F soc usic lecture four

Effective from September 2015 | F_Soc USIC Sociology week 4– Society

Lecture FourSociology Foundation in Business, Law and Social Sciences

What is Sociological Research?


Contents1. Review from Lecture Three2. Difference between the natural and social sciences3. Studying Society Scientifically4. Continuities and Change5. Conclusion6.Homework

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Review from Lecture Three

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We have learned how in the early 19th century August Comte described sociology as an emerging science that should adopt successful and positivist methods of the natural sciences such as physics and chemistry.

Durkheim, Marx, Weber and other founders of sociology agreed that sociology is a scientific subject.

However the key question is whether it is possible to achieve reliable, objective knowledge in relation to human behaviour.

In order to explore this question further we first need to understand the differences between natural and social sciences.


social versus natural

Social sciences is the study of human beings, societies and the relationships between people in society.

Natural sciences focus on things, objects, such as chemicals and plants.

The two are different in their goal:•Natural Sciences focus on developing universal laws i.e laws that hold true at any place and time in the universe and operate in perfect harmony with each other.

• The Social Sciences cannot do that because it focuses on studying humans and human behaviour is not predictable but dynamic or constantly changing.

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Sociology –The study of people

• In the natural sciences there is generally one right answer

◦ E.g. 2 + 2= 4

• In the social sciences there is seldom one correct answer or

solution in which all the social disciplines can agree upon

because human behaviour is difficult to predict.

• For instance let us take the example of poverty and examine how

some of the social science disciplines would explain poverty.

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Sociology Psychology Economics Political Science History Geography

Social Class Lack of knowledge Unequal distribution of wealth

Public Policy

WealthyFamilies

Naturalresources

Social Policy Lack self-esteem Industry changes

Poor social welfare

Wars and famine

Urbanisation

Oppression Lack of motivation Limited Unskilled work

Conservativepoliticalviews

Margina-lization

gentrification

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Causes of PovertyThe table illustrates the different factors that each social science discipline would focus on to explain the causes of poverty.

Can you think of other factors not listed that may cause poverty?

1.2.3.

As you can see each discipline has a unique perspective, despite being a part of the social science family.

As a result the methods and techniques used to conduct social science research can become difficult to determine.

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Can social scientists use the same methods of the natural sciences or should they develop their own?

Can social scientists be 100% objective?

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Questions to be answered here?


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We discussed in lecture one how each of us interprets what we see based on our own personal experiences , culture, etc.

We agreed that we all have a set of ideas about most things –• Is it possible to interpret the actions of others without allowing our

pre-set ideas to influence our interpretations?

This is what it means to be objective – the freedom from personal or institutional bias (Livesey, 2014).

In contrast, subjectivity is the inclusion of personal opinions and feelings.


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In the natural sciences a researcher is often seen as separate from the thing he/she is studying.

For example, a chemist is not a chemical but in the social sciences a social researcher is a person and a member of society, therefore we cannot separate ourselves from the objects we study

•So when we study society we are effectively studying ourselves•As such, contemporary sociologists believe that it is not possible to adopt the exact scientific methods from the natural sciences and apply them to behavioural or social science research.


To study societies scientifically we need to overcome any possible concern over the consistency of the research methods. How do we do this?

•Social scientists must:◦ Be clear in their definitions of what they are studying◦ Be objective as possible◦ Follow a logical method/have a clear aim◦ Rely on tested or proven theories◦ Use reliable data◦ Offer reliable and sound explanations

Social scientists must be objective in their analysis in order to ensure their research findings are reliable.

This means they must detach themselves from their own values, beliefs and opinions about the issue they are studying.

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How do we study society scientifically?


Examining continuities and change in society can also present a few issues when applying the scientific method to social research.

Positivism focuses on using methods from the natural sciences in social research, but the natural sciences deals with objects that generally do not change, the social sciences deals with people who are dynamic, reflexive and self-conscious.

For example, human beings constantly interpret their own surroundings and their own actions and the reflections that they make do affect their sense of themselves and of others and consequently their future actions.

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Continuities and Change


Sociology does more than simply teach us about people, it provides us with tools to help us study societies in a detached way without bringing in our own personal views, beliefs and biases.

One way of studying societies without bias is by relying on established ideas about different aspects of society.

These established ideas have been tested to be true or applicable to specific societies – these ideas are referred to as theories.

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Sociological Research


Research process in sociological research (Giddens 2015: 40) :

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Summary

• Social sciences are different from natural sciences in two aspects:

• The goal of their studies• Their subject matter

• In sociological research we aim to generate valid and reliable data by following certain procedures and principles that guarantee objectivity.

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•Review lecture slides and prepare questions for seminar one.•Read for seminar one, Giddens’ chapter 2, pp.38-45 & bottom of p.61-63 on MOLE.

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Homework

F soc usic lecture four

Education

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