Suchergebnisse

Die vorliegende Ansprache des Präsidenten zum jährlichen (achtzehnten) Treffen der Social Science History Association (SSHA) rekapituliert die Geschichte dieser Vereinigung mit folgenden Schlußfolgerungen: (1) Auch Sozialhistoriker können ihre eigene Geschichte prinzipiell nicht voraussagen. Dies zeigt sich z.B. an den kühnen und optimistischen Prognosen in den 70er Jahren zur Entwicklung des eigenen Fachs. (2) Die Entwicklung der Disziplin ist von der Größe und den 'Zufälligkeiten' der jährlichen Treffen entscheidend mitgeprägt. (3) Die Wirkungen sozialgeschichtlicher Forschungen sind eher langfristig und kaum an den eher 'modischen' Schwankungen der Themenwahl und deren öffentlicher Diskussion abzulesen. (pmb)

THUCYDIDES USED HISTORY TO MEET NEEDS PRESENTED TO HIM BY GREEK CULTURE AND HIS EMINENTLY, GREEK MIND. HE PRESENTS A WAR, ITS ORIGINSAND COURSE, EXPLAINED WITH INTELLECTUAL POWER AND ARTISTIC PROPRIETY. HE IS A POLITICAL SCIENTIST CONCERNED WITH POLICY, POWER, WAR AND CIVIC DEGENERATION, HIS IMPORTANT ASSERTON IS THAT KNOWLEDGE COULD LEAD TO A HIGHER FORM OF BEHAVIOR.

The study of science in human civilisations has a complex history. In ancient India much was learnt from Greece and new contributions were made. The Islamic civilisation added much to what Greece had contributed in science and medicine. The advances in Europe from fifteenth century onwards left the whole world behind; and science was duly utilised to serve the interests of the colonial regime. Now, there is need to develop a comprehensive History of Science, Technology Environment and Medicine (HISTEM). A combination of these fields does not mean that the distinction between them, for example, between science and technology is overlooked. Nor can HISTEM be divorced from the general history of the country concerned, India in the present case.

Cover -- Brief Contents -- Contents -- List of Figures, Tables and Boxes -- Preface -- Chapter 1 Introduction -- What Is Research? -- What Is Science? -- Why Research Design? -- What Is Political Science? -- The Purposes of This Text -- The Way Ahead -- Chapter 2 Types of Research and Research Questions -- Normative and Positive Research -- Theoretical and Empirical Research -- Descriptive, Predictive, and Explanatory Research -- Theory Generation, Theory Testing, and Theory Application -- Alternative Approaches -- Choosing a Topic -- Sharpening the Research Question -- Further Reading -- Chapter 3 Theory in the Research Process -- Paradigms, Theories, Models, and Interpretations -- The Functions of Theory -- The Structure of Theory -- Developing Explanatory Theory -- What Makes a Good Theory? -- Practical Considerations about Theory -- Further Reading -- Chapter 4 Concepts and Operationalization -- Concepts -- Conceptualization -- Operationalization -- Pitfalls of Conceptualization -- Summing Up -- Further Reading -- Chapter 5 Measurement and Description -- Preliminaries -- A Glossary of Research Terms -- Measurement Reliability and Validity -- Measurement Strategies in Political Science -- Descriptive Inference -- Goals of Descriptive Research -- Describing Populations -- Describing Individual Cases -- Further Reading -- Chapter 6 Explanation and Causality -- Types of Explanation -- Notions of Causality -- Causal Inference -- Further Reading -- Chapter 7 Experimental Designs -- The Basics of Experimental Research -- The Design of Experimental Research -- Complications -- The Analysis of Experimental Data -- Experiments in Political Science and Public Policy Research -- Limits to Experimental Research -- Further Reading -- Chapter 8 Large-N Designs -- The Logic of Large-N Research -- Pitfalls on the Way from Association to Causation.