Positivist Interpretivist and Postmodern approaches We know that

Positivist, Interpretivist and Post-modern approaches We know that Sociologists study societies, but HOW do they study them?

A. Positivism (Positivist) • Auguste Comte created and loves positivism • One should study sociology in the same way that one studies the natural world, using the scientific method. • PHEOC

Scientific Research (page 12) 1. 1. Empirical: uses observation and experience, not just logic 2. 2. Theoretical: create theories from observations 3. 3. Cumulative: build on existing theories 4. 4. Ethical: 1. 2. 3. Communal: share the results Non-biased: objective Skeptical: open to criticism 5. 5. Systematic: follows steps 6. 6. Reliable: can be repeated by someone else and get the same 7. results 8. 7: Valid: measures what it is supposed to measure

B. Interpretivism (Interpretivist) • Anti-positivism • Different people in different situations will interpret what is happening different ways. • Researchers should experience the world the way the person they are studying experiences the world • Empathy: sharing another’s feelings, living life “in their shoes”

Differences between Positivism and Interpretivism Positivism Interpretivism • - Study from without • - Study from within • - Quantitative • - Qualitative • - Objective • - Subjective • What is one strength and one weakness of positivism? • What is one strength and one weakness of interpretivism?

• Approaches to research: • A. Positivism • B. Interpretivism • C. Post-modernist • Theories about how to think about society: • A. Structuralism • B. Interpretivism • C. Functionalism • D. Marxism

Consider this… • Macro (p. 7) • Micro (p. 7) • Conflict (p. 9) • Consensus (p. 9)

Structuralism (p. 7) • - Durkheim • - Society exists separate from individuals. • - People fill in the roles of the society. • Example: US government vs. Indonesian government • - Durkheim’s famous example: suicide

Interpretivism (p. 8) • - People create the societies that they live in. • - Individuals create their own identities. • - See page 9

Functionalism (p. 10) • - Every part of society has a function to fill. • - Doctors • - Prison?

Marxism (p. 10) • - Also called Conflict Theory • - Classes are in conflict • - Proletariat • - Bourgeoisie

Feminism (p. 11)

Post-modernism (1970 s-present) (Post-modernist) • A sociological research method that studies how people create narratives (stories) and how people understand the world around them. • Collect narratives, not data. • The narratives are not true or false. They are. • Not rational, not empirical. Not antiscience either, though

Recap • Positivism: A sociological research method that uses the scientific method to produce objective, quantitative results. • Interpretivism: A sociological research method that requires the researcher to subjectively understand how people interpret/experience situations. The researcher becomes part of the study and produces qualitative results. • Post-modernism: A sociological research method that studies how people create narratives (stories) and how people understand the world around them. Nonscientific

Discussion Questions • Which of the approaches (positivism, interpretivism, post-modernism) would you use to study the following? • 1. I want to understand how it feels to live in a slum. • 2. I want to learn who is happier, Javanese people or Madurese people. • 3. I want to hear the stories of WWII survivors and how their experience in concentration camps affected their belief in God. • 4. You want to learn about smoking. How would each of the approaches (positivism, interpretivism, post-modernism) learn about smoking? • 5. You want to learn about people’s first dates. • 6. Which of the Sociologists would be positivists? Interpretivists? Postmodernists? Neither?