SCS 2150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Structural Functionalism
20 Aug 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
SCS2150F
January 15th 2016
General Methodological Approaches
-theory: an explanation of observed regularities or patterns
-purposes of this include:
-being able to assess the adequacy of a particular social theory
-to gather information to create other social theories
-to understand pressing social problems and how to come to ways of overcoming them
-to explore and categorize personal experience
-specific theories: are limited in scope and can be tested directly
-grand theories (paradigms): general and abstract
-cannot be tested directly
-example: the theory of rational choice, structural functionalism, etc (how can you assess
these?)
-deductive approach refers to one way of conducting social scientific inquiry
-begin with a theory of explanation for something, then test it in the world
-typically relies on quantitative research
-employs a research hypothesis
-research hypothesis: a testable expectation about empirical reality that follows from a more
general proposition
-example: the level of economic development has a positive effect on democracy
-inductive approach is another way to conduct inquiry using induction
-gather or examine data and then derive a theory from it
-typically relies on qualitative research
-typically uses research questions
-research question: states the purpose of the study in the form of a question
-example: did Canadian human rights policy change since 9/11?
-research questions can be combined with matching research hypothesis
-the choice of research method should match the research question
-research questions may originate from:
-personal observation or experience
-writings of others
-interest in some broader political theory
-practical concerns
-research questions should:
-be clear and researchable (not ambiguous)
-related to the established theory and research
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Document Summary
Theory: an explanation of observed regularities or patterns. Being able to assess the adequacy of a particular social theory. To gather information to create other social theories. To understand pressing social problems and how to come to ways of overcoming them. Speci c theories: are limited in scope and can be tested directly. Example: the theory of rational choice, structural functionalism, etc (how can you assess these?) Deductive approach refers to one way of conducting social scienti c inquiry. Begin with a theory of explanation for something, then test it in the world. Research hypothesis: a testable expectation about empirical reality that follows from a more general proposition. Example: the level of economic development has a positive effect on democracy. Inductive approach is another way to conduct inquiry using induction. Gather or examine data and then derive a theory from it. Research question: states the purpose of the study in the form of a question.
