Women's Studies 2220E Lecture Notes - Lecture 14: Empiricism, Internalized Oppression, Sandra Harding

• School: Western University
• Department: Women's Studies
• Course: Women's Studies 2220E
• Professor: Kimberly Verwaayen

Document Summary

Study of society and human social life: natural and physical sciences as a model for social research, patterns that can apply universally among the sciences. How can we produce reliable knowledge about the social world: methodology - theory/principles of how research is conducted, methods - specific tools or techniques for collecting data (e. g. surveys, interviews, focus groups, etc. ) "is a theory of knowledge that specifies how researchers can know what they know. Different epistemologies offer different rules on what constitutes knowledge, and what criteria establish knowledge of social or natural reality as legitimate, adequate, or valid" (ramazanoglu) Scientific method - repeatability of observations and measurements ensures objectivity: enlightenment, we can eliminate bias from our methods. Objectivity: value free, unbiased, disinterested, dispassionate, disembodied researcher. Idea that a researcher can suspend their own biases and preconceived assumptions, and transcend their social location to occupy a neutral position from which they can view reality, conduct research, and produce knowledge.