DSOC 6170

Foundations in Social Research: Comparative Epistemologies

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2014-2015.

This class is designed to introduce Development Sociology and other social science graduate students to the logic of inquiry and to the varied assumptions that ground social theories and methodologies, including how they differently engage evidence in support of an argument. Organized as a seminar that depends on critical exchange among seminar members, the course will provide the basis by which students can better understand the underlying assumptions of research as a social practice, recognize what is meant by normative science, and explore critiques of normative projects introduced by feminist, historical, post-colonial, and post-modern turns in sociology. While the course is designed to distinguish among various approaches to sociological questions, its purpose is to provide a foundation for making choices among the various strategies we can employ to frame arguments, collect evidence, interpret findings, make inferences, and draw conclusions about socio-historical processes and relations.

When Offered Fall.

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