Epistemology of Methods in Social Sciences(SOC 522)
| Course Code | Course Name | Semester | Theory | Practice | Lab | Credit | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SOC 522 | Epistemology of Methods in Social Sciences | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 |
| Prerequisites | |
| Admission Requirements |
| Language of Instruction | |
| Course Type | Compulsory |
| Course Level | Masters Degree |
| Course Instructor(s) | Olivier GAJAC ogajac@gsu.edu.tr (Email) |
| Assistant | |
| Objective | Social Sciences are crossed by debates both concerning the objects to describe and the methods to use. Epistemology allows understanding the whole set of oppositions that have been historically structuring the different trends of sociology until today. The student must be able to recognize and articulate the methodological instruments that have been historically developed in sociology. |
| Content |
By presenting the main great schools of thought and their epistemological stances, we will analyze what the divergences imply on a methodological level. More specifically, we will describe and interpret the procedures put in place by sociologists to “make sense” of social world, how the latter correspond to presuppotions on the nature and on the functioning of social reality itself. The choice and sense of a method depends namely on the variation of studied contexts (individual, interaction, structure, rationality, network). At last, we must reflect on the overtaking of dualisms and cleavages to seize what recovers interdisciplinarity. |
| Course Learning Outcomes |
- Develop an epistemological reflection on the use of differentiate methods in Sociology - Apply the appropriate methodological tools to his/her own personal object. - Know how to recognize the various methodological instruments, and combine them in a personalized research methodology. - Know how to present and justify the specific methodology chosen for targeting her/his own research objet |
| Teaching and Learning Methods | Seminar, readings, presentation of specific methodologies, presentation of students’ research projects. |
| References |
Documents available online and in PDF version (intranet network). Printed articles at disposal of students. |
Theory Topics
| Week | Weekly Contents |
|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to epistemology |
| 2 | The great current of sociological thought : from Holism to Individualism |
| 3 | The interactions |
| 4 | The structure and its functions |
| 5 | Rationality and Action |
| 6 | Representations : discourses, images and narratives |
| 7 | Symbolic, knowledge and imaginary |
| 8 | The social networks and movements |
| 9 | Sociological intervention ? |
| 10 | Critical perspectives on Sociology |
| 11 | Interdisciplinarity and interculturality |
| 12 | Transversal reflections |
| 13 | Students presentations on their research projects |
| 14 | Preparation to exams |
Practice Topics
| Week | Weekly Contents |
|---|
Contribution to Overall Grade
| Number | Contribution | |
|---|---|---|
| Contribution of in-term studies to overall grade | 1 | 40 |
| Contribution of final exam to overall grade | 1 | 60 |
| Toplam | 2 | 100 |
In-Term Studies
| Number | Contribution | |
|---|---|---|
| Assignments | 0 | 0 |
| Presentation | 1 | 20 |
| Midterm Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 20 |
| Project | 0 | 0 |
| Laboratory | 0 | 0 |
| Other Applications | 0 | 0 |
| Quiz | 0 | 0 |
| Term Paper/ Project | 0 | 0 |
| Portfolio Study | 0 | 0 |
| Reports | 0 | 0 |
| Learning Diary | 0 | 0 |
| Thesis/ Project | 0 | 0 |
| Seminar | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 0 | 0 |
| Toplam | 2 | 40 |
| No | Program Learning Outcomes | Contribution | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | ||
| 1 | The student will be able to develop a critical perspective towards fundamental sociological theories. | X | ||||
| 2 | The student will acquire the necessary qualifications that will allow her / him to contribute to the theoretical and empirical accumulation of knowledge in the sociological domain. | X | ||||
| 3 | The student will be capable of applying different research techniques to different sociological issues. | X | ||||
| 4 | The student will be able to contribute to the invention of new methods of research by developing a critical point of view towards empirical research methods and techniques. | X | ||||
| 5 | The student will develop an intersocietal and intercultural viewpoint. | X | ||||
| 6 | The student will be able to develop her/his capacity of reflecting on the ethical problems of sociological research and of finding solutions to overcome them. | X | ||||
| 7 | The student will be able to identify the relation between the research objectives and the research design in order to propose and conduct a research proposal. | X | ||||
| 8 | The student will be able to evaluate the research data and to report the research results as well as will acquire the capacity of drawing theoretical and macro conclusions from these results. | X | ||||
| 9 | The student will acquire the ability to reason qualitatively departing from qualitative data. | X | ||||
| 10 | The student will acquire the capacity of producing knowledge with fundamental concepts belonging to the subfields of sociology. | X | ||||
| 11 | The student will be capable of analysing everyday life practices relating them to the sociological theories. | X | ||||
| Activities | Number | Period | Total Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Class Hours | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Working Hours out of Class | 14 | 3 | 42 |
| Presentation | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Midterm Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 10 | 10 |
| Final Examinations (including preparation) | 1 | 14 | 14 |
| Total Workload | 114 | ||
| Total Workload / 25 | 4,56 | ||
| Credits ECTS | 5 | ||