BSOC 134

METHODS OF SOCIOLOGICAL ENQUIRY

Programme: BAG/2021/2022

Course Code: BSOC 134

Max. Marks: 100

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IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022

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BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment

Assignment - I

Answer the following Descriptive Category questions in about 500 words each. Each question carries 20 marks. 2 x20=40

1. Briefly narrate sociological perspectives on qualitative research.

Social life is full of experiences that prompt people to reexamine their surroundings. For example, an unpleasant public encounter may motivate us to try retrospectively to make sense of the event we ask how and why things happened as they did). IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 In many ways, all human beings are novice researchers who give meaning to, interpret, and predict their social world. This work of researching and theorizing about society encompasses an infinite number of topics. For instance, some may wonder about their personal relationships (e.g., ‘Why did my significant other not return my phone call?’), while others may be preoccupied with weightier matters of social justice (e.g.,‘How can we stop all the violence in the world?’) or, as is often the case, we may be interested in both personal and global issues. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 The specific focus of questions aside, all human beings are interested in understanding and explaining everyday experiences.This basic sense of curiosity is the foundation of social science research, or what may be defined loosely as the act of reexamining the social world with the goal of better understanding or explaining why or how people behave.

This elementary definition emphasizes the rediscovery process that is invariably embedded in research. In a sense, the word ‘research’ can literally be interpreted as ‘renewed search,’ or ‘re-examination.’ Naturally, most people are not inclined to invest time or effort to formally study their social environment. Social scientists, by profession, are in the business of exploring all aspects of human behavior and environment. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 You may be beginning to wonder how one should go about doing social science research.That is, what criteria inform the questions we ask and where do we look for answers? Is it reasonable, for example, to conclude that an imaginary man named Joe does not return his girlfriend’s phone calls because of recent changes in the lunar cycle or misalignment of certain planets? Perhaps.What is considered a reasonable course of inquiry, to a large extent, depends on the investigator’s disciplinary orientation. Certainly, for an astrologer, the arrangement of the constellations would be a very useful source of information. However, to the dismay of some, astrology does not meet the conventional requirements of scientific investigation, which demand logically connecting certain empirical facts with an explanation of those facts. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 The notion that planetary movements cause human behavior leaves many logical questions unanswered. Alternatively, a more scientifically oriented discipline, such as abnormal psychology, might explain Joe’s rude behavior in terms of his inability to empathize with the needs of others.

2. Elaborate various dimensions of comparative methods.

Comparison is a fmdny:ntaJ tool of analysis. It shaipeas out power of description, and plays a c:eatral role in coacept-formatioa by bringing into focus suggestive similarities aud contrasts amoog cases. Comparison is routinely used in testing hypotheses, and it can contribute to the inductive discovery of new hypotheses and to theory-building. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022  The forms of comparison employed in the discipline of political science vary widely and include those contained in statistical analysis, experimmtal research, and historical studies. At the same time, the label "comparative method" bas a standard meaning within the discipline and in the social mote broadly: it refers to the methodological issues that arise in the systematic analysis of a small number of cases, or a "small N. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 " This chapter examines alternative perspectives on the comparative method that have emerged over roughly the past two decades. Although the primary focus is on discussions located in the fields of comparative politics and international studies, the application of the comparative method is by no means restricted to fields.

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The decision to analyze only a few cases is strongly influenced by the types of political phenomena under study aud how they are conceptuafu.ed. Topics for which it is productive to examine relatively few cases include revolutions, particular types of national political regimes (e.g., postconummist regimes), oc particular forms of UJban political systems. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 This focus oa a small number of cases is adopted because tbeze exist relatively few instances of the under consideration that exhibit the attnl>utes of interest to the analyst. Alternatively, some analysts believe that political phenomena in general are best understood through the careful examination of a small numbec of cases. In the field of comparative and international studies, the practice of focusing on few cases has achieved greater legilimllcy in recent years in conjunction with the rise of the school of "comparative historical analysis, in which small numbers of countries are studied over- long periods. This close scrutiny of each country limits the number of national cases a scholar can consider. Choosing to study few cases routinely poses the problem of having more rival explanations to assess than cases to observe, or the quandary of "many variables, small N" (Lijphart 1971, 686). Elementary statistic.a teaches us that u the number of explanatory factors approaches the number of casea, the capacity to adjudicate among the explanations through statistical comparison rapidly diminisl>es.

Assignment - II

Answer the following Short Category questions in about 250 words each. Each question carries 10 marks. 3 x 10 = 30

3. Explain the significance empiricism in social research

Empiricism is the view that all knowledge (apart from purely logical relations between concepts) is based on, or derives from, sensory experience. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Empiricism however is unable to specify the nature of the relationship between knowledge and experience. Empiricism denies the idealistic view that the mind is equipped with concepts that owe nothing to experience. Empiricists claim that at birth the mind is a ‘blank sheet’ and only experience can provide ideas.

Some empiricists thus claim that the truth of factual statements can only be established inductively from experience. They thus deny the Cartesian view that supposes that people can grasp general truths about reality independently of experience. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 There are various approaches to empiricism, but many start from the idea that experimental science (e.g. physics) is the exemplar of human knowledge. This is in contrast with rationalism which assigned a similar role to pure mathematics. (Some empiricists regard pure mathematics as independent of sense experience only dealing in tautology).

Empiricism tends to a view that knowledge acquisition is a piecemeal, selfcorrecting process limited by observation and experiment. Empiricism is thus sceptical of general metaphysical systems. The empiricist position raises the problem of how people acquire abstract ideas that are not the result of direct experience, especially mathematical ideas like point and line.

4. Elaborate the relationship between theory and research.

Theory can be defined as the generalized thinking or a conclusion of something, which is a result of an analysis. Theories are always proven scientifically with evidence. Both social and physical scientists engage in theorizing knowledge, which helps humans to understand things clearly. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Theory is different from a hypothesis. Hypothesis is merely an idea or a concept, which is not scientifically analyzed. These are the assumptions made by scientists before an investigation. However, once the hypotheses are analyzed and proved to be correct, they are recognized as theories. But not all hypotheses become theories.

Research is a way of expanding the existing knowledge base and creating new knowledge. This is a creative work that is done systematically in order to increase the stock of knowledge of humans and also to use this knowledge to make new applications. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 Usually, a research is preceded by a hypothesis. When a problem arises, scientists usually make a hypothesis around the problem. Then, they apply various research methodologies in order to find out whether the hypothesis is correct or not. If the research gives a positive result, there is a possibility for the hypothesis to become a theory. Or else, the scientists would have to make new assumptions and continue the research. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 There are various kinds of research too. Scientific, humanistic, economic, social, business, etc. are some of the research fields.

• Theory is a generalized concept which provides an explanation to existing things.

• Research is a way of expanding the existing knowledge base and creating new knowledge.

• Nature:

• Theory is a conceptual framework. Theory is used to explain things.

• Research is a creative work that generate new knowledge.

• Practical Nature:

• Research is mostly a practical approach.

• Arrangement:

• Theory is usually a result of research. An assumption is made to a theory after a series of researches

5. Explain the various stages of understating a social research.

Research is an intensive and purposeful search for knowledge and understanding of social and physical phenomena. It is a method for the discovery of true values in a scientific way. Research may be defined as the application of the scientific method in the study of problems. At times, the terms research and scientific method are used interchangeably. Webster’s Twentieth Century Dictionary defines the term Research as a careful, patient, systematic, diligent inquiry or examination in some field of knowledge undertaken to establish facts or principles. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 According to Random Dictionary of English Language “Research as a diligent and systematic enquiry or investigation into a subject in order to discover or revise facts, theories, application etc”. Research is an activity undertaken to establish facts or principles in a scientific way.

SOCIAL RESEARCH

Social research Social research may be defined as a scientific undertaking by means of logical and systematized techniques. Social research consists of the process of formulating and seeking answers to questions about the social world. Social research is fundamentally a scientific enterprise aims to:

Discover new facts or verify and test old facts;

Analyze their sequences, inter-relationships and causal explanations which are derived with an appropriate theoretical frame of reference;

Develop new scientific tools and theories which would facilitate reliable and valid study of human behavior

OBJECTIVES OF SOCIAL RESEARCH

· Development of knowledge

· Scientific study of social life.

· Welfare of humanity

· Classification of facts

· Social control and prediction

Assignment - III

Answer the following Short Category questions in about 100 words each. Each question carries 6 marks. 5 x 6 = 30

6. Elaborate the concept of social facts.

Durkheims concept of social facts, and will seek to explain the importance of these facts in relation to his work. Durkheim identified a group phenomena within society which he claimed could be studied independently. IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 These phenomena referred to the different acts that we all engage in within society, such as values, beliefs, and laws that we follow, he referred to these as social facts. (Giddens, 1971) A social fact is defined in two ways; first is that they are external to the individual, and secondly they have some sort of control over the individual, such as a law that the individual knows exists and therefore certain behaviour will result in some sort of penalty. Social facts were an important aspect of Durkheim’s work, as he was attempting to see a role for the social which was distinguished from the psychological and biological aspect of life and the individual.

7. Elaborate the place of objectivity on social research.

Objectivity’ in qualitative research, its importance in social research, and various issues related to establishing objectivity in social research. The paper aims to improve the skills of the novice social researchers and readers. Since more than five decades, the use of qualitative research has been increased in academically developed countries (i.e. USA, UK, Germany, France etc.), and the use of qualitative research in institutions of developing countries has also been witnessed in recent past. Qualitative research explores several areas related to human behaviours and socio-cultural settings/environments. As human behaviours and nature of human interactions are ever changing, hence, the question of objective research arises and makes social research more subjective. Therefore, this study primarily aims to critically analyse the stance of social researchers on objectivity in social research and discuss the possible factors, which may influence qualitative research. Thus, the paper providing the deliberation on objectivity in social research inspires the novice researchers for the development of qualitative research instead of traditional method, deductive, in social research.

8. Explain the reflexivity in social research.

In epistemology, and more specifically, the sociology of knowledge, reflexivity refers to circular relationships between cause and effect, especially as embedded in human belief structures. A reflexive relationship is bidirectional with both the cause and the effect affecting one another in a relationship in which neither can be assigned as causes or effects. Within sociology more broadly—the field of origin—reflexivity means an act of self-reference where examination or action "bends back on", refers to, and affects the entity instigating the action or examination. It commonly refers to the capacity of an agent to recognise forces of socialisation and alter their place in the social structure. A low level of reflexivity would result in individuals shaped largely by their environment (or "society"). IGNOU BSOC 134 Free Solved Assignment 2022 A high level of social reflexivity would be defined by individuals shaping their own norms, tastes, politics, desires, and so on. This is similar to the notion of autonomy.

9. Explain the features of ethnomethodology .

Ethnomethodology is the study of how social order is produced in and through processes of social interaction. It generally seeks to provide an alternative to mainstream sociological approaches. In its most radical form, it poses a challenge to the social sciences as a whole. early investigations led to the founding of conversation analysis, which has found its own place as an accepted discipline within the academy. According to Psathas, it is possible to distinguish five major approaches within the ethnomethodological family of disciplines. Ethnomethodology is a fundamentally descriptive discipline which does not engage in the explanation or evaluation of the particular social order undertaken as a topic of study. However, applications have been found within many applied disciplines, such as software design and management studies.

10. Discuss features of feminist methodology

Feminist methodology is the approach to research that has been developed in response to concerns by feminist scholars about the limits of traditional methodology to capture the experiences of women and others who have been marginalized in academic research. Feminist methodology includes a wide range of methods, approaches, and research strategies. Beginning in the early 1970s, feminist scholars critiqued positivist scientific methods that reduced lived experiences to a series of disconnected variables that did not do justice to the complexities of social life. Feminists were also among the first scholars to highlight the marginalization of women of color in academic research and to offer research strategies that would counter this trend within academia (Baca Zinn 1979; Collins 1990).

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