Sociology 2206A/B Lecture 2: Lecture 2 (Chapter 1-2)

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 2206A/B
• Professor: Don Kerr

Document Summary

Last week: chapter 1: general research orientation. The 2 essential components of scientific research: theory, social research. Continue with this chapter: epistemological positions in sociology: positivism vs. interpretism, ontological positions: objectivist, constructionist, and soft constructionist arguments, values and research, politics and research, practical considerations and research, quantitative vs. qualitative research. Move onto chapter 2: research designs: what is a research design, nomothetic vs. ideographic explanations. Independent and dependent variables: types of reliability/replicability/validity. Epistomology: branch of philosophy that is directed toward theories of the sources, nature, 2 major epistemological orientations in social science: and limits of knowledge, positivism, interpretivism. Implications as to which methodologies be followed in gaining social knowledge. Use essentially same methods as in the natural sciences. Be empirical (careful measurement) emphasis on behaviour (what is directly observable) and large scale survey research. Emphasis on deductive reasoning begin on the deductive level and come up with specific hypothesis that can then be looked at empirically.