1. Theory & methods Lesson 1
How scientific should sociology be?

2. Starter Read Getting you Thinking, p.270 A
If you were suffering from a serious illness and you could choose between the treatment offered by your doctor (modern medicine) or that from an alternative practitioner, which would you choose?

3. Methodology
Introduction

4. New words
Throughout the lesson, we will be using a lot of new vocabulary.
Take a sheet of coloured paper and write the title:
Research methods: Key Terms

5. What is methodology? All academic subjects must have a methodology
Ways of producing and analysing data so that theories can be tested, accepted or rejected
Otherwise, its just guesswork?????????

6. Is Sociology a science?
An area of disagreement in sociology is whether sociology should adopt the same methods (or similar methods to) those used in science.
Before we can think about this debate, we need to know:
WHAT IS A SCIENCE?

7. What is a science?
Write down all the words you can think of that you would associate with science.

8. Empirical ‘knowable through our own senses’
Information that can be counted or measured
17th Century – dominated by metaphysical explanations of the world (objects and powers exist beyond the physical world – magic, religion, astrology)
Locke argued against metaphysical explanations

9. Metaphysical
Is there any evidence that we are moving back towards a more metaphysical paradigm in modern society?

10. Testable
Empirical knowledge can be tested and revisited as many times as needed.
This means that the knowledge gained is open to verification or refutation by others.
Popper – once knowledge is put forward for scrutiny, it should be possible to engage in the process of falsification (tested with the aim of showing it to be false)

11. Popper
Argued that rather than looking for evidence to confirm their theories, scientists should do their best to disprove of falsify them.
This is a distinguishing characteristic of science
Saw no reason why the methodology of the natural sciences can not be applied to the social sciences.

12. ‘All swans are white’
is a scientific statement because it can be falsified.
However many times it is confirmed by observation, it cannot be accepted as true because the very next swan may be red, yellow or blue.

13. Theoretical Science is based on theory construction.
A theory seeks to uncover causal relationships between phenomena rather than simply describing the phenomena.
What causal relationships have we studied so far in sociology?

14. Cumulative Scientific theory builds on previous knowledge
There is an ever-growing, empirically testable body of knowledge that moves us forward in our understanding of the world.

15. Objective
Science blocks out personal prejudices and political views in its search for empirically testable propositions about the world

16. So, is sociology a science?
Using p. 272, look at how writers justify sociology as a science.
Use the following headings in your notes:
Theoretical
Empirical and testable
Cumulative
Objective
The methodological process in sociology

17. Theoretical Feedback from notes
In the following two situations, did society in general act in a predictable way?
Haiti example
Princess Diana example

18. Empirical and testable
Feedback from notes
What are ‘social facts’?
Examples of social facts:

19. Cumulative Feedback from notes
Think of an area of sociology that has been studied over a long period of time. How has the thinking developed into the current-day sociology that you are studying?

20. Objective Topics you feel strongly about:
Choose the topic/social issue you feel most strongly about. Could you research it without imposing your own values and beliefs?

21. The methodological process in sociology
What is the comparative method?
United States/Sudan
Think about the economies of the two countries.
What key differences exist between the two countries that may explain their economic differences?

22. SPLAT!

23. Homework
Use your handouts and notes from today’s lesson to complete your own piece of extended writing (1000 words):
Is Sociology a Science?
You have one week to complete this due....