21st September 2021
Fall Semester
SOSA 3260 Deviance and Control
Professor Tsfrir Gazit
Sources of Knowledge about sources
Four Major nonscientific sources of knowledge in relation to a Social Science Research Paper
● Intuition- quick and ready insight not based on rational thought
● Common sense- Refers to the obvious widely accepted opinions because they seem
obvious
● Authority - someone who supposedly has special knowledge that not everyone has
● Tradition - knowledge because that is what those older than us state as fact.
Other sources of knowledge about society
● Nonscientific knowledge often provides false misleading information , therefore we need
to question what we think we know
● We need to seek an understanding of where and how the information is gathered
Ways to study Social Science
Types of approaches to study of Social Science;
1) Experimental Research
2) Field Research
3) Participant Observation Research
4) Content Analysis
5) Secondary Data Sources
Important to note when Researching Deviance
Science
● Objectivity- Scientists are expected to prevent their personal biases from influencing
the interpretation of their results ( Weber's concept verstehn). Data is to be interpreted
on the basis of merit
● Verifiability - A study can be repeated by others. This exposes one work to critical
analysis, retesting and revision by colleagues.
A model for doing Research in Social Science: The Scientific Method
Fall Semester
SOSA 3260 Deviance and Control
Professor Tsfrir Gazit
Sources of Knowledge about sources
Four Major nonscientific sources of knowledge in relation to a Social Science Research Paper
● Intuition- quick and ready insight not based on rational thought
● Common sense- Refers to the obvious widely accepted opinions because they seem
obvious
● Authority - someone who supposedly has special knowledge that not everyone has
● Tradition - knowledge because that is what those older than us state as fact.
Other sources of knowledge about society
● Nonscientific knowledge often provides false misleading information , therefore we need
to question what we think we know
● We need to seek an understanding of where and how the information is gathered
Ways to study Social Science
Types of approaches to study of Social Science;
1) Experimental Research
2) Field Research
3) Participant Observation Research
4) Content Analysis
5) Secondary Data Sources
Important to note when Researching Deviance
Science
● Objectivity- Scientists are expected to prevent their personal biases from influencing
the interpretation of their results ( Weber's concept verstehn). Data is to be interpreted
on the basis of merit
● Verifiability - A study can be repeated by others. This exposes one work to critical
analysis, retesting and revision by colleagues.
A model for doing Research in Social Science: The Scientific Method
