SOCB42H3 Lecture : Lecture 1
Document Summary
Topic: the nature and types of social theory. Understand how theory differs from description in social sciences. Understand the two main types of sociological explanation. Familiarize yourself with the three main types of sociological theories, according to. Questions to guide the reading/to think about ahead of time for students. Define the three types of sociological theory according to ashley and orenstein. Ashley and orenstein consider weber as an interpretivist" or hermeneutical theorist. Note that it is only possible if general scientific laws already exist. The test of the explanation tests the theory at the same time. Modern interpretivism includes nomothetic which is positivist: weber synthesized them. Today we discuss the basic concept necessary to understand the role of theory in social sciences. You will see that theory explains social phenomena and thus complements description: the account of what happens in society. Theory helps us understand causes and mechanisms of social phenomena.
