Challenge of the Social Sciences - Audio
This course focuses on two interlinked issues: the philosophical questions that arise in social science research, and research methods. Social inquiry attempts to take a scientific approach to explaining the complexity of everyday experiences, but in practice there are many pitfalls. The course reviews common issues that arise, including language, culture, survey methods and the problems of distinguishing between facts and values, understanding and explanation, theory and observation, and induction and deduction. The central tenet is that philosophical thinking and practical research go hand in hand. This material is taken from The Open University Course D820 The Challenge of the Social Sciences.
- Update frequency
- every day
- Average duration
- 13 minutes
- Episodes
- 6
- Years Active
- 2008
A discussion of housing issues
Professor Chris Hamnett discusses his study of housing issues and its relevance to social scientists.
00:10:36 |
Fri 30 May 2008
How policy affects housing issues
Lila Baker from Shelter discusses the impact of policymaking on housing issues.
00:18:07 |
Fri 30 May 2008
The experiences of homeless women
Annabel Thomas on the experiences of homeless women in Brighton.
00:10:22 |
Fri 30 May 2008
Being a scientist
Stephen talks about being a scientist and what it means to him.
00:12:21 |
Fri 30 May 2008
The scientific idea
Stephen talks about the concept of science, how it has changed over the centuries, and its link to theology.
00:11:42 |
Fri 30 May 2008
How we quantify social science
Professor Andrew Sayer discusses the purpose and method of social science.
00:18:51 |
Fri 30 May 2008
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