COMM 2P15 Lecture Notes - Social Stigma, Ethnography
Document Summary
If using and one specific social formation as a case study of a larger social phenomenon we have one major assumption: that the selected social formation is representative of all similar formations. If working with specific social formation you wish to study (reliability: primary data: extraordinarily rich source of data; more than any other method, everything you observe, hear, smell is data (reliability: difficult to fake, high level of details. ) Observation research: disadvantages: fewer sources/less data collected than surveys (reliability: data may be idiosyncratic, best conducted by lead researcher; expertise (cost/time: cannot be done quickly, cannot be used with unwilling/at risk populations (access/ethics: cannot force people to participate) Observations research: process: define the research problem, review the literature. Identify research ethics concerns : treatment of human subjects. Ethical considerations: do not place you participants at any risks. Propriety and modesty: treat you participants with dignity and respect.