CMST 2A03 Study Guide - Final Guide: Symbolic Interactionism, Post-Structuralism, Structural Functionalism

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Communication Studies
• Course: CMST 2A03
• Professor: Philip Savage

Document Summary

Compose of interrelated and usually verifiable statements or propositions in varying forms. Different types may be combined in the same theory. Definitions specify what the key terms in the theory mean. Descriptions outline the characteristics of the phenomena of interest. Relational statements connect two or more variables, so that knowing the value of one variable conveys info about the other: deterministic, which means the two variables always go together in a particular way. Finding a case that does not fit the pattern does not mean the theory must be modified; this could simply be on of the times when the variables are not related in the usual way. More limited in scope, but can be tested directly by gathering empirical evidence. Represent attempts to understand and explain a limited aspect of social life. Durkheim: theory of suicide: maintains that suicide is a function of the lvel of social integration: compare suicide rates for married couples & those who are single.