Understanding Sociology as a Science

About the lecture

In this lecture, we think about sociology as a science, focusing in particular on: (i) defining a science as something which’s researchers uses testable hypotheses in their assessments of their subjects/environment; (ii) understanding a paradigm as a model for scientists to think about the world; (iii) the continued use of paradigms in the construction of research questions; (iv) using the movement of a rubber ball as an example of an event which can be differently interpreted, but that requires a paradigm to understand it in either instance; (v) Émile Durkheim and Auguste Comte, who argued that society is another form by which we can capture the world; (vi) some key ways in which a sociologist could conceptualise society, including personal interactions, fighting over resources, or as an organism; (vii) social facts, which are the raw and imperial pieces of information used by sociologists to explore the construct of the social world; (viii) approaching sociology from a qualitative perspective, which can be considered a more philosophical approach; (ix) differentiating macro and micro sociology.

About the lecturer

Dr Nathan Kerrigan is a lecturer in sociology in the School of Social Sciences at Birmingham City University. Dr Kerrigan’s research interests include community studies, the sociology of space, and informal social control. Some of Dr Kerrigan’s recent publications include ‘Who cares for the carer? Exploring the role of advocacy in supporting young people’ (2018) and ‘The Master Gardener Programme working with urban communities: Garden Organic’s London Food Poverty Project’ (2019).