Theory
DEFINITION
| is abstract argument, generalising, deliberating and speculating |
| maps the terrain of the subject area |
| joins up speculation and the practical, including the collecting of data (empiricism) |
| is interdisciplinary |
| produces a methodology, a way of working from linked concepts |
| is reflexive by questioning the most basic of its premises (foundationalist issues) and the subject territory |
Theory is an attempt to identify general properties which explain regularly observed events.
The construction of theories forms an essential element of all work in universities.
While theories tend to be linked to broader theoretical approaches (see methodology below), they are also strongly influenced by the research results they help generate (contrast the sciences and the social sciences, and the humanities).
[Anthony Giddens, Sociology. London: Polity Press, 1997:586]
Theory attempts to:
· be coherent and systematic
· describe and celebrate the creative processes of production (Gill
Branston)
Theory is different from:
· criticism
· interpretation of a text
· philosophy
methodology
a way of working which seeks to be coherently related to certain theoretical premises and to systematically linked concepts and propositions
methodological triangulation - the simultaneous use of many approaches
to the same problematic or phenomenon
methodologically pluralistic, in the sense that a plurality of sources
and data, gathered in a variety of ways, are employed to shed light on
various dimensions of the phenomenon under scrutiny.
central method for mapping the terrain
Archaeology of knowledge
From Foucault, to describe his excavation of past discourses in an archaeological
fashion, in order to trace their emergence (see discourse). [Tony Bilton
et al., Introductory Sociology. 3rd edition. London: Macmillan, 1996:654]
Hypothesis
A set of ideas or a speculative theory about a given state of affairs that
is proposed for empirical testing.
[Tony Bilton et al., Introductory Sociology, 3rd edition. London, Macmillan, 1996:661]
Paradigm
This term refers to the set of questions, practices and institutional arrangements
which characterise scientific activity, for a particular historical period.
For Kuhn, paradigms produce forms of scientific knowledge which appear to be objective, but which in reality reflect very specific sets of interests.
[Tony Bilton et al., Introductory Sociology, 3rd edition. London, Macmillan, 1996:666]
Reductionism
An outlook which explains phenomena in terms of a
simple causal determining factor (see determinism).
[Tony Bilton et al., Introductory Sociology, 3rd edition. London, Macmillan, 1996:668]
Research Methods
The diverse methods of investigation used to gather
empirical (factual) material.
Numerous different research methods exist in sociology, but perhaps the most commonly used are fieldwork (or participant observation) and survey methods.
For many purposes it is useful to combine two or more methods within a single research project.
[Anthony Giddens, Sociology. London: Polity Press, 1997:584]
See also
| Epistemology |
| Oculocentrism or ocularocentrism |
| audiences (reception theory) |
| Semiotics |
| Radio theory - what is it for? What is it? |
REFERENCES - USEFUL GUIDES TO THEORY
Barker, Martin, 2000, From Antz to Titanic. Reinventing Film Analysis, London: Pluto Press.
Barry, Peter, 1995, Beginning Theory. An introduction to literary and cultural theory, Manchester: Manchester University Press.
Howard S. Becker, 'Theory: The Necessary Evil'
Berger, Arthur Asa, 1995, Cultural Criticism. A Primer of Key Concepts, London: Sage.
Bradford, Richard, ed., 1999, The State of Theory, London: Routledge.
Peter Brooker, A Concise Glossary of Cultural Theory, 1999, London: Arnold.
Buckland, Warren, 1998, Teach Yourself Film Studies, London: Hodder & Stoughton.
Dani Cavallaro, Critical and Cultural Theory. Thematic Variations, 2001
London: Athlone Press.
Keith Green and Jill LeBihan, Critical Theory and Practice: A Coursebook,
London: Routledge.
Greetham, D.C., 1999, Theories of the Text, Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hayward, Susan, 2000, Cinema Studies: The Key Concepts, London: Routledge.
Stam, Robert, Burgoyne, Robert and Flitterman-Lewis, Sandy, 1992, New Vocabularies in Film Semiotics: Structuralism, Post-Structuralism and Beyond, London: Routledge.
Robert Stam, Film Theory. An Introduction, 2000, London: Blackwell.
Storey, John, 1998, An Introduction to Cultural Theory and Popular Culture, Prentice-Hall.
Frank Webster, Theories of the Information Society, 1995, London: Routledge.
See Radio theory - what is it
for?
See FORMALISM
Continuing through the site: Voice
Theoretical issues & writing-up your project
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