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IS SOCIO A SCIENCE? by Jonathan Blundell Source Chris Livesey Website
IS SOCIO A SCIENCE? by Jonathan Blundell Source Chris Livesey Website
Booklet 3
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© Jonathan Blundell for the Association for the Teaching of the Social Sciences page 0
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Note to Teachers
This pack has been produced by Jonathan Blundell. Jonathan is the author of the
forthcoming Active Sociology for GCSE. He is a senior examiner for A level
Sociology and an active member of the Executive of ATSS. He is Head of Sociology
at Lord William’s School, Thame.
http://www.atss.org.uk
Among the services, which the ATSS offers to teachers and lecturers, is the Annual
Conference that is held at a different venue each year. The journal, Social Science
Teacher offers a forum for academic articles and teaching ideas. In addition, there
are a variety of teaching resources and marketing materials to support the teaching
of social sciences.
This Booklet
This booklet is designed to support teachers who are delivering coursework modules
for either the OCR or the AEB examination. It consists of notes and exercises for a
teaching module designed to cover the question of the claims for a scientific basis for
sociology.
If you feel that you would like to contribute work to this series, please contact the
Resources Editor c/o ATSS.
© Jonathan Blundell for the Association for the Teaching of the Social Sciences page 1
ATSS Ltd. PO Box 6079 Leicester LE2 4WB
Introduction
The Sociology Central Website run by Chris Livesey has a variety of notes and
teaching modules on this theme. You are advised to download to a disc for some of
these files.
© Jonathan Blundell for the Association for the Teaching of the Social Sciences page 2
ATSS Ltd. PO Box 6079 Leicester LE2 4WB
IS SOCIOLOGY A SCIENCE? (SHOULD SOCIOLOGY BE A SCIENCE?)
KEY TERMS
Positivism – These are approaches which have tried to make sociology as close to
a science as possible because it is believed that sociologists can establish laws of
human behaviour in the same way that scientists have established scientific laws.
This perspective is typical of Functionalism and of Marxism
Quantitative – This is the type of sociology that is concerned with the collection of
numbers.
Validity – This term refers to the success of the methods in accurately measuring or
describing what they are intended to measure.
Reliability – This term refers to the extent to which research can be repeated in the
same conditions and the same results be obtained.
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ATSS Ltd. PO Box 6079 Leicester LE2 4WB
ARGUMENTS USED IN FAVOUR OF THE VIEW THAT SOCIOLOGY SHOULD BE SCIENTIFIC.
Modern society arose out of a series of changes in the way that people looked at the
world at the middle and end of the C18th and through the start of the C19th. This was
a social and historical period known as the ‘Age of Enlightenment’. Before that time,
religion had been the dominant force in society.
People moved from having a sense of faith, to a spirit of enquiry, questioning the
world about them. Out of this period came the view that the key to understanding the
world is science.
Karl Popper
Popper argued that scientists should try to disprove their hypotheses. If they set out
instead to prove a hypothesis, they are likely to distort the evidence and claim to
have found what they were looking for. Proving your hypothesis wrong is called
falsification.
Thomas Kuhn
Kuhn argued that throughout history, ideas that have been accepted as ‘scientific’
have later been rejected. For example, at one time people believed that the sun
revolved around the Earth.
The ideas that are current at any one time are a paradigm. A paradigm is generally
agreed upon by most scientists working in that area of research at that time. It will
eventually be overturned and replaced by a new paradigm. Sociology does not have
one paradigm; it has marked differences between theoretical perspectives. It is not
yet therefore a science though it is possible it could become one.
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ATSS Ltd. PO Box 6079 Leicester LE2 4WB
Realism
Realists say that science in the real world has moved away from that perspective
because there are so many things that can affect the results of an experiment that
they all have to be taken into account.
For example, the weather is a scientific phenomenon, yet many scientists cannot
accurately predict the weather. The influences on the weather are too many and too
varied; it is an open system. Society can be seen as an open system
It might be that there can be a science of society – we just have to discover more
about society and what affects events.
Realists also say that some of these factors are very difficult to quantify so that we
cannot understand all that is happening because they are happening at a deep level
in our society.
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ATSS Ltd. PO Box 6079 Leicester LE2 4WB
Glossary Activity
Look at the above notes. What do the following words mean? Write the meanings
into the boxes next to each word.
Paradigm
Realism
Falsification
Hypothesis
Social
constructs
Positivism
Reliability
Validity
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ATSS Ltd. PO Box 6079 Leicester LE2 4WB
Can Sociology be a Science?
Look at your favourite textbooks under the headings of sociology and science.
You could look at the index of each book to discover more of the names that are
mentioned. Make simple notes for your folders in the discussion that takes place.
Make sure that you have an opinion of your own and can understand the issues.
1. What is science?
2. Can Sociology be studied in a scientific manner?
3. Should Sociology be studied in a scientific manner?
4. What advantages and disadvantages are there for someone who attempts to
use scientific methods in order to study society?
If you think hard enough about this topic, you could come up with similar questions of
your own to add to the notes provided. Write them below.
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ATSS Ltd. PO Box 6079 Leicester LE2 4WB
Should Sociology be a Science?
Activity
Look at the following statements. Are there any words that you do not understand
fully? If so, ask or use a dictionary to discover the meaning.
When you feel that you understand the language, look at the meanings of the
sentences.
Cut each box out and arrange it on a piece of paper in the order in which you
agree, starting with the one that you think is most important at the top of the
page.
When you are certain of the order and can justify your views. Glue the boxes
down.
Statements
1. Sociologists can establish laws of human behaviour in the same way that
scientists have established scientific laws
2. Facts exist and should not be influenced by the person doing the research.
4. We cannot know the world as it really is, because we all have personal viewpoints
about what is happening and what we can see.
6. People are part of the society that they study and so they bring their own ideas to
what they see.
7. Sociology cannot be scientific yet because there are differences of opinion, but
there could be a science of society.
8. It might be that there can be a science of society – we just have to discover more
about society and what affects events.
9. Scientific knowledge changes all the time. Knowledge moves forward and
changes, so that one belief is replaced by another
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ATSS Ltd. PO Box 6079 Leicester LE2 4WB
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