Research Methods: The First Class

Abstract

Until recently I believed that the first meeting of a class could be handled in one of two ways-discussing the syllabus and dismissing the class early or beginning with the first of a series of lectures. Having taught courses in sociological research methods for the past seven years, I have come to realize that students generally come to this class with the preconceived notion that they do not like the content of the course and that understanding empirical sociology is one of those experiences in the life of the sociology student that must be endured with courage. Many of the students in the research class say that they have decided to major in sociology to avoid the quantitative and the empirical perspectives of the natural sciences. Consequently, with such predispositions, how does one begin to approach the students of social research on the first day of class? If one were to review the syllabus or give a lecture on the nature of science and its relationship to sociology, outcomes would be to heighten the anxiety levels of students or to confirm