Theorizing Observations

• Grand Theory


  theory that aims to explain society as a whole
• Who are the "Founding Fathers" of Sociology?

  - Karl Marx

  - Max Weber

  - Emile Durkhiem
• Karl Marx


  this founding father...

  - wrote before the institutionalization of sociology

  - is an early example of an "interdisciplinary scholar"
• Max Weber


  this founding father...

  - founded the German Sociological Association (1909)
• Emile Durkheim


  this founding father...

  - founded the first European Department of Sociology (University of Bordeaux, France 1895)
• Methodological Pluralism


  the fact that we use many different research methods (to study the social world)
• Theoretical Pluralism


  when wedon't have a disciplinary agreementabout the best way to theorize our observations
• Why does Observation Need Theory?

  because Quine: Two Dogmas of Empiricism argues thatall observations are theory-laden
• Quine: Two Dogmas of Empiricism - Theory-Laden


  - there is no such thing as pure observation all observations are ....

  this means they're

  - based on the person and what they see (because it can be different for everyone)

  - thereforeall observation is interpretive
• How are Observations Influenced by our Level of Knowledge?

  - our pre-existing familiarity with particular social objects and experiences shape the way that we observe

  - what we see is based on our pre-existing knowledge or no previous knowledge at all

  - A person will still be able to make observations even with no previous/pre-existing knowledge (based on the facts)
• Ethnography


  the only method of observation that sees the social world observed directly(analyzes THEN creates data)

  - all other methods first CREATE data before analysis
• Survey Method


  analyze survey responses
• Qualitative Interviews


  analyze interview transcripts
• What does Theory Not Do?

  itDOES NOTallow us to come to an understanding of society that is free from assumptions
• What does Theory Do?

  at best, itreplaces the unconscious assumptionsthat we makewith explicitly stated assumptions
• 3 Advantages of Good Theory

  1. Encourages researchers to interrogate their own assumptions

  2. Encourages fair criticism

  3. Organizes observations so they can be understood clearly
• Ontology


  concerned with thenature of existence(orwhat exists)
• Ontological Assumptions


  assumptions concerning what exists

  - what does/doesn't exist

  AND

  - the nature of existence
• Epistemology


  concerned with thenature of reliable knowledge

  - how do we know what we know?

  - what counts as evidence?

  the foundation of .... is methodological pluralism
• Epistemological Assumptions


  assumptions concerning which methods provide valuable observations

  - and what kinds of observations are important (and which ones aren't)
• How do People Deal with Observations that go against their own Theoretical Observations? (2)

  1. Change their existing theoretical observations

  2. Interpret the observation so that it fits into one of their theoretical categories
• What 4 Things Must We Know in Order to Study a Society?

  1. The nature of the social structure + institutions

  2. The nature of people's subjective experience of society

  3. The historical context in which people + institutions are embedded

  4. The content of culture
• Theorizing Observations - Categories

  - what observations should be grouped together?

  - how can grouping observations together in a particular way increase our understanding of a social phenomenon?
• Theorizing Observations - Processes

  - how do categories of observations interact with one another?

  - what are the processes that lead to, or are responsible for our observations?