CCT208H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Social Theory, Frankfurt School, Culture Industry
12 Jan 2014
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Document Summary
Theory has an important role in research and is an essential ally for the researcher. Social theory can be defined as a system of interconnected abstractions or ideas that condenses and organizes knowledge about the social world. All research involves some sort of theory, the question is how you use is it and whether you should. Blame analysis: type of counterfeit argument presented as if it were a theoretical explanation. Substitutes attributing blame for a causal explanation that is backed by supporting empirical evidence. It shifts the focus from why did it occur to who is responsible. Concept: an idea expressed as a symbol or in words. Concepts have two parts, a symbol and a definition: we create concepts from personal experiences, creative thoughts or observation, concept clusters. Concepts are rarely used in isolation as they form interconnected groups: classification concepts. Concepts are simple and have on dimension. Others are complex and have multiple dimensions: scopes.
