SOCI 1003 Lecture Notes - Auguste Comte, Social Fact
28 Jul 2014
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Document Summary
The whole point of research methods is knowledge of the social world. Diff forms of knowledge of the social world and diff ways of knowing it. Sociology is a discipline and a social science therefore there are various methods for deriving knowledge of society and social world. Methods must be disciplined, rigorous and agreed upon. Methods and theory are intimately related - methods seek to answers theoretical questions. Generally divided between quantitative and qualitative and historical too. Quantitative: focus on phenomenon that can be counted, quantified and measured. Statistical analysis is the most common form. Derived from auguste comte and durkheim - both believed soci could be as scientific and objective as the natural sciences. The study of social facts ex suicide rate. There is no real, recurring, predictable behaviour that will remain the same over time. Qualitative: focuses on things that cannot be measured or counted - ppls experiences in particular.
