SOCI 269 - Social Science Inquiry

Social scientists have many methodological approaches to choose from in their research toolkit ranging from qualitative to quantitative to comparative historical. Each of these approaches allows us to see and understand society from different perspectives, sometimes offering us complementary snapshots and other times presenting us with contradictory information. How, then, can we engage evidence to make claims about the social world? What even counts as evidence and who gets to speak for whom? Social Science Inquiry is part of a methods training sequence that emphasizes quantitative social science inquiry. The course covers quantitative social science as an epistemology compared to other ways of knowing, engages with published quantitative work in the field as well as its critics, teaches the basics of quantitative analysis for the social sciences, and largely emphasizes a hands-on approach to conceptualizing and implementing a research project. Also covering themes related to research ethics, these topics will be approached from a non-extractive lens, emphasizing the need to situate our research in the needs, obligations, and relations asked of us by the broader community. Note: The course uses R. Every year. (4 Credits)