Sociology 2206A/B Chapter 2: Research Methods - week 2 textbook
10 Feb 2017
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Researchers interweave a story about the operation of the social world (the theory) with what they observe when they examine it systematically (the data): social theories explain recurring patterns, not unique events. Not good for explaining why terrorists decided to attack world trade. Empirical generalizations and middle range theory: empirical generalization: a quasi-theoretical statement that summarizes findings or regularities in empirical evidence. Some theorists argue in for structure, while others would say agency. Structural functionalists and conflict theorists emphasize how social structures determine social life and that individual action can really be reinterpreted as the outcomes of structural forces. Symbolic interactionists -> focus on the subjective meaning of social life and how it is responsible for creating individual"s social worlds: ontology and epistemology: the two major philosophical assumptions about the nature of social research. Ontology: a branch of philosophy that considers the way we understand the nature of reality.
