SOC101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Discourse Analysis, Anomie, Auguste Comte
21 Sep 2017
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Fact: an observation that, as far as can be know, is true. Theory: an attempt to explain a fact or observed phenomenon. Research methodology: the system of methods a researcher uses to gather data on a particular question: a fact is quantified and qualified when details about how often something occurs and under what condition is given. Sociology"s positivist tradition: auguste comte coined the word sociology. Outsider perspectives: comte viewed the outsider as the expert and had a privileged position of those he/she was studying, many sociologists today don"t think it"s possible for an outsider to study a group objectively. Quantitative research: focuses on social elements that can be counted or measured, which can therefore be used to generate statistics. Qualitative research: involves the close examination of characteristics that cannot be counted or measured: quantitative research often involves working with polls and questionnaires, qualitative research may be used to study individual cases that don"t fit into larger models.
