SOC101Y1 Lecture Notes - Ethnography, Inculturation, Construct Validity
Document Summary
We are first talking about methodological strategies, and next week we will talk about sources. We are talking about the epistemology of crime and deviance. Related to that are important questions (see above). These questions are important because deviance is difficult to study. It is hidden, people who do it usually know its wrong, we deal with morals, etc. Yes, but there"s also a lot we don"t know. Direct would be witnessing a crime or engaging in crime. Research is not just data collection - it starts with a problem, has goals and plans, is guided by hypotheses, and accepts criticism. We get a lot of information that is common sensical. For example, the idea that prostitutes are the main carriers of hiv. This is common sense, it may make sense, but it probably doesn"t. In social science, the study is more systematic. There are rules to be followed in terms of how to observe, how to sample, etc.
