Truth Be Told: Ethnographic Research
Ethnographic research, sometimes known as participant observation, is a technique used by sociologists to study people by getting actively involved in their lives.
Truth Be Told: Objectivity: Fact or Fiction
The question of whether or not objectivity is possible or even desirable in sociological research is often the subject of fierce debate.
Truth Be Told: Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research
There are two broad categories of research in the field of sociology: qualitative and quantitative. The researcher using qualitative techniques is present in the environment he or she is studying. This is not required wi..
Truth Be Told: Research Tools and Techniques
The tools and techniques of sociological research are wide-ranging. The choice about which to use is generally dictated by the topic being researched, as well as the preferences of the sociologist.
Ups and Downs: Consequences of Poverty
For those who live in poverty, perhaps because they are chronically unemployed or working for minimum wage, the end results can be grim. A job layoff, a protracted illness or other family emergency can trigger a precipit..
Ups and Downs: Diminishing Opportunity
The explosion of opportunity in America reached its peak in the Post-War boom years of the 1950s. But many sociologists contend that with the decline of industry in the United States and the emergence of the Information ..
Ups and Downs: Social Class in the United States: Fact or Fiction?
Despite the fact that nearly one in five Americans lives in poverty, most of those living in the United States insist that there is no such thing as social class in the U.S.
Ups and Downs: Upward Mobility
If there's even the slightest hint of a silver lining in the dark cloud of poverty in the United States, it's that upward mobility, while increasingly limited, is still possible for those living in the U.S., regardless o..
Ups and Downs: Women, Minorities and Social Class
Those who tumble out of America's lower middle class and into poverty generally don't constitute a random cross-section of the U.S. population. More often than not they are women and minorities.
War and Rebuilding in Iraq
Professor of Sociology and History Craig Calhoun talks about the sociological dimensions of the rebuilding effort during the war in Iraq. He focuses on the challenge of bringing together vast numbers of people with diffe..