How Social Science Got Better

Author : Matt Grossmann
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0197518990
Total Pages : 353 pages
Book Rating : 4.91/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book How Social Science Got Better written by Matt Grossmann and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-07-05 with total page 353 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It seems like most of what we read about the academic social sciences in the mainstream media is negative. The field is facing mounting criticism, as canonical studies fail to replicate, questionable research practices abound, and researcher social and political biases come under fire. In response to these criticisms, Matt Grossmann, in How Social Science Got Better, provides a robust defense of the current state of the social sciences. Applying insights from the philosophy, history, and sociology of science and providing new data on research trends and scholarly views, he argues that, far from crisis, social science is undergoing an unparalleled renaissance of ever-broader understanding and application. According to Grossmann, social science research today has never been more relevant, rigorous, or self-reflective because scholars have a much better idea of their blind spots and biases. He highlights how scholars now closely analyze the impact of racial, gender, geographic, methodological, political, and ideological differences on research questions; how the incentives of academia influence our research practices; and how universal human desires to avoid uncomfortable truths and easily solve problems affect our conclusions. Though misaligned incentive structures of course remain, a messy, collective deliberation across the research community has shifted us into an unprecedented age of theoretical diversity, open and connected data, and public scholarship. Grossmann's wide-ranging account of current trends will necessarily force the academy's many critics to rethink their lazy critiques and instead acknowledge the path-breaking advances occurring in the social sciences today.

Author : Associate Professor of Political Science Matt Grossmann
Publisher : Oxford University Press, USA
ISBN 13 : 9780197519004
Total Pages : 316 pages
Book Rating : 4.08/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book How Social Science Got Better written by Associate Professor of Political Science Matt Grossmann and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2021 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Social science research is facing mounting criticism, as canonical studies fail to replicate, questionable research practices abound, and researcher social and political biases come under fire. Far from crisis, however, social science is undergoing an unparalleled renaissance of ever-broader and deeper understanding and application-made possible by close attention to criticism of our biases and open public engagement. Wars between scientists and their humanist critics, methodological disputes over statistical practice and qualitative research, and disciplinary battles over grand theories of human nature have all quietly died down as new generations of scholars have integrated the insights of multiple sides. Rather than deny that researcher biases affect results, scholars now closely analyze how our racial, gender, geographic, methodological, political, and ideological differences impact our research questions, how the incentives of academia influence our research practices, and how universal human desires to avoid uncomfortable truths and easily solve problems affect our conclusions. To be sure, misaligned incentive structures remain, but a messy, collective deliberation across the research community is boosting self-knowledge and improving practice. Ours is an unprecedented age of theoretical diversity, open and connected data, and public scholarship. How Social Science Got Better documents and explains recent transformations, crediting both internal and public critics for strengthening social science. Applying insights from the philosophy, history, and sociology of science and providing new data on trends in social science research and scholarly views, it demonstrates that social science has never been more relevant, rigorous, or self-reflective"--

Author : M. Cameron Hay
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022632866X
Total Pages : 459 pages
Book Rating : 4.69/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Methods That Matter written by M. Cameron Hay and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2016-05-05 with total page 459 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To do research that really makes a difference -- the authors of this book argue -- social scientists need a diverse set of questions and methods, both qualitative and quantitative, in order to reflect the complexity of the world. Bringing together a consortium of voices across a variety of fields, Methods That Matter offers compelling and successful examples of mixed methods research that does just that. Discussing their own endeavors to combine quantitative and qualitative methodologies, the authors invite readers into a conversation about the best designs and practices of mixed methods to stimulate creative ideas and find new pathways of insight. The result is an engaging exploration of a promising approach to the social sciences. --

Author : Stanislav Andreski
Publisher : Saint Martin's Griffin
ISBN 13 : 9780312735005
Total Pages : 249 pages
Book Rating : 4.06/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Social Sciences as Sorcery written by Stanislav Andreski and published by Saint Martin's Griffin. This book was released on 1974 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Author : Anol Bhattacherjee
Publisher : CreateSpace
ISBN 13 : 9781475146127
Total Pages : 156 pages
Book Rating : 4.24/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Social Science Research written by Anol Bhattacherjee and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2012-04-01 with total page 156 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is designed to introduce doctoral and graduate students to the process of conducting scientific research in the social sciences, business, education, public health, and related disciplines. It is a one-stop, comprehensive, and compact source for foundational concepts in behavioral research, and can serve as a stand-alone text or as a supplement to research readings in any doctoral seminar or research methods class. This book is currently used as a research text at universities on six continents and will shortly be available in nine different languages.

Author : Alexander Wendt
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1107082544
Total Pages : 367 pages
Book Rating : 4.40/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Quantum Mind and Social Science written by Alexander Wendt and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2015-04-23 with total page 367 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique contribution to the understanding of social science, showing the implications of quantum physics for the nature of human society.

Author : Kristin Luker
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674265491
Total Pages : 334 pages
Book Rating : 4.93/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Salsa Dancing into the Social Sciences written by Kristin Luker and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2010-04-10 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “You might think that dancing doesn’t have a lot to do with social research, and doing social research is probably why you picked this book up in the first place. But trust me. Salsa dancing is a practice as well as a metaphor for a kind of research that will make your life easier and better.” Savvy, witty, and sensible, this unique book is both a handbook for defining and completing a research project, and an astute introduction to the neglected history and changeable philosophy of modern social science. In this volume, Kristin Luker guides novice researchers in: knowing the difference between an area of interest and a research topic; defining the relevant parts of a potentially infinite research literature; mastering sampling, operationalization, and generalization; understanding which research methods best answer your questions; beating writer’s block. Most important, she shows how friendships, non-academic interests, and even salsa dancing can make for a better researcher. “You know about setting the kitchen timer and writing for only an hour, or only 15 minutes if you are feeling particularly anxious. I wrote a fairly large part of this book feeling exactly like that. If I can write an entire book 15 minutes at a time, so can you.”

Author : Gerry Stoker
Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing
ISBN 13 : 1137506601
Total Pages : 292 pages
Book Rating : 4.03/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book The Relevance of Political Science written by Gerry Stoker and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2015-03-26 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What does political science tell us about important real-world problems and issues? And to what extent does and can political analysis contribute to solutions? Debates about the funding, impact and relevance of political science in contemporary democracies have made this a vital and hotly contested topic of discussion, and in this original text authors from around the world respond to the challenge. A robust defence is offered of the achievements of political science research, but the book is not overly sanguine given its sustained recognition of the need for improvement in the way that political science is done. New insights are provided into the general issues raised by relevance, into blockages to relevance, and into the contributions that the different subfields of political science can and do make. The book concludes with a new manifesto for relevance that seeks to combine a commitment to rigour with a commitment to engagement.

Author : Turner C Lomand
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1351968386
Total Pages : 490 pages
Book Rating : 4.86/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Social Science Research written by Turner C Lomand and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-09-13 with total page 490 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: • This new edition gives students valuable practice in reading and evaluating research. All major methods of research are illustrated, including qualitative research, content/document analysis, survey research, observational research, experimental research, and program evaluation. • The articles deal with contemporary topics that will hold your students’ attention. • The lines in each article are sequentially numbered. This allows easy reference to specific parts of the articles during classroom discussions. • Factual Questions at the end of each article encourage students to read for methodological and substantive points. • The Answer Key provides answers to the Factual Questions. The line numbers where the answers can be found are included, making the key easy to use. • The Questions for Discussion at the end of each article address broad issues of research design and overall research quality. • Ideal for homework assignments followed by classroom discussions at the next class meeting.

Author : Howard S. Becker
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 0226041379
Total Pages : 424 pages
Book Rating : 4.77/5 ( download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!

Download or read book Writing for Social Scientists written by Howard S. Becker and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2008-11-15 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Students and researchers all write under pressure, and those pressures—most lamentably, the desire to impress your audience rather than to communicate with them—often lead to pretentious prose, academic posturing, and, not infrequently, writer’s block. Sociologist Howard S. Becker has written the classic book on how to conquer these pressures and simply write. First published nearly twenty years ago, Writing for Social Scientists has become a lifesaver for writers in all fields, from beginning students to published authors. Becker’s message is clear: in order to learn how to write, take a deep breath and then begin writing. Revise. Repeat. It is not always an easy process, as Becker wryly relates. Decades of teaching, researching, and writing have given him plenty of material, and Becker neatly exposes the foibles of academia and its “publish or perish” atmosphere. Wordiness, the passive voice, inserting a “the way in which” when a simple “how” will do—all these mechanisms are a part of the social structure of academic writing. By shrugging off such impediments—or at the very least, putting them aside for a few hours—we can reform our work habits and start writing lucidly without worrying about grades, peer approval, or the “literature.” In this new edition, Becker takes account of major changes in the computer tools available to writers today, and also substantially expands his analysis of how academic institutions create problems for them. As competition in academia grows increasingly heated, Writing for Social Scientists will provide solace to a new generation of frazzled, would-be writers.