Sociology 2206A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Social Reality, Empiricism, Queer Studies
25 Apr 2018
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Chapter 1: general research orientation: theory: an explanation of observed regularities or patterns, ex. As the economy experiences a downturn, the arson rate increases). Come in two forms: deterministic: two variables always go together in a particular way (ex. As the economy shrinks by 1%, arson rate increases by 5%) If research discovers an instance where the variables are not related in this way, the statement must be modified: probabilistic: two variables go together with some form of regularity, but the relationship is not inevitable (ex. Durkhei(cid:373)"s theory of suicide, says suicide is a function of the level of social integration. One way to test would be to compare suicide rates of married people with those of single/divorced/widowed people: ex. Include functionalism, explain a limited aspect of social life interactionism, critical theory, post-structuralism, feminism, etc. Offer few direct indications of how to collect/test evidence. Provides way of looking at world than can be inspiration for research programs: ex.
