As we wait for class to start, be sure you have an original research article ready to dissect. If you are not sure of your article, feel free to call me over to look at it. Try to label the different sections of your article:
Abstract
Introduction
Literature Review
Methods
Data/Stats
Conclusion
Discussion/moving forward
Also - please look over the reading, Gang Leader for a Day Introduction and be ready to discuss it.
HW: Read Joel Charon's Should We Generalize?
Today's lesson focus:
What are the different types of sociological research?
How do sociologists do research?
Venkatesh's Gang Leader for a Day
- For perspective, above is a picture of how the Lake Park Housing Projects looked before they were torn down.
- For more info on the Chicago Housing Projects, see this multimedia presentation from UCLA about the Robert Taylor Homes.
- Here is a history of high rise public housing from a UC Berkley professor.
Big group discussion:
Thoughts on the reading?
Questions?
1. What are the two broad ways sociologists gather data? (Venkatesh mentions these).
2. Brainstorm:
What are the advantages and disadvantages of these 2 broad ways of researching?
Today's lesson will focus on how sociologists actually do the work that they publish about. Venkatesh highlights a number of different ways that sociologists examine society. We will use his introduction to dive into how sociologists do research.
Now, let's add other types of general research.
General Types of Sociological Research
- Qualitative or Quantitative - qualitative is subjective and descriptive; it examines the qualities about a subject. Quantitative is objective and involves examining numbers or statistics.
Quantitative Qualitative
statistical analysis comparable descriptive analysis
value free values are present and explicit
less context contextual/nuanced
many cases/subjects fewer cases/subjects
researcher is detached researcher is involved
research is pointed research is open-ended
- Longitudinal - a study that examines subjects over an extended period time. For example, a researcher might interview kids at age 5, then at age 15 and then again at 25. Some research is conducted over the course of decades by different researchers.
- Cross-sectional - a study that examines a group of people at a single point in time. For example, like taking a section of cake that has different layers, a researcher might take a sample of people from a group like Loyola students. The research might examine 10 students from each grade to get an understanding of the school as a whole. The key here is that the researcher studies a bunch of people from the same group/society.
- Cross-cultural - a study that compares subjects from two or more cultures. The key here is that a cross-cultural study examines people that are part of different groups/societies and compares them.
3. Is Venkatesh's research better considered longitudinal or cross-sectional? Why?
4. Any questions about the general types of research?
5. What general types of research is the article that you found?
Now let's examine the specific ways that sociologists gather their research.
Methods of sociological research
These are some of the more common methods of research that you will come across in sociology:
Qualitative Methods:
Field work/ethnography - observing subjects by living with them, watching them and taking notes, such as Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve's research about the Cook County Courthouse System.
Historical analysis - examining changes over time in comparison to present day.
Content Analysis - examining the content of media or other cultural productions
Here is an example of content analysis about climate change.
Survey - interviews that are open-ended questions.
Quantitative Methods:
Survey - questionnaires that are close-ended such as multiple choice or likert scale.
Experiment/Audit study - comparing the responses of two or more different reactions.
Statistical analysis - existing sources (data sets, such as GSS or Census data) There are many data sets available to sociologists and other researchers. This type of research involves examining the data in new ways. Here is a list of data sets that are often used by sociologists:
Jacob Farber from NYU explains his research based on existing data here in his study titled "Complaining while Black".
For more detail about the research methods in sociology, Open Stax sociology textbook explains the methods in this chapter.
The ASA has many more brief explanations of sociological research on their Youtube channel here (see below). watch one and try to figure our what type of research the author used.
6. Which of the methods above does Venkatesh use in the excerpt from Gang Leader? Explain when/how. (Arguably he does 5 of them!)
Important considerations in research; The importance of both ethics and peer-review in research:
The Importance of Peer Review and Ethics in Research
Read this critique of Venkatesh's work and answer the question below.
7. What are the criticisms of Venkatesh's Gang Leader research?
(For more info on Venkatesh's work click here.)
8. Analyze the article that you found and determine the research method(s) that the author(s) use.
Research Bingo
Find someone who has one of the following. You can only use each person once. Have that person sign the square. When you have five in a row, shout bingo!
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