February 9th

Sign in & participation cards Small group work Lecture Three: Sociological Research Pass out mini-exam #1 Homework:

Review exam Syllabus changes – check website

Small Group Work:Group #1: What theoretical approach/perspective is Collins using? Why?

Explain.

Group #2: What type of sociological question(s) is Collins asking? Why? Explain.

Group #3: What research methods does Collins use? How are these methods related to her question(s)?

Group #4: Define the following concepts as used by Collins: Commodity Globalization Commodity Chain Capital

Group #5: Beyond a better understanding of the apparel industry, what does Collins say this study can help us understand? How will her research be able to do this?

Lecture 3

Sociological Research: Threads

Threads: Main Research Questions What does it mean to be a worker in an industry with a global

labor market?

And, how (does) participating in such a labor market affect the: social relations of work? the organization of production? the opportunities for negotiating with employers? the forms of resistance that make sense?

What sociological perspective is Collins using? Conflict Theory & Political Economy

Political Economy is a theoretical approach the focuses on the relations of production & consumption and how they are related to government, laws, and customs

Moral Economy: social norms, values, and beliefs that shape economic behavior (Threads pg 13) Examples: Minimum Wage & Private Property

Asking Sociological Questions Sociological Questions:

Factual Comparative Developmental Theoretical

What type of question is Collins asking? All of them

How are her questions related to her theoretical approaches? Macro questions: concerned with how the structure

and organization of society affects individuals

Examines the relationship between groups and the resources the struggle over Focus on power and who benefits

Examines the relationship between workers, those who control/organize work, and consumers through one commodity (apparel)

What method(s) does Collins use to answer her questions? Why? Multisited ethnography: a holistic research

method utilizes fieldwork to gain a systematic understanding of social phenomena

Commodity chain analysis: trace the economic, political, and social relationships of one commodity in the global economy from production to consumption

How are her methods related to her research questions and her theoretical perspective? Commodity Chain Analysis:

Linkages and relationships between global & local Social relations are determined by production &

consumption

Multi-sited Ethnography Decisions, actions, negotiations The daily life of workers

Threads: Key Concepts

Concept: an abstract idea (tool) we use to analyze social phenomena

Threads conceptual tools: Commodity – a good bought and sold on the market; value is

determined by the market Globalization – interconnections and interdependency of people

around the world World as a single order

Commodity Chain – economic and social relationships behind a commodity (often invisible)

Capital – tangible (machines, land) and intangible ($) inputs used for accumulation

Beyond a better understanding of the apparel industry, what does Collins say this study can help us understand? How will her research be able to do this?

Academic Argument

A logical process of reasoning to make an informed statement

Interpretation of the social world based on: Facts, empirical evidence Informed by theory and concepts Assumptions are communicated and objectivity is

desired

Opinion?

Personal view, attitude, or appraisal a belief or judgment that rests on grounds

insufficient to produce complete certainty

Interpretation of the social world based on: Personal experience Personal beliefs Subjectivity, not objectivity is desired

Was Collins able to control bias in her study? Why or why not? How?

Do you think she should have: Used a different theoretical approach? Asked different types of questions? Used different or additional methods?