大学思辨英语教程 精读3U2教师用书.docx

Unit2SociologicalInvestigation

UnitOverview

Thegoalofthisunitistointroducethemethodsemployedbysociologistsintheirstudyofsociallife.Thisisnotaunitonstatisticsnordoesitdetailspecificmethodsinsociologicalinvestigation.Theprimaryaimistoillustratehowsociologistsgobeyondcommonsenseunderstandingsintryingtoexplainorunderstandsocialphenomena.Itprovidesbothanoverviewofthemajorresearchmethodsinsociologicalinvestigationandanexampleemphasizingtheimportanceofscientificmethod.

TextA

Inthisconcisesummaryofresearchmethodsinsociologicalinvestigation,DennisM.Romeintroducestheconceptofscientificmethod,itsdifferencesfromcommonsensemethods(throughauthority,tradition,religion,mysticismandpersonalexperience)oflearningabout“facts”or“truth”,aswellasthemajor“scientific”methodsinsociologicalinvestigation(experiment,survey,fieldresearch,andexistingdataanalysis).Theadvantagesandlimitsofeachmethodarealsodiscussed.

TextB

EarlBabbie’sarticleservesasanexampletoillustratetheimportanceof(scientific)socialresearch,whichrevealsthetruedegreeandspreadofpovertyintheUnitedStatesoveraperiodoftimeagainststereotypedassumptionsaboutpovertyanditscauses.Scientificinvestigationanditsvalidresultprovidetherationaleforthegovernmenttocontinueoradjustitspoliciesonsocialpoverty.Theessaydemonstratestheimportanceofprobingintothetruecausesofasocialproblemorphenomenoninamorescientificorobjectivewaytoavoidhastygeneralizationandineffectivesolutions.

Thetwotextsbothdiscusstheimportanceofscientificmethodsinsociologicalinvestigation;theformeroffersanoverviewonthefourmainmethodswhilethelatterprovidesacasestudyoftheimportanceofscientificmethodinresearchingonsocialphenomenon(povertyanditscausesintheUnitedStates).

Teachingobjectives

Thisunitisdes