I.T. in the Social Sciences A Student's Guide to the Information and Communication Technologies

by Henry, Millsom

• ISBN13: 9780631212676
• ISBN10: 0631212671
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-01-26
• Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

Summary

IT in the Social Sciences provides students with an overview of the use and study of technology in the social sciences. It dispels the myth that the social sciences are a set of technologically illiterate disciplines and demonstrates that technology itself is a legitimate subject of sociological enquiry.This book offers students practical advice in the development of IT skills and explains the benefits of technology in research and study. In addition, the editors examine the role of technology in society and looks at how the range of new communication technologies may affect not only the process of learning but other areas of social life in the future.

Author Biography

Millsom Henry is Deputy Director of the CTI Centre for Sociology and the Policy Sciences, University of Stirling.

Table of Contents

List of Contributors	vii	(5)
Preface	xii	(1)
Acknowledgements	xiii
1 Studying and Using Technology: an Introduction to Communications and Information Technologies	1	(8)
Millsom Henry
2 Confronting the Social Character of Computers: the Challenges for Social Scientists	9	(16)
Steve Fuller
3 What, When and How to Learn. Using Technology Effectively: Transferable Skills for the Social Sciences Student	25	(15)
Kate Bloor
4 The Computer as a Tool to Aid the Interaction between Thinking and Essay Writing	40	(18)
Jon Gubbay
5 Data Sources for Social Scientists	58	(20)
Eric Tanenbaum
6 Quantitative Research and Information Technology	78	(18)
Duncan Timms
7 The Theoretical and Practical Applications of IT in Qualitative Analysis	96	(16)
Nigel Fielding
8 Using Computers in Qualitative Analysis	112	(16)
Mike Fisher
9 The Use of Computerized Simulations in Social Science Research, Training and Teaching	128	(20)
George H. Conklin
10 Simulating Social Interaction in a Virtual Reality Setting: Problems and Prospects	148	(22)
Edward Brent
11 [e-mail]? The Intersection of Student and Computing Cultures at the University of California at Berkeley	170	(27)
Nina Wakeford
12 Future Directions: IT and Studying Social and Political Science in the Next Decade	197	(37)
Graham R. Gibbs
Catherine Skinner
Index	234