SOAN 2120 Chapter Notes -Social Theory, Ideal Type, Telephone Directory
22 Oct 2013
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Used to raise children, reduce crime, improve public health, sell products or understand life. Research = going about a way to find answers to questions. People conduct social research to learn something new about the social world or to carefully document guesses or beliefs about it. Social research = process in which people combine a set of principles, outlooks, and idea with a collection of specific practices, techniques and strategies to produce knowledge. More structured, organized, systematic process than the alternatives: authority. Parents, teachers, experts, books, television and other medias. When accepting something as true because someone in position of authority says its true or because its an authoritative publication relying on authority as basis of knowledge. Limitations: its easy to overestimate the expertise of other people, authorities may not agree and all authorities may not be equally dependable, authorities may speak on fields they know little about or be plain wrong.
