Sociology 503: TECHNIQUES AND METHODS OF SOCIAL
SCIENCE
Sociology 503: TECHNIQUES AND METHODS OF SOCIAL
SCIENCE
Frank Dobbin
Department of Sociology
Princeton University
Fall 1995
Synopsis
This course covers the fundamentals of social science research design.
Emphasis is placed on principles that are applicable in all kinds of research, from surveys to participant
observation, from comparative historica l study to demographic analysis.
We begin with a bit of philosophy of science, and the course focuses on
such practical matters as how to distinguish a theory from a political
program or a philosophical assertion, how to derive a falsifiable
hypothesis f rom a theory, how to design a research project to test an
hypothesis, how to carry out research, and how to write up results. The
course also delves into current methodological controversies in several
arenas.
I have tried to avoid redundancy with oth er courses in the
department, hence the course gives relatively little attention to data
analysis techniques, field methods, Comptean positivism, and current
methodological issues in the study of culture.
Course Requirements
Students should come to class prepared to discuss
the week's readings. Each week there will be a short assignment (1-3
pages) that will serve as the basis for an i n-class exercise. While
brief, most assignments will require a fair amount of thought and
preparation. Please bring a copy of your work for each member of the
class, unless instructed otherwise. By the end of the semester, students
will complete a 10-1 5 page research proposal in the form of a grant
application.
An additional requirement is completion of the Social
Science Reference Center (SSRC) Orientation Tour in Firestone Library.
This supplements the general library tour that Evelyn Klingler le ads for
new students on the day of orientation. You can sign up for the tour by
number of times in the first few weeks of the semester. Contact the SSRC
for times.
WEEK 1
Metatheory, Theory, and Hypotheses
- Stinchcombe, Arthur L. 1968. Constructing Social Theories. New York:
Harcourt. Pages 1-56.
- Popper, Karl R. 1959. "Predictions and Prophesy in the Social
Sciences." Pp. 275-285 in Theories of History. Edited by Patrick
Gardiner. London: Macmillan.
- Hempel, Carl G. 1974. "Reason and Covering Laws in Historical
Explanation." Pp. 90-105 in The Philosophy of History. Edited by
Patrick Gardiner. London: Oxford University Press.
- Davis, Kingsley and Wilbert E. Moore. 1945. "Some
Principles of Stratifica tion." American Sociological Review
10:242-249.
Assignment:
Drawing on Stinchcombe's discussion of hypotheses, derive formal
hypotheses from the article by Davis and
Moore.
WEEK 2
How to Prove Things
- Durkheim, Émile. 1966 [1938]. The Rules of Sociological Method. Glencoe,
Illinois: Free Press. Chapter 6.
- Weber, Max. 1949. "The Meaning of 'Ethical
Neutrality' in Sociology and Economics." Pp. 1-47 in The Methodology of
the Social Sciences: Max Weber. Translated and edited by Edward A. Shils
and Henry A. Finch. Glencoe, Ill: The Free Press.
- Weber, Max. 1978. "Basic Sociological Terms." Pp. 3-62 in Economy
and Society. Berkeley: University of California Press.
- Goel, M. Lal. 1988. Political Science Research: A Methods Handbook.
Ames: Iowa State University Press. Chapter 1.
- Frank, David John, John W. Meyer, and David Miyahara. 1995. “The
Individualist Polity and the Prevalence of Professionalized Psychology: A
Cross-National Study.” American Sociological Review 60:360-377.
Assignment:
For the article by Frank, Meyer, and Miyahara, derive formal hypotheses
as you did in the first week. Then using Durkheim's principles for
establishing sociological proofs, provide a brief outline of the evidence
Frank, Meyer, and Miyahara present to test their hypotheses. Assess the
paper in Durkheim's terms.
WEEK 3
Causality
- Bailey, Kenneth D. 1978. Methods of Social Research. New York: Free
Press. Chapter 3.
- Stinchcombe, Arthur L. 1968. Constructing Social Theories. New York:
Harcourt. Pages 57-129.
- Marinei, Margaret M. and Burton Singer. 1988. "Causality in the
Social Sciences." Pp. 347-410 in Sociological Methodology, Volume 18.
Edited By Clifford C. Clogg. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Assignment:
Select a data set from those for which code books are available at CIT, 87
Prospect. Prepare a brief research outline using the data set. Detail
several, preferably competing, hypotheses; review how you will
operationalize causal factors and outcomes; propose analytic techniques.
WEEK4
Research Design
- Babbie, Earl. 1986. The Practice of Social Research, Fourth Edition.
Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Chapters 4, 8, 10, 11.
- Mayo, Elton. 1984 [1949]. "Hawthorne and the Western Electric
Company." Pp. 279-292 in Organization Theory: Selected Readings. Edited
by D.S. Pugh. New York: Penguin.
- Lennon, Mary Clare and Sarah Rosenfield. 1994. “Relative Fairness and
the Division of Housework: The Importance of Options.” American Journal
of Sociology 100: 506-31.
- Bornschier, Volker, Christopher Chase-Dunn and Richard Rubinson.
1978. "Cross-national Evidence on the Effects of Foreign Investment and
Aid on Economic Growth and Inequality: A Survey of Findings and a
Reanalysis." American Journal of Sociology 84:651-83.
Assignment:
For either the Lennon and Rosenfield paper or the Bornschier,
Chase-Dunn, and Rubinson paper, outline the theory and hypotheses
presented and propose a research design to test the same hypotheses
using different methods.
WEEK 5
The Unit of Analysis: Sampling
- Bailey, Kenneth D. 1978. Methods of Social Research. New York: Free
Press. Chapter 5.
- Rossi, Peter. 1988. "On Sociological Data." Pp. 131-154 in Handbook
of Sociology. Edited by Neil Smelser. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
- Lukes, Steven. 1968. "Methodological Individualism Reconsidered."
British Journal of Sociology 19:119-29.
- Meyer, John. 1988. "Society Without Culture." Pp. 193-201 in Rethinking
the Nineteenth Century. Edited by Francisco Ramirez. New York:
Greenwood.
- Berger, Peter, and Thomas Luckmann. 1966. The Social Construction of Reality: A Treatise on the Sociology of
Knowledge. Garden City: Doubleday. Pp. 1-17 and 169-173.
Assignment:
Draw a stratified random sample (N-40) using sources available in the
library. You may sample hospitals, schools, architects, nation-states, or
whatever you please. Please stratify the sample on two dimensions (e.g.,
size and location).
WEEK 6
Survey Design
- Bailey, Kenneth D. 1978. Methods of Social
Research. New York: Free Press. Chapters 6, 7, and 8.
- Loether, Herman J. and Donald G. McTavish. 1974.
Descriptive Statistics for Sociologists. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Chapter
2.
Assignment:
Outline several hypotheses about the opinions of Princeton
undergraduates. Draft a questionnaire that could be used to test these
hypotheses. Bring copies of the questionnaire to class for discussion by
the group.
WEEK 7
Qualitative Design
- Lèvi-Strauss, Claude. 1963. "The Structural
Study of Myth." Pp. 206-231 in Structural Anthropology. New York:
Basic.
- Griswold, Wendy. 1987. "A Methodological Framework for the Sociology
of Culture." Pp. 1-36 in Sociological Methodology, Volume 17. Edited By
Clifford C. Clogg. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
- Geertz, Clifford. 1983. "From the Native's Point of View: On the
Nature of Anthropological Understanding." Pp. 55-72 in Local Knowledge.
New York: Basic.
- Strauss, Anselm. 1987. Qualitative Analysis for
Social Scientists. New York: Cambridge University Press. Pages 1-49 and
241-248.
- Griffin, Larry. 1993. "Narrative, Event-Structure Analysis, and
Causal Interpretation in Historical Sociology." American Journal of
Sociology 98:1094-1133.
Assignment:
You have been asked to review a paper by the American
Sociological Review. You will receive a copy of the paper in class.
Write a review of the paper (1-3 pages, single-spaced) and fill out the
reviewer's evaluation form.
WEEK 8
Comparative Design and the Problem of Small Numbers
- Tilly, Charles. 1984. Big Structures, Large Processes, Huge Comparisons.
New York: Russell Sage. Chapters 4-8.
- Skocpol, Theda and Margaret Somers. 1980. "The Uses of
Comparative History in Macrosocial Inquiry." Comparative Studies in
Society and History 22:174-197.
- Ragin, Charles. 1987. The Comparative Method: Moving Beyond
Qualitative and Quantitative Strategies. Berkeley: University of
California Press. Pages 85-163.
- Esping-Andersen, Gösta. 1978. “Social Class, Social Democracy,
and the State.” Comparative Politics 11: 43-58
Assignment:
Each student will meet with me during this week to disc
uss topics for the research proposal she will write as the final project
for the course.
Assess Esping-Andersen’s methods from the perspective of
one of the other three readings for this week.
WEEK 9
Historical Design and Sequencing
- Tuma, Nancy Brandon and Michael T. Hannan. 1984. Social Dynamics: Models
and Methods. New York: Academic. Pp. 3-40.
- Isaac, Larry W. and Larry J. Griffin. 1989. "Ahistoricism in
Time-Series Analyses of Historical Process: Critique, Redirection, and
Illustrations from U.S. Labor History." American Sociological Review 54:
873-890.
- Hobsbawm, Eric. 1983. "Introduction: Inventing Traditions." Pp. 1-14
in The Invention of Tradition. Edited by Eric Hobswawm and Terence Ranger.
London: Cambridge University Press.
- Engels, Friedrich. 1959 [1892]. "On Historical Materialism." Pp. 47-67
in Marx and Engels: Basic Writings on Politics and Philosophy. Garden
City, NY: Doubleday.
Assignment:
Prepare a short (1-2 page) outline of the research question, and the
methods you will use, for the research proposal you are planning. Bring
copies of the outline to class to distribute to the other students for
feedback.
WEEK 10
Critiques of Normal Science
- Freedman, David A. 1991. "Statistical Methods and Shoe Leather." Pp.
291-314 in Sociological Methodology, Volume 21. Edited By Peter V.
Marsden. Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
- Lieberson, Stanley. 1985. Making it Count: The Improvement of Social
Research and Theory. Berkeley: University of California Press. Pp.
171-235.
- Berk, Richard A. 1988. "Causal Inference for Sociological Data." Pp.
155-172 in Handbook of Sociology. Edited by Neil Smelser. Newbury Park,
CA: Sage.
Assignment:
You have been asked to review a paper by
the American Sociological Review. You will receive a copy of the paper in
class. Write a review of the paper (1-3 pages, single-spaced) and fill out the reviewer's evaluation
form.
WEEK 11
Nonempirical Explanations: Neoclassical Economics and
Political Theory
- McCloskey, Donald N. 1985. The Rhetoric of Economics. Madison: University of
Wisconsin Press. Pp. 1-35.
- Sowell, Thomas. 1974. Classical Economics
Reconsidered. Princeton: Princeton University Press. Pp. 112-148.
- Samuelson, Paul A. 1980. Economics, Eleventh Edition. New York:
McGraw-Hill. Pages 355-374.
- Ashcraft, Richard.
1986. Revolutionary Politics and Locke's Two Treatises of Government.
Princeton: Princeton University Press. Preface and Introduction.
- Locke, John. 1965. Two Treatises of Government. New York: Mentor. Pp.
305-318.
Assignment:
The first draft of your 10-15 page research proposal is due by
noon on Wednesday. Each student will give her draft to two other class
members for feedback and discussion in class.
WEEK 12
Writing Up Results
- Tilly, Charles. 1986. "Writing Wrongs in Sociology." Mimeo.
- Strauss, Anselm. 1987. Qualitative Analysis for Social Scientists. New
York: Cambridge University Press. Pages 249-264.
- Becker, Howard. 1986. Writing for Social Scientists: How
to Start and Finish Your Thesis, Book, or Article. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press. Chapters 1, 5, 7, 8.
Assignment:
The final draft of your research proposal is
due.
blanche@pucc.princeton.edu September '95