Tag: Social Sciences
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Visual Sociology and Artificial Intelligence: AI Images of Society
Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to transform society in terms of work, economy, politics, and culture. As these changes seem inevitable, people become increasingly concerned over the ethics of AI, and more and more sociologists are studying the potential impacts of AI on society. In this post, we examine how sociologists have examined Artificial Intelligence […]
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Marxist and Neo-Marxist Theories of Social Stratification
Why does social stratification exist? Karl Marx had a Theory Karl Marx, a social and economic thinker in the 19th century, had a theory of how societies are organized and why inequality exists. His powerful theories inspired the Communist revolutions in Russia and China, and eventually in Eastern Europe and Vietnam. Because of the popularity […]
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Classic Theories of Social Stratification
Why is there inequality in society? Social stratification, and inequality, are fundamental concepts in sociology. We defined stratification as the existence of structured inequalities between social groups on the basis of power and resources. But this just defines the term. A crucial question is: Why does inequality exist in society? To answer this question, let’s […]
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Basic Sociology Concepts: Social Stratification and Inequality
What are the basic sociology concepts in social stratification and inequality? To understand basic sociological theories in social stratification and inequality, we must first understand basic concepts in this field. This post presents definitions of basic sociology concepts and concepts related to inequality and social stratification. It is based on classic theorists. You may be […]
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What can we learn about society and sociology from very old textbooks? Not much.
In sociology, the concept of society is fundamental. It is a concept that every sociology student, and simply everyone, should think about. But what is society in sociology? And can we learn it from very old sociology textbooks? In this post, I attempt to answer these questions with the work of Charles A. Ellwood, 14th […]
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How to Write the Introduction to a Research Article in the Social Sciences
What is an introduction? Empirical research articles in the social sciences require a title, an abstract, and an introduction. Introductions in social science articles are short — perhaps three or four paragraphs long. They are at the beginning of empirically-based research articles in sociology, psychology, and political science. In a previous article, we discussed the […]
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10 Tips for Writing Research Grant Proposals
What are the best practices for writing research grant proposals? To fund their research projects, academics apply for research grants from governments and philanthropies. Research grant writing has become a fundamental activity of academic researchers in sociology, psychology, and political science. But grant writing is difficult, even for experienced social scientists. There are many things […]
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The Concept and Measurement of Power in Intersectionality
The idea of power is inherent to intersectionality. In this post, we discuss how the concept of power is integral to the concept and framework of intersectionality, and how to measure power structures. Intersectionality is about politics and the use of power. Noted intersectionality scholar Patricia Hill Collins (2015: 3) argued that, “Drawing upon racial […]
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What is a concept? How should we choose a concept?
When we write social science articles, we write about concepts. What is a concept? How do we choose the right one? Defining “Concept” A dictionary definition of concept is that it is “an abstract idea.” It is a thought. For a thought to move from your head to the page and out in the world, […]
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Authorship and Substantial Contributions
This post discusses the issue of academic authorship. We ask, who is an author? An author is someone who makes a substantial contribution. Since that is not very satisfying, we must also ask, what is a substantial contribution? In previous posts, we discussed the structure of empirical articles in the social sciences, and tips on […]