Understanding Social Change - lecture notes 1, 2 and 3 (Introducing Theory, Karl Marx, Capitalism, False Consciousness, Du Bois, Double Consciousness, Racism)

Module: Understanding Social Change


Lecture 1 – Introducing Theory


What is theory?
 Theory is an explanation – it enables you to say the ‘because’
 It is fundamentally about explaining stuff, explaining why something happens.


What is sociological theory?
 Example: Why is it that so many key workers were unpaid?
 Sociological theory to climate change – looks at why some people think
climate change exists.
 Theory isn’t the truth – they are claims about how the world works.
 Theory can be challenged


Key Terms
 Sociological theory
 Concepts
 Hypothesis
 A theory has at least one hypothesis


What is theory for?
Climate change is a good example – it recognises the bigger global issues going on.


Example
 A gender violence theory: Men are more violent than women
 The concepts: defining the terms – men is one gender group and women
another gender group, and also the concept of violence.
 What do we mean by violence?
 Some men see themselves as more feminine, whilst some women see
themselves as more masculine.
 Hypothesis: Men do more violence than women
 The theory doesn’t include transgender people
 A theory does require generalisation
 What makes a good theory?
5 things:
(1) Empirical data to support the argument
(2) Explanation to explain the complex issue