is mainly concern with the study of process and effects of industrialization in the industrial society. Industrial sociology is concern with the study of human relations as  the grow and operate in the field of industries. It deals with the sociological concept that have relevance to industry. It is the product of the process of industrialization and also concerned with the study of process of industrialization, effects of industrialization in social life, socio economic system, religious practices, changing process of industrial society, family structure, cast, ethnic structure, etc.

    Industrial sociology plays a vital role in contributing to plan industrial growth. It tries to reduce the gap between industrial management and industrial workers. It has suggested ways and means of improving living condition of industrial workers.

Economic Sociology:

   It is a new branch of sociology. The main focus of economic sociology is economic activities alone. It studies the economic activities of the people such as, economic structure, population distribution, exchange, consumption of scare good and services, different type of production system of economic development and so on. Economic sociology also studies feudalistic, capitalistic or mixed economy. Sociology also study about all  the types of economic system of society such as hunting, gathering, postural, agricultural industry, etc.

Urban and Political sociology

Urban Sociology:
     It is that branch of sociology that deals with the city or the urban community with urban ism and urbanization. Urban sociology is born to study cities and their rapid growth. It is concern with the urban social life and urbanization, social structure, social changes, urban family structure, culture, religion process of urbanization, etc.
    Urban sociology deals with the development of towns, social dis urbanization problem of urban life and townplanning. It also deals with the interaction between urban environment and development of human personality. It study about institution of marriage in urban context, and the recent trades in it. It studies the structure and the function of urban family its role and changing patterns. Urban Sociology concentrate on each features of social dis urbanization such as crime, disease, environmental pollution, gambling, etc. Its factor and causes analyse by urban sociology. Urban society is more heterogeneous and complex then rural society. So, this branch of sociology consider as opposite of rural sociology.


Political Sociology:
    The term political sociology has come to be accepted both within sociology and political science as encompassing the overlap between two sciences. Political sociology studies the political institution and its relationship with other social institution of the society. According to Smelser N.J, political sociology can be define as the study of the relationship between society and politics between social structure and social institution. Political sociology employs the method of sociological research to investigate the content of political behavior. It also studies about administrative system of the society, it study the important role of political system in the society.
 

Rural Sociology

   It deals with the society of village or rural society. It is a systematic and scientific method of rural society. The majority of people live in rural areas and village. Their behaviors, the way of life and belief and social life are deeply influence by their rural environment. Thus, rural sociology has emerged to study the rural society. According to Saderson, rural sociology is the sociology of rural life in the rural environment. Rural sociology always concerned with the study of social life of rural people, rural community including social structure, culture, religion, rural problem, rural planning, rural family, economic system and political activities,etc.
    Rural sociology studies the social interaction, institution, activities and changes that take place in the rural society. It also provides us various knowledge about the rural phenomena that can help us in making the contribution to the development of rural society.
   Rural sociology was set up by the American sociological society by 1917 in USA. It is popular in each and every nation including Nepal. In Nepal also the Master Degree program of rural sociology was introduce and at present Master degree and Bachelor degree of rural development course is prescribed.

Synthetic school of thought

   The synthetic school of thought wants to make sociology synthesis of the social science. It wants to make sociology a general science and not a pure or special social science. This school of thought defer from the formalistic school of thought. Here the scope of sociology should not be repeated within the study of social relationship or analysis and classification of social relationship.
   Durkhiem, Ginsberg, Hobhouse\ and Sarokin have been the chief exponents of this school. The main arguments of this school life are intimately interrelated hence, the study of one aspect is not sufficient to understand the entire phenomena. So, sociology should study social life as a whole.
     According to Durkhiem sociology has three main divisions of field of enquiry they are:

      1.   Social morphology
      2.   Social physiology
      3.   General sociology
       
      According to some scholars the area or subjects matter of study of sociology should not be limited within a particular aspect of social life as a social science. Sociology studies about different types of social phenomena  including social growth, social interaction, social institution, action and consequences.
      Ginsberg and other advocates of the synthetic school says that the main task of sociology can be categorize into four branches, they are:

1. Social morphology
2. Social control
3. Social process
4. Social pathology.  

Specialistic and formalistic school of thought

   One group of German writer headed by German sociologist George Simmel and the other main advocated of these school are  Max Weber, Small, Van Wiese, Tonnies and Verkandth. Simmel and the follower are of the opinion that sociology is pure science or independent science. This school of thought  is concern with the study of social relationship as a pure science it has a limited scope. The follower of this school claim that sociology describes the form of social relation in this way these scholar narrow the scope of sociology with focusing only on analysis of social relationship. It only studies the form of social relationship but not their contents. So, they are criticize variously by other sociologist.
     Small said that sociology has only a limited field it does not undertake to study all the activities of society. Thus, according to the formalistic school sociology studies one specific aspect of social relationship. These scholar narrow the scope of sociology with focusing only on social relationship. Some critical remarks may be cited here:

1. The formalistic school of thought has unreasonably narrow the field of sociology. Sociology should study not only the general forms of social relationship but also there concrete context.
2. The concept of pure sociology or science is in practical, no sociologist has been able to develop pure sociology as far. No, science can be study in complete isolation from the other sciences. In fact today more infacies are leid on inter disciplinary approach. 

Scope of sociology

  The term scope simply refers to the subject matter or the area of any discipline. According to V.F.Caberton "since sociology is so elastic science, it is difficult to determine just where its boundaries begin and end. Where sociology becomes social  psychology and where economic theories becomes theory of sociology doctrine or biological theory becomes sociological theory, It is said that sociology studies everything and anything under the Sun. The area covers by sociology or subject matters of sociology is called as scope of sociology.
   Sociology is define as the science of society. According to some sociologist it is the study of social relation, social action, interaction and consequences these definition also shows the wider area of sociology. So, sociology is not limited with a particular aspect of society.
   In the broadest sense sociology is the study of human interaction and inter relation their condition and consequences. So, whole life of men in society is the field of sociology. However there are two main schools of thoughts regarding the scope of sociology:

1. The specialistic or formalistic  school of thought.
2. Synthetic school of thought.

Sociology is a science

  The main characteristics of sociology as a science are as follows:

• Sociology is an independent science: Sociology has its own field of study boundary and methods. So, it is an independent science. It has its different types of theories and approaches to study about social phenomena. Sociology does made use of scientific methods in the study of its subject matter. So, it is not treated and studied as a branch of any other science like philosophy or political philosophy or philosophy of history.

• Sociology is a social science and not a physical science: As a social science it concentrates its attention on men, his social behavior, social activities and also social life. Sociology deals with the social universe which is different than physical, chemistry, geology, mathematics and other physical sciences. It is intimately related to other social science like history, political science, economics, psychology and topology.  

• Sociology is a general science and not a particular or specific science: The area of inquiry of sociology is general and not a specialized. Economic studies about economy aspects. Political science concentrate on political activities and history on historical aspects of society but sociology as a general science studies about social, economic, political, historical aspect in general. It is always concern with the studies of human activities, human interaction and human life in general. It does not study each and every events that take place in the society but it tries to make generalization on the basis of study of some selected events.