LECTURE NOTES
B
For Health Science Students
b b b
IntroductiontoSociology b b
Zerihun Doda, M.A. Debu
b b b
b University
b
InbcollaborationbwithbthebEthiopiabPublicbHealthbTrainingbInitiative,bThebCarterbCenter,bthe
bEthiopiabMinistrybofbHealth,bandbthebEthiopiabMinistrybofbEducation
Juneb2005
, FundedbunderbUSAIDbCooperativebAgreementbNo.b663-A-00-00-0358-00.
ProducedbinbcollaborationbwithbthebEthiopiabPublicbHealthbTrainingbInitiative,bThebCarterbC
enter,bthebEthiopiabMinistrybofbHealth,bandbthebEthiopiabMinistrybofbEducation.
ImportantbGuidelinesbforbPrintingbandbPhotocopying
Limitedbpermissionbisbgrantedbfreebofbchargebtobprintborbphotocopyballbpagesbofbthisbpublica
tionbforbeducational,bnot-for-
profitbusebbybhealthbcarebworkers,bstudentsborbfaculty.bAllbcopiesbmustbretainballbauthorbcre
ditsbandbcopyrightbnoticesbincludedbinbtheboriginalbdocument.bUnderbnobcircumstancesbisbitb
permissiblebtobsellborbdistributebonbabcommercialbbasis,borbtobclaimbauthorshipbof,bcopiesbofb
materialbreproducedbfrombthisbpublication.
©2005bbybZerihunbDoda
Allbrightsbreserved.bExceptbasbexpresslybprovidedbabove,bnobpartbofbthisbpublicationbmaybbeb
reproducedborbtransmittedbinbanybformborbbybanybmeans,belectronicborbmechanical,bincludi
ngbphotocopying,brecording,borbbybanybinformationbstoragebandbretrievalbsystem,bwithoutb
writtenbpermissionbofbthebauthorborbauthors.
Thisbmaterialbisbintendedbforbeducationalbusebonlybbybpracticingbhealthbcarebworkersborbst
udentsbandbfacultybinbabhealthbcarebfield.
,PREFACE
Sociologybisbabdisciplinebthatbbelongsbtobwhatbconvention
allybisbcalledbthebsocialbscience.bTheb disciplinebplaysbable
adingbrolebinbthebsocialbsciences.bThebtermbsociologybliter
allybmeansbthebsciencebofbsociety;bforbthebtermbitselfbinbitsb
directbsensebdenotesbthat.bSociologybasbanbacademicbdis
ciplinebarosebinbthebfirstbhalfbofb19thbcenturyb(inb1837,btobm
entionbthebexactbyear)basbabspecialbsciencebdedicatedbtob
unravelbthebfundamentalblawsbgoverningbthebsocietalbphe
nomenabandbhumanbsocialbrelationshipbwithbprimarybinter
estbinbanalyzingbthebproblemsbandbsocietiesbofbthebmoder
n,bwesternbworld.bItbhas,bthus,bconventionallybbeenbaccep
tedbtobassociatebsociologybwithbthebstudybofbthebmodern,bi
ndustrializedbsocietiesbofbwesternbworld.
Healthbsciencebstudentsblearningbthisbdisciplinebhavebabgr
eatbadvantagebofbgainingbfreshbinsightsbandbpracticalbben
efitsbinbtheirbpersonalblivesbandbprofessionalbpractices.b S
ociologybalongbwithbotherbsisterlybdisciplinesbsuchbasbanth
ropology,beconomics,bsocialbpsychology,bhuman/bculturalb
geography,bhistorybandbpoliticalb sciencesb hasb nowb beco
meb anb essentialb componentb of
i
, thebhealthbandbmedicalbsciencesbcurriculabinbuniversitiesb
andbotherbtrainingbinstitutionsbabroad.bFollowingbthisbexa
mple,bsimilarbinstitutionsbinbEthiopiabhavebalsobincludedbth
isbcoursebinbtheirbcurricula.
Theseblecturebnotesbonbintroductorybsociologybarebprepar
edbforbthebhealthbandbmedicalbsciencesbstudentsb inbinstit
utionsbofbhigherblearningbinbEthiopia.bItsbpurposeb isbtobpro
videbthebstudentsbwithbbasicbideasbandbknowledgebinbtheb
sciencebofbsociology.bByblearningbthebmaterialsbpresented
inbthisblecturebnotes,bitbisbbelievedbthatbstudentsbwillbbeba
b
blebtobunderstandbandbappreciatebthebbasicbissues,bprinci
plesbandbapproachesbofb sociology.bStudentsbmaybalsobga
inbanbindirectbbenefitbofbappreciatingbthebsocial,bcultural,ba
ndbbehavioralbdimensionsbofbhealthbandbdisease.
Specifically,bthebmainblearningbobjectivebofbintroductionb t
obsociologybisbtobfamiliarizebthebstudentsbwithbthebbasicbid
eas,bissues,bconceptsbandbprinciplesbofbsociology.bStude
ntsbwillbbebablebtobdescribebthebmeaning,bscope,bmethods
,bhistorybandbimportancebofbsociology,bandbitsbrelationsbtob
otherbdisciplines.bThebstudentsbwillbalsobbebableb tob appre
ciateb theb relevanceb ofb sociologyb inb their
ii
B
For Health Science Students
b b b
IntroductiontoSociology b b
Zerihun Doda, M.A. Debu
b b b
b University
b
InbcollaborationbwithbthebEthiopiabPublicbHealthbTrainingbInitiative,bThebCarterbCenter,bthe
bEthiopiabMinistrybofbHealth,bandbthebEthiopiabMinistrybofbEducation
Juneb2005
, FundedbunderbUSAIDbCooperativebAgreementbNo.b663-A-00-00-0358-00.
ProducedbinbcollaborationbwithbthebEthiopiabPublicbHealthbTrainingbInitiative,bThebCarterbC
enter,bthebEthiopiabMinistrybofbHealth,bandbthebEthiopiabMinistrybofbEducation.
ImportantbGuidelinesbforbPrintingbandbPhotocopying
Limitedbpermissionbisbgrantedbfreebofbchargebtobprintborbphotocopyballbpagesbofbthisbpublica
tionbforbeducational,bnot-for-
profitbusebbybhealthbcarebworkers,bstudentsborbfaculty.bAllbcopiesbmustbretainballbauthorbcre
ditsbandbcopyrightbnoticesbincludedbinbtheboriginalbdocument.bUnderbnobcircumstancesbisbitb
permissiblebtobsellborbdistributebonbabcommercialbbasis,borbtobclaimbauthorshipbof,bcopiesbofb
materialbreproducedbfrombthisbpublication.
©2005bbybZerihunbDoda
Allbrightsbreserved.bExceptbasbexpresslybprovidedbabove,bnobpartbofbthisbpublicationbmaybbeb
reproducedborbtransmittedbinbanybformborbbybanybmeans,belectronicborbmechanical,bincludi
ngbphotocopying,brecording,borbbybanybinformationbstoragebandbretrievalbsystem,bwithoutb
writtenbpermissionbofbthebauthorborbauthors.
Thisbmaterialbisbintendedbforbeducationalbusebonlybbybpracticingbhealthbcarebworkersborbst
udentsbandbfacultybinbabhealthbcarebfield.
,PREFACE
Sociologybisbabdisciplinebthatbbelongsbtobwhatbconvention
allybisbcalledbthebsocialbscience.bTheb disciplinebplaysbable
adingbrolebinbthebsocialbsciences.bThebtermbsociologybliter
allybmeansbthebsciencebofbsociety;bforbthebtermbitselfbinbitsb
directbsensebdenotesbthat.bSociologybasbanbacademicbdis
ciplinebarosebinbthebfirstbhalfbofb19thbcenturyb(inb1837,btobm
entionbthebexactbyear)basbabspecialbsciencebdedicatedbtob
unravelbthebfundamentalblawsbgoverningbthebsocietalbphe
nomenabandbhumanbsocialbrelationshipbwithbprimarybinter
estbinbanalyzingbthebproblemsbandbsocietiesbofbthebmoder
n,bwesternbworld.bItbhas,bthus,bconventionallybbeenbaccep
tedbtobassociatebsociologybwithbthebstudybofbthebmodern,bi
ndustrializedbsocietiesbofbwesternbworld.
Healthbsciencebstudentsblearningbthisbdisciplinebhavebabgr
eatbadvantagebofbgainingbfreshbinsightsbandbpracticalbben
efitsbinbtheirbpersonalblivesbandbprofessionalbpractices.b S
ociologybalongbwithbotherbsisterlybdisciplinesbsuchbasbanth
ropology,beconomics,bsocialbpsychology,bhuman/bculturalb
geography,bhistorybandbpoliticalb sciencesb hasb nowb beco
meb anb essentialb componentb of
i
, thebhealthbandbmedicalbsciencesbcurriculabinbuniversitiesb
andbotherbtrainingbinstitutionsbabroad.bFollowingbthisbexa
mple,bsimilarbinstitutionsbinbEthiopiabhavebalsobincludedbth
isbcoursebinbtheirbcurricula.
Theseblecturebnotesbonbintroductorybsociologybarebprepar
edbforbthebhealthbandbmedicalbsciencesbstudentsb inbinstit
utionsbofbhigherblearningbinbEthiopia.bItsbpurposeb isbtobpro
videbthebstudentsbwithbbasicbideasbandbknowledgebinbtheb
sciencebofbsociology.bByblearningbthebmaterialsbpresented
inbthisblecturebnotes,bitbisbbelievedbthatbstudentsbwillbbeba
b
blebtobunderstandbandbappreciatebthebbasicbissues,bprinci
plesbandbapproachesbofb sociology.bStudentsbmaybalsobga
inbanbindirectbbenefitbofbappreciatingbthebsocial,bcultural,ba
ndbbehavioralbdimensionsbofbhealthbandbdisease.
Specifically,bthebmainblearningbobjectivebofbintroductionb t
obsociologybisbtobfamiliarizebthebstudentsbwithbthebbasicbid
eas,bissues,bconceptsbandbprinciplesbofbsociology.bStude
ntsbwillbbebablebtobdescribebthebmeaning,bscope,bmethods
,bhistorybandbimportancebofbsociology,bandbitsbrelationsbtob
otherbdisciplines.bThebstudentsbwillbalsobbebableb tob appre
ciateb theb relevanceb ofb sociologyb inb their
ii
