The problems societies face are complex, contested and rarely explained by common sense alone. Moreover, many of the experiences we encounter in daily life and as a private problem, such as insecure work, challenging times at school, loneliness, caring for a family member, are very often also a public issue, shaped by institutions, structures and processes of social change. Empirical social research is the means through which we can better understand complex social issues and are a rigorous means through which the connection between private problems and public issues can be explored systematically. Empirical social research moves us from what we assume about social life to what we can demonstrate about it, and it produces knowledge that can be used to understand and address social problems.
This course develops the foundational knowledge that such inquiry requires. Across the semester we ask why empirical social research matters, what makes a social problem, puzzle or challenge researchable, and what distinguishes the research process from other ways of coming to know the world. We then consider the epistemological foundations of social scientific knowledge and the research paradigms that shape which problems appear relevant and which styles of research follow from them, before turning to the place of theory and reflexivity in research, the formulation of research questions and hypotheses, and the logic of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods research designs. The semester closes with using existing data, reading and interpreting research papers so that findings become legible, relevant and useful, and assessing quality in social research.
- Teacher: Tobia Fattore