SOSC 1000 Final: Introduction to Research Methods This note is a re-upload of the "research methods" note. It provides an introduction to different approaches to research, describing the content that is to be covered in the first part of the course.
16 Oct 2011
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Can be found in libraries, archives, town halls, etc. Historical demography (the study of past populations) vs. contemporary demography: massive social surveys, lab experiments. Most popularly cited as the basis of how we know what we know. Aside from classic scientific experiments with lab rats, cover things like the asch study and the milgram study: interviews. Elite interviews: interviews with powerful people, those who have influence and are opinion leaders. Interviewing people who are relatively powerless, poor, marginalized, or ordinary: observations in a naturalistic setting i. e. fieldwork. How do you know that your results are not being impacted by: eg. 3 ways of presenting yourself while conducting an experiment: plain observation. You do not try to participate in any way; you may complement observation with interviews, but you do not enter the lives of those you are studying as a member of the community: participant observation.
