POLS 3470 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Content Analysis, Participant Observation, Spurious Relationship
9 Jan 2015
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
In this chapter we shall see that sociological research involves not just procedures for gathering information but controversies about whether that research should strive to be objective of to offer a bold prescription for change. Sociological investigation starts with two simple requirements: apply the sociological perspective & ask curious questions. Belief or faith (knowing things without actually seeing them) Right (truth that rests on the pronouncement of some recognized expert) Using decomposing fish as a symbol as a gift to god in harvest example: the people believe in it, their experts endorse it, and everyone seems to agree that it works. But with scientific knowledge in agriculture you know that the scientific truth is the fact that decomposing fish help fertilize the ground for a better crop. Science: is a logical system that bases knowledge on direct, systematic observations which rests on empirical evidence. Empirical evidence: which is information we can verify with our senses.
