ABSTRACT
This introductory text combines study skills and research methods to provide students with an invaluable guide to the techniques, practical skills and methods of study that will enable them to achieve success in their academic courses and become effective 'students of society'. It covers key topics such as:
- asking questions – how to formulate questions and think about essay and exam questions
- looking for answers – the strengths and limitations of different information sources
- collecting and organizing information – how to get the best from indexes, contents pages and electronic search engines
- evaluating the authority, currency and validity of the information collected
- communicating through essays, reports and oral presentations.
Throughout the book there is an emphasis on applying the problems and solutions presented, to ‘real world’ issues, including the use of examples and exercises immediately relevant to the undergraduate experience, everyday life and the contemporary concepts studied by the social scientist.
Coherent and up-to-date, this text will be an invaluable learning tool for students of any discipline involving the study of human beings and their societies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|26 pages
Studying society
chapter Chapter 1|9 pages
Thinking about society
chapter Chapter 2|13 pages
Thinking about studying
part II|31 pages
Finding out about society
chapter Chapter 3|7 pages
Academic books and articles
chapter Chapter 4|2 pages
Official statistics and reports
chapter Chapter 5|7 pages
The mass media
chapter Chapter 6|5 pages
Personal experience
chapter Chapter 7|8 pages
The Internet
part III|48 pages
Using your sources
chapter Chapter 8|6 pages
Search strategies
chapter Chapter 9|14 pages
Search techniques
chapter Chapter 10|8 pages
Getting the most out of your library and the Internet
chapter Chapter 11|5 pages
Managing information
chapter Chapter 12|6 pages
Reading strategies
chapter Chapter 13|7 pages
Evaluating sources of information
part IV|41 pages
Researching society
chapter Chapter 14|9 pages
Quantitative research
chapter Chapter 15|9 pages
Qualitative research
chapter Chapter 16|8 pages
Linking theory and research
chapter Chapter 17|13 pages
Alternative theoretical approaches
part V|64 pages
Communicating your ideas