Sociological debates Is Sociology a Science the status

Sociological debates • Is Sociology a Science? (the status of sociology + different views on the natural sciences) • The relationship between theory and methods • Debates about subjectivity, objectivity and value freedom • The relationship between Sociology and social policy Sociological theories • Marxism (different forms e. g. critical criminology, neo. Marxism) • Functionalism • Social Action Theory • New Right • Feminism (different forms e. g. liberal, radical) • Subcultural theories • Late modernism • Post modernism Research methods Secondary data • Official publications –statistics • Official publications – reports and government inquiries • Diaries and letters • Previous sociological research. • Novels • Oral History • The Media Quantitative methods of primary research • Surveys • Experiments • Comparative research • Case Studies • Formal interviews • Closed questionnaires Qualitative methods of primary research • Ethnographic research • Observations • Informal interviews • Focus groups

Why do positivists tend to prefer quantitative research methods? Other than theoetical perpective, what other factors have an impact on what and how a socioogist chooses to research social phenomena? If Marxists are drawn to topics that relate to class differences and economic inequalities, what topics do functionalists tend to be drawn to? Why do interpretivists tend to prefer qualitative research methods?

General functionalist view on research methods What are social facts and how do they relate to methodology? Functionalism and Methodology Durkheim’s study of suicide: methodology: 1. 2. 3. 4. Findings (4 types of suicide) 1. 2. 3. 4. What factors contirbuted to the above and how? Functionalist views on qualitative methods Evaluation of Durkheim’s study of suicide Limitations – 1. 2. 3. 4.

Becker’s study of Marijuana smokers (1963) Goffman’s study of mental hospitals (1968) Blumer and Mead’s idea of symbols and meanings How do these ideas impact on the methods used? Interpretivist methods used in the study of suicide Key problems 1. 2. 3. Interpretivism , Social Action and Methodology

What is phenomenology? Ways in which phenomenologists may sue statistics Why pheonomenologists use statistics Phenomenology and methodology Phenomenology and the study of suicide How is it different to Durkheim’s study? What factors do coroners take into consideration and why are these improtant?

What is reconceptualisation? What is critical Sociology? How are the methods used by critical sociology simmialr? What is a praxis? What is critical ethnography? Critical Sociology Evidence of Marxists and neo-marxists using a range of methods Critical Sociology and the study of suicide

Why have feminists said that Sociology should use new methods to investigate women's issues? Ann Oakley’s views on patriarchal interviewing How should feminist interviewing be different? Feminism and research methods What is epistomology? The use of epistomology in the feminist research

What is postmodernism ? What is postmodern ethnography? How are positivist methodologies viewed by positivists? Why do postmodernists tend to favour qualitative methodologies? Postmodern methodology Methodological triangulation Why have sociologists moved towards triangulated methods? In what ways are theories and methods not always linked? Suicide and methodological pluralism

Ways in which theoretical perspective affects the kinds of topics that are researched Ways in which theoretical perspective affects the methodology used to research topics How different theories have researched the topic suicide

Theoretical perspective is only 1 of 3 factors considered when conducting sociological research – Practical Ethical Theoretical Functionalism Interest = Social cohesion and social order Methodology= no particular preference, however, earlier functionalists tended to use positivst methodology e. g. Durkheim and Comte. Theoretical perspective has an impact on research in the following ways – • Direction of research • Methodology used Durkheim’s study of suicide 4 types identified – • Egostic • Anomic • fatalistic • Alturistic Claimed that levels of integration and regulation impacted on suicide rates – drew distinctions between rates in pre-industrial and industrial societies. Problems with methodology= • Need to look at meanings and motives of individuals- lacked verstehen • What about other factors that influenced choices? • Validity of statistics- just shows the opinions of coroners.

Interactionism Interest= sm. scale interactions in groups Methodology = Qualitative ethnographic. Includes theorists such as Blumer, Mead and later Becker and Goffman. Aim= to understand the meanings behind actions. see actions as subjective interpretation before reacting. Suicide – Key study from this perspective came from Douglas in 1967. Argued that suicide rates and reasons for them varied between different countries. E. g. the Indian practice of suttee and the Inuit practice of elders committing suicide in times of famine. Problems – • Reliability- all down to interpretation • Not all meanings can be observed or measured as they take place inside our heads – more about inference. Phenomonology Interest = trying to understand the way that objects, people and events are categorised – so how meanings are created. DIFFERENCE-= interactionism wants to understand the meanings and phenomenology wants to understand how they are created. Methodology= argue against the use of statistics as they only show the mental categories and biases of those who produce them. Suicide = Main study was done by Atkinson in 1971 who argued that whether or not it is suicide is opinion – can’t be certain e. g. misadventure. Instead used methods such as interviewing coroners to find out if they had considered, mode of dying, suicide note, location and circumstance as well as the biography of the deceased person.

Critical Sociology Interest = taking a critical perspective by seeing society as exploitative and oppressive e. g. Marxism. They also want to bring about change. Methodology= no clear preference due to the range of theories included in it e. g. feminists linterviews, Marxists – stats, however, Willis’ ‘ 77 study ‘lads’ used qualitative data. However, there are some key themes in the methods used: • Critical sociologists use methods which aim to understand abstract concepts. • Investigation of structures • Their aim = praxis(action designed to bring about change) • They believe in the idea of reconceptualization e. gh. Housework – domestic labour • Brought about the idea of critical ethnography = lived experiences of exploited groups. • Should aim to uncover ‘systems relationships’= overall patterns of exploitation which stem from broader social structures. Suicide. Dorais 2004 Used interview based research to investigate the high suicide rate among men in Canada. Included men who had attempted suicide and found a causal factor of being regarded as gay or effeminate by others. Also sued stats to look at wider structural factors. Used his research not just to speculate on suicide but to argue that dominant ideas about masculinity remain oppressive features of western societies.

Feminism Interest= example of a critical approach. – argue against sociology being ‘male stream’ Methodology= new methods needed due to the above. Feminist interviewing = Ann Oakley ‘ 81 argued that there was a dominant patriarchal model of interviewing that was being used= invalid data due to lack of rapport. Also argued that this detached patriarchal approach was base on hierarchical relationships in which the interviewer controls and directs their subject. Feminist interviewing = genuine dialogue = rapport and understanding Critical perspective- believes in intervening to fix the social world rather than just comment on it. Alternative to this is standpoint epistemology= The theory of knowledge, in this instance = to know oppression is to experience it. Favours a variety of qualitative methods. Aim = to gather a range of accounts to represent the different viewpoints. TOTALLY rejected by positivists. All critical approaches are criticised positivists for lacking objectivity.

Postmodernism Interest= the changes in society which have led to us moving out of modernism. Methodology = critical conventional research methods, but not united on a particular type of methodology. But tends to support qualitative above quantitative Problem with postmodernism= Positivism = science is a modernist viewpoint. Science was seen as more true than other methods, so using these methods just support this modernist stance. Lyotard argues that we can’t tell the difference between true knowledge and untrue knowledge. Knowledge = a narrative – just a form of storytelling. Postmodern ethnography= Supported by some postmodernists and involves the researcher working together with those being researched to help them to produce an account of the social world. but this account should not be viewed as any more valid than any other account. Just caputing the mood of the postmodern world.

Applying material from Item C and your knowledge, evaluate the usefulness of ones theoretical perspective in conducting sociological research (20) Item C Practical, ethical and theoretical considerations all affect the choice of research topic and methods used to study it. Some theories take a strongly positivist standpoint using quantitative date, whilst other prefer a more interpretivists approach. However, some theories and approaches use a range of methods.

Student Intro Theoretical perspective is relatively important in deciding what to research and how to do it, this is because it steers the direction of the research right from the beginning. On the other hand practical and ethical factors are important but only once theoretical considerations have come into play, hence being less useful.

Structure Intro Section 1 – theoretical considerations (biggest section – 3 paragraphs, 1 on functionalist, 1 on interactionist / phenomenology and another on postmodern/ critical/feminist. You need to compare how the approaches affect methodology and what to research as you go along) • Section 2 - practical considerations • Section 3 ethical considerations • Conclusion Tips – From your last few essays it is clear that it is the ‘explain’ ‘evaluate’ and ‘link’ sections of your paragraphs that need work. For ‘explain+ evaluate’ you need to say how the evidence you presented links to the question and your answer to it. ‘this evidence shows that…’ ‘the evidence supports the idea that…’ ‘however, this is of limited use because…’ ‘whilst_______ shows_____ , it doesn’t take account of …. ’. • • For the ‘link’ section you need to re-state the judgement that you gave in your introduction but use evidence that you’ve just presented in the paragraph to support it.