VII. Paraphrase the following sentences:

1. Other disciplines within the social sciences are also concerned with topics that fall within the scope of human society.

2. Social interaction, or the responses of individuals to each other, is perhaps the basic sociological concept.

3. Sociologists who concentrate on the details of particular interactions as they occur in everyday life are sometimes called microsociologists.

4. Although he rejected belief in a transcendent being, Comte recognized the value of religion in contributing to social stability.

VIII. Fill in the blanks with the proper preposition:

1. Sociology is the scientific study … human social relations or group life.

2. Other disciplines within the social sciences are also concerned … topics that fall within the scope of human society.

3. Sociologists examine the ways in which social structures and institutions influence … society.

4. Social interaction, or the responses of individuals … each other, is perhaps the basic sociological concept, because such interaction is the elementary component of all relationships and groups that make … human society.

5. Sociologists who concentrate … the details of particular interactions as they occur in everyday life are sometimes called microsociologists.

6. Sociologists who are concerned … the larger patterns of relations … major social sectors, such … the state and the economy, and even … international relations, are called macrosociologists.

IX. Answer the following questions:

1. What is Auguste Comte?

2. What did he reveal in his studies?

3. What are three stages that govern human development according to Comte?

4. What is each of the stages correlated with?

5. How did he envision a stable society?

X. Make a brief summary of Comte’s accomplishments.

XI. Choose one personality and make up a short survey of his accomplishments and contribution to sociology.

Emile Durkheim, Vilfredo Pareto, Talcott Parsons, Herbert Spencer, Gabriel Tarde, Max Weber.

Texts for supplementary reading Text 1 meditation

Meditation is a method of refocusing attention in order to enter inner consciousness. The aim of meditation can be the establishment of a relaxed, tranquil state of mind or the achievement of a heightened state of spirituality.

In one type of meditation, known as the path of concentration, the meditating person directs attention away from the external world, focusing on a specific object such as a short prayer, a mantra, a picture or a candle frame. The path of concentration is used in yoga, and transcendental meditation.

In another type of meditation, known as the path of mindfulness, the person focuses on observing the actions of the mind itself. Buddhism uses both approaches.

Meditation has always played a significant role in religion. In Eastern religions, meditation generally becomes part of a philosophy of life. Using meditation, the individual progresses systematically through different levels of consciousness, each seen as superior to normal waking consciousness. The highest goal of the meditator is to enter the state of consciousness in which experiences of self and world are subsumed within a more comprehensive perspective and personal goals lose all importance. In this state, the meditator’s consciousness has been absorbed into a consciousness of life that transcends individual existence.

In the West, meditation is often used pragmatically to produce a relaxed state that allows a person to handle stress more effectively. During meditation oxygen consumption drops, breathing and heart rate slow, blood pressure falls, and the skin becomes more resistant to electrical conduction.