Ryerson University

• SOC 111

• The copyright to this original work is held by Professor Train and students registered in course SOC 111 can use this material for the purposes of this course but no other use is permitted, and there can be no sale or transfer or use of the work for any other purposes without explicit permission of Professor Train. Sociology as a Science • Physical sciences such as physics, chemistry, biology, etc. are generally thought about as “real” science on the basis that it is assumed their scientific observations are “objective” and therefore “truth;” however, what physical scientists actually do is only one particular way of studying science, and often various hard sciences use different methodologies from each other with each only relying on one form of methodology; in fact some science, like theoretical physics, do not involve any experimentation or even collection of data, just a pencil and paper; social scientists (sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists) demonstrate that it is not simply a scientific method and so-called “objective” observations that lead to scientific conclusions, but that these conclusions are shaped by personal opinions as well as patriarchal, heterosexist, racist, Eurocentric, ableist, class biases • Objectivity is impossible in all sciences (physical and social sciences); criticisms of objectivity do not undermine science because objectivity is not “scientific;” what is necessary is the use of a particular set of rules and guidelines regarding proper methods used to collect, record and analyze data Theory and Research • Operationalization is the process of translating theories and concepts into research questions; theories are comprised of abstract ideas composed of concepts into a comprehensive worldview and way of looking at the world; concepts are single ideas; theories usually include two or more concepts in the way they explain and view the world • It is impossible to test theories directly; so we need an argument; a thesis is an argument that brings together a set of concepts expressed through a comprehensive worldview that is testable • Variables are an observable or testable equivalent of concepts; variables are used for statistical research only; statistical research collects all kinds of information that is quantitatively measurable and observable such as age, ethnicity, income, years of schooling, etc.; variables do not have value on their own; only once they are analyzed are they given value or meaning; variables and statistical data are gathered when one wants to see a social trend such as what percentage of mothers are employed in the paid workforce, or what percentage 2 of the prison population is comprised of a particu