CRIM 2653 Midterm: Research Methods Midterm
16 Dec 2015
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Lecture 1: the origins of criminology (mc (8), short answer essay style) Objectivity, logic, theoretical understanding and knowledge of prior research. Method to find most accurate and complete explanation. Scientific method and criminological research includes: empiricism. Scientists seek elegant explanations for things that exist in the world. They use empirical studies (is a way of gaining knowledge by means of direct and indirect observation or experience). Justified by repeating, evidence is from controlled experiments, conclusions are closer to tautologies, they set limits for the objects of the study. To us we take their conclusions to be universal. Social scientists use a form of knowledge that is descriptive and prescriptive, their explanations cannot be considered universal or unchanging. Social sciences in general are characterized by dualism (being divided) Normativity: is a social norm that is not declared by an official source such as courts or laws, nor enforced with any legal sanctions, yet it is regularly complied with.
