COMM 250 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Social Science, Scientific Method, Drive Theory
21 Jun 2018
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Module 2:
❏Metatheoretical Assumptions -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Pbr9ihD73U&feature=em-upload_owner
❏What is meta-theory? - Body of speculation on the nature of theory and
research
❏Meta Theoretical Discussions/Debates - answer 3 questions
❏What comm phenomena should be observed?
❏How should it be observed?
❏What should be the goals of theory/research?
❏What are meta-theoretical assumptions/questions? -
❏Ontological - ontology in general (branch of philosophy concerned
with studying the nature of reality)
❏Do humans make real choices?
❏Is human experience basically individual or social?
❏Is human experience contextualized?
❏Epistemological - branch of philosophy that studies knowledge
❏Answers the question how do we know what we claim to
know?
❏Can knowledge exist before experience?
❏Can knowledge be certain?
❏By what process does knowledge arise?
❏Mentalism/Rationalism - knowledge arises through
power of human mind
❏Empiricism - through direct observation
❏Constructivism - believe that people create
knowledge to function charismatically like
❏Social constructivism - believe that knowledge is
created socially (more than 1 person involved)
❏Axiological - branch of philosophy studying values
❏What role should values play in the research process?
❏Is research value free?
❏Does the practice of inquiry influence that which is
studied?
❏Should research attempt to achieve social change?
❏How do meta-theoretical assumptions drive theory building and testing?
❏The Difference Between Social Scientific Scholarship and Humanistic Scholarship
in the Field of Communication - https://youtu.be/kqe1hRQoQsU
❏Social scientist - (empirical)
❏Knowledge based on observations
❏Phenomena or comm behaviors are waiting to be discovered
❏Structured steps to discovery (social scientific method)
❏Reality is distinct from the scientist - scientist discovers reality
❏Collectively scientist understand the world (epistemological)
❏Goal of research - explanation, prediction, and sometimes control
Document Summary
Body of speculation on the nature of theory and research. Meta theoretical discussions/debates - answer 3 questions. Ontological - ontology in general (branch of philosophy concerned with studying the nature of reality) Epistemological - branch of philosophy that studies knowledge. Mentalism/rationalism - knowledge arises through power of human mind. Constructivism - believe that people create knowledge to function charismatically like. Social constructivism - believe that knowledge is created socially (more than 1 person involved) Axiological - branch of philosophy studying values. The difference between social scientific scholarship and humanistic scholarship in the field of communication - https://youtu. be/kqe1hrqoqsu. Phenomena or comm behaviors are waiting to be discovered. Structured steps to discovery (social scientific method) Reality is distinct from the scientist - scientist discovers reality. Goal of research - explanation, prediction, and sometimes control. Test theoretical assumptions using quantitative research methods. Knower cannot be separated from the known. Goal of research - better understanding of the phenomenon being studied.
