1. “Scope & Methods of Social Science”
Jin-Wan Seo, Professor
Dept. of Public Administration,
University of Incheon

2. What & How to Think the World Works
1. Introduction
What & How to Think the World Works
General Questions!
What is the social science?
What is the public administration?
Why do you study the public administration?
Have you ever thought what and how to do?
How to solve them? – through Scope & Methods
Scope: ________ to Do
Methods: _______ to Do 1

3. 2. The Changes of Perspectives
(1) _____________ – Before 1940s
Focus on __________; fundmental truth; general rules
Normative Approach
(2) Realism – After WWII
Focus on __________ & Probability
Reflection of Real Phenomena
(3) _________________ – 1950s ~ 1970s
Focus on Regularity and ____________ in Social Phenomena
Division of Fact vs. Value for Objectiveness of Social Science
Development of Social Science 1

4. 2. The Changes of Perspectives
(4) __________________ – late 1970s
Response of Social Problems such as Anti-war Movement, Economic Gap, Racial Problem, Drug, etc.
Emphasis “Action & ________________” of Social Scientists
Reflection of Real Phenomena
(4) _____________ – 1990s
Reflection of Modernism
Limitation of Modern view 1

5. 2. The Changes of Perspectives
What Is Really Real?
We all live with a view that what’s real is pretty obvious.
The Nature of “Reality” – more complex
Three Views on Reality (W. Anderson, 1990)
Premodern, modern, and postmodern views of reality 1

6. 2. The Changes of Perspectives
The Premodern View
Assumption:
They strongly believe that They saw things as they really were.
As humans evolved and became aware of their diversity, they came to recognize that others did not always share their views of things. 1

7. 2. The Changes of Perspectives
The Modern View
Diversity & difference among People
Such diversity is regarded as legitimate, a philosophical “different strokes for different folks.”
ex: As a modern thinker, you would say, “I regard the spirits in the tree as evil, but I know others regard them as good. Neither of us is right or wrong. There are simply spirits in the tree. They are neither good nor evil, but different people have different ideas about them.”
Judgment about reality is subjective points of view imposed on the certain things by different people. 1

8. 2. The Changes of Perspectives
Three Major Conflicting Perspectives
Naturalistic View
Interpretative View
Critical View
Positivism, Empiricism, Behavioralism
Historicism
1. Goals
-Explanation of general patterns of behavior
-Prediction
-Causal Analysis
-Interpretation of Meaning to Actors
-”Understanding”
-Critical Explanation
-Moral Development for basis of critique
-Participation & Action
2. Assumption about “Reality”
-Universal/Deterministic
-Relativistic
-Some Regularities
3. Explanatory Methodology
-Modus Tollens(Laws/Condition make a deduction)
If A is true then so is B
B is not true (by evidence)
Therefore, a is false.
- Rely on experiential on sensor data
-Reason, Justification
-Folk Psychology
-Empathy
-Relativism 1

9. 2. The Changes of Perspectives
Three Major Conflicting Perspectives
Naturalistic View
Interpretative View
Critical View
Positivism, Empiricism, Behavioralism
Historicism
4. Epistemology
-Objectivity
-Objectively concrete world
-Relativism
-Reality is defined through for example, cultural background, subjective view of writers
-No absolute things
-Subjectivity
-Relativistic
-Contingent, mind create categories of knowledge, etc.
5. Subject Matter
-Universal Principle
-Complex distinct physical world vs. humanity
6. Consequences
-Objective Knowledge
-Value Neutrality 1

10. 2. The Changes of Perspectives
The Postmodern View
Is the “real” is real?
All that’s “real” are the images we get through our points of view.
ex: In postmodern view, spirit don’t exist.
Take a moment to notice the book you are reading; notice specifically what it looks like.
The different way it looks from different points of views.
There is no “book,” only various images of it from different points of views.
All the different images are equally “true.”
The views of the things are so different from one another!
Modern View vs. Postmodern View
The modern views acknowledges the inevitability of human subjectivity.
The postmodern views suggests there is actually no “objective” reality to be observed in the first place. There are only our several subjective views. 1

11. 2. The Changes of Perspectives
Q. Which Figure does represent the way your book “really” looks?
Which is the “reality”?
If you are reading the words, it probably looks something like Figure A.
Does Figure B, C, & D are equally valid representations? 1

12. 2. The Changes of Perspectives
The different views - Wife’s point of view, Husband’s point of view, & A third point of view
Can you imagine and notice how different these several views are?
Which is a “true” picture of what is happening between the wife and the husband? 1