The social in social science

In a complex and rapidly changing world, social scientific study examines how we produce things, communicate, govern ourselves and understand our environments, and how to solve the problems we face in the organisation of social relations and processes. This free course, The social in social science, provides a basic overview of how social science contains deeply embedded cultural assumptions, and outlines the important relationship between philosophical thinking and practical research methods in social sciences.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 What does the philosophy of the social science offer?
• 1 What does the philosophy of the social science offer?
• 2 Facing the challenges in the social sciences
• 2 Facing the challenges in the social sciences
• 2.1 The challenge of change
• 2.2 The challenge of methods
• 2.3 The challenge of terminology
• 2.4 Thinking through the challenges
• 2.5 Summary
• 3 What does it mean to practise social science?
• 3 What does it mean to practise social science?
• 3.1 Theorising situations
• 3.2 What does it mean for knowledge to be situated?
• 3.3 Summary
• 4 Connecting the social sciences to everyday life
• 4 Connecting the social sciences to everyday life
• 4.1 A situated practice
• 4.2 The perspective of the stranger
• 4.3 Conclusion
• References
• Acknowledgements