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DD102 Introducing Social Sciences - Notes
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to ithi i.
Mod iii. It
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This module introduces the social sciences through an exploration of the making of
contemporary UK society .
The first part Of the module
'
social science issues
'
uses the street as a window onto a range of .
Activity 1 I
.
-
This short scene suggests the street is a good place to begin doing social science because
everyone is familiar with streets and streets everywhere share similarities and differences
.
.
Activity 1.2 It is possible to study any street in order to learn about wider society because every street
reveals patterns and trends in the way in which people live their lives .
Streets are a window onto a range of social science issues ; streets are a microcosm of wider
'
society .
Everyone observes streets but social scientists try to do so in a systematic way .
Asking questions looking for -
explanations .
Matt staples asks you to reflect on what you might learn about wider society from Observing City Road
.
.
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and to apply what YOU learn about City Road to streets you might be familiar with .
! it t
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We k 1 - Th
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it !
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1 .
This week YOU will study :
comprises four WEEKS I. Video : The Life and Times of the street
' '
(Activities I. I -
I. b)
Of Guided study ,
MU52 2. study suit : Active reading (Activities i. 7- and I.8)
weeks to prepare for 3. study skill : skim reading and scan reading Activity I. 9)
4. Text: chapter 1. The life and times of the street: in understanding
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and undertake TM As
social lives Part 1
01 & 02
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.
5. social science inquiry : Introducing concepts / Activities t.IO and I I 1)
.
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.
The ad T of Ste: Pr 1
Activity 1 I
.
I. Mark -
repair business car dealerships become more competitive He adapted his skill to
car -
.
reinvent himself Producing bespoke architectures Changes on City Road proved positive for this individual
.
. .
2. C. J Butwell corner convenience store affected by superstore competitors and forced to close Impacted
-
-
.
negatively by the wider economic changes .
Activity I. 2
1. The history Of theMackintosh Centre shows how buildings themselves can reveal patterns of inequality .
The appearance of the building reflects its long history as the family home of a wealthy land-owning
family It is this imposing appearance that makes local people feel it is not a place where they would be
.
welcome .
One way in which inequalities persist in society is through the perceptions people have about what is
and is not for them .
,2 John Arthur's story is in some ways a story Of personal Misfortune but it also reveals patterns Of
.
inequalities that are shared by others Factors such as being taken into care alcoholism being unemployed
.
, ,
and being in prison are all connected to homelessness and the economic inequality that characterises being
homeless .
Activity I 3
The Taste Buds Cafe doesn't just provide food it also acts as a familiar space and community .
centre where Older people in particular feel secure The two ladies talk about the quality of food
, .
.
and how things are made especially for them .
The farmers market In addition to selling food the market is also providing a lifestyle for people
'
.
'
who want real and fresh food It is providing a choice for consumers and an opportunity to identify
'
.
with a certain kind Of lifestyle It contributes to building a sense Of community among consumers and
.
those who produce fresh Goods .
→ local ECONOMY
The food bank is quite a different example people do not come here here out Of Choice but out Of ,
necessity They also lack a choice in the food they are given The giving of food is standardised
. .
.
There is also a contrast in terms of how people feel about this place : they feel that it is very depressing and very
'
embarrassing There is still something of a sense of community between those who use the food bank those who
'
.
,
volunteer to work there and those who donate food But it is an unequal relationship defined . by necessity
rather than choice .
Activity 1 4
.
People who maintain the sewage systems Garbage collection and sorting (commercial waste .
teams) electrical maintenance are a few examples of people /Job roles that work behind the
.
scenes to keep the street running but are often taken for Granted These things tend to be
, .
noticed when something goes wrong For a lot of people the street is a place to shop and eat .
,
for others it's a workplace to maintain .
The street is connected to external places such as the
landfill sight where waste is sorted The .
European Union legislations and Government are also connected It provides the realisation that
,
.
the street cannotsimply operate in isolation its connected to external factors ,
.
Activity 1 .
5
Migrants has shaped the street to be a multicultural commercial Place delivering a lot Of diversity ,
Of people and in materialistic products and cuisine Along side the diversity Of people there is evidence .
,
of multiple identities Adaptation to change
-
. .
-
Instant how different groups Of migrants have always contributed into marina and remaking the
street New skills perspectives cultures
.
, ,
.
Activity 1 6 .
Municipal Club story Of nostalgia and anxiety They took back longingly at how things used
-
.
to be Where they once belonged they no longer belong
.
-
,
.
Pool Hall -
Find the space inside safe and friendly .
In both cases it appears that the people feel
,
they beDna in their own particular spaces .
-
but not in the street outside these spaces .
, Inodg Cop
ISISSCSIISSisinS;S.(s).
It is impossible to think and speak without using
concepts, yet it is rare to think about them and
to reflect upon them.
Inequality, for example is a concept and it
refers to the unequal distribution of valued
social resources, such as money, within a
society or between societies.
Concepts are words that are in regular use, but
not everybody uses a concept in the same way
and social scientists also contest the meanings
of concepts.
Concepts tend to relate to a phenomenon that
we can observe or explore so they are like an
idea associated with objects (supermarket) or
activities (shopping). In other words, concepts
don't have to be things that are invisible, such as
freedom or power (although they can also be these things).
Concepts strip out the particular details of something in order to capture the key characteristic of a
phenomenon. Concepts therefore provide a clear simplification which acts as a kind of shorthand of
something that is far more complex. The concept of 'working class', for example, acts as a shorthand to
describe a group of people in society who earn their living by selling their labour to others. It also suggests
particular ways of living, habits and tastes. In reality, however, the term simplifies the complexity of the wide
variety of individuals to whom the concept might be applied and hides the details of the ways in which they
live their lives.
How ci ces se cs?
To ask questions
To construct an argument that gets at the key features of something - concepts put to one side any
complicating or less relevant details do you are left with the most important characteristic of the
phenomenon being described.
To explore and discuss questions - concepts make a difference to what questions can be asked and what
arguments can be made.
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II. iii. III. Hiking Soc
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Introduction
Streets are a familiar part of contemporary social life in different ways. Social Beings
The idea that humans, by their very nature,
The street is a useful starting point to begin describing how people live are best suited to living together in
together as social beings and observe various aspects of society. communities rather than alone.
Eastenders & Coronation Street - Such programmes provide some insight
into social life in the contemporary UK, even though they are based in
fictional settings. Microcosm
Streets act as a microcosm of society from which it is possible to begin Something that illustrates on a small scale,
to think about broader trends and patterns within society. or is representative of, something larger.
Doing social science on the street
Social scientists use a range of methods to explore society. Door-to- I
door surgery’s are one tried and tested method.
In the nineteenth century, people such as Joseph and Seebohm
Rowntree, Beatrice and Sydney Webb, and Charles Booth carries out
door-to-door surveys to document the lives of people in each street.
They were motivated by a concern about poverty and the condition of Rigorous
the working classes. Extremely thorough and careful.
Booth and his team of researchers visited every street in London.
Booth’s study was published between 1886 and 1903 in 17 volumes
under the title Life and Labour of the People in London (booth,
1902-03). Socio-Economic
What was novel about his approach was the rigorous nature of the relating to or concerned with the
way he researched and gathered evidence. Using the street as a basic interaction of social and economic factors.
unit of investigation, he was able to systematically build up a street- A way of describing people based on their
by-street picture of much of Victorian London, allocating a colour education, income, and type of job.
code to each street to indicate its socio-economic position. Socioeconomic status is usually described as
The work that Booth did in measuring poverty was one of factors low, medium, and high. People with a lower
leading to the introduction of means-tested old-age pensions in 1908. socioeconomic status usually have less access
Social scientists use concepts. to financial, educational, social, and health
It is impossible for anybody to think or to speak without using resources than those with a higher
concepts. socioeconomic status.
Social scientists also contest the meanings of concepts, so reflecting
on how concepts are used is important.
Booth used concepts - ‘lowest class’, ‘middle class’ and ‘upper class’.
These concepts served to simplify the detailed features and complexity
of the categories of people he was describing.
Concepts put to one side complicated or less relevant details to leave
a term that acts as a kind of shorthand - a simplification of what is
far more complex idea.
Concepts make a difference to social science inquiry. They affect how
social scientists describe the social world and the questions they ask.
Example - Shopping mall - how shopping becomes combined with other
leisure activities, and what kinds of people are included in or excluded
from these new practices and places.
Broadly speaking, it is useful to divide questions into two kinds:
Description: who, what, where and when?
Explanation: Why and how?
Inequality
An observation that people have differing levels of income and The unequal distribution of valued social
therefore different opportunities in terms of what they can buy and resources within a society or between
consume on the street is underpinned by the concept of inequality. societies.
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