This foundational 2-credit course examines the birth of sociology as a scientific discipline through the lens of transformative 18th-century Industrial and Political Revolutions. Students will explore how these upheavals catalyzed European thinkers later termed sociology’s "Founding Figures" to systematically analyze society. The course establishes sociology’s scientific legitimacy while differentiating it from adjacent social sciences (e.g., anthropology, political science). Core sociological concepts society, culture, socialization, roles, status, norms, values, social structure, and agency are rigorously unpacked to analyze how human behavior is shaped by social forces. Contemporary applications of functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionist perspectives are emphasized to decode real-world social dynamics.
- Teacher: Yakubu Abubakar