Challenging the mainstream orthodoxy of social scientific methodology, which closely guards the boundaries between the social sciences and the arts and humanities, this volume reveals that authors and artists are often engaged in projects parallel to those of the social sciences and vice versa, thus demonstrating that artistic and cultural production does not necessarily constitute a specialist field, but is in fact integral to social reality.
Imaginative Methodologies in the Social Sciences develops, expands and challenges conventional social scientific methodology and language by way of literary, poetic and other alternative sources of inspiration, as sociologists, social workers, anthropologists, criminologists and psychologists all rethink, provoke and reignite social scientific methodology. Challenging the mainstream orthodoxy of social scientific methodology, which closely guards the boundaries between the social sciences and the arts and humanities, this volume reveals that authors and artists are often engaged in projects parallel to those of the social sciences and vice versa, thus demonstrating that artistic and cultural production does not necessarily constitute a specialist field, but is in fact integral to social reality. As such, it will be of interest to scholars and students in the social sciences and across the arts and humanities working on the philosophy of social science, methodology, social theory, creativity, poetics, pedagogy and other related topics.
Consider Miles Davis, horn held high, sculpting a powerful musical statement full of tonal patterns, inside jokes, and thrilling climactic phrases—all on the fly. Or think of a comedy troupe riffing on a couple of cues from the audience until the whole room is erupting with laughter. Or maybe it’s a team of software engineers brainstorming their way to the next Google, or the Einsteins of the world code-cracking the mysteries of nature. Maybe it’s simply a child playing with her toys. What do all of these activities share? With wisdom, humor, and joy, philosopher Stephen T. Asma answers that question in this book: imagination. And from there he takes us on an extraordinary tour of the human creative spirit. Guided by neuroscience, animal behavior, evolution, philosophy, and psychology, Asma burrows deep into the human psyche to look right at the enigmatic but powerful engine that is our improvisational creativity—the source, he argues, of our remarkable imaginational capacity. How is it, he asks, that a story can evoke a whole world inside of us? How are we able to rehearse a skill, a speech, or even an entire scenario simply by thinking about it? How does creativity go beyond experience and help us make something completely new? And how does our moral imagination help us sculpt a better society? As he shows, we live in a world that is only partly happening in reality. Huge swaths of our cognitive experiences are made up by “what-ifs,” “almosts,” and “maybes,” an imagined terrain that churns out one of the most overlooked but necessary resources for our flourishing: possibilities. Considering everything from how imagination works in our physical bodies to the ways we make images, from the mechanics of language and our ability to tell stories to the creative composition of self-consciousness, Asma expands our personal and day-to-day forms of imagination into a grand scale: as one of the decisive evolutionary forces that has guided human development from the Paleolithic era to today. The result is an inspiring look at the rich relationships among improvisation, imagination, and culture, and a privileged glimpse into the unique nature of our evolved minds.
With foreword by Kenneth J. Gergen and Mary M. Gergen. Creative research methods can help to answer complex contemporary questions, which are hard to answer using traditional methods alone. Creative methods can also be more ethical, helping researchers to address social injustice. This accessible book is the first to identify and examine the four areas of creative research methods: arts-based research, research using technology, mixed-method research and transformative research frameworks. Written in a practical and jargon-free style, with over 100 boxed examples, it offers numerous examples of creative methods in practice, from the social sciences, arts, and humanities around the world. Spanning the gulf between academia and practice, this useful book will inform and inspire researchers by showing readers why, when, and how to use creative methods in their research.
Recently, a new understanding of creative thought and creative performance has surfaced. It has also attracted the attention of early childhood professional organizations and researchers. Professional organizations have included it in their publications and conferences. While current creativity researchers have initiated a far more sophisticated understanding of young children’s creative thinking, ways to assess creativity, strategies to promote creativity, and research methodologies. The purpose of this volume is to present a wide range of different theories and areas in the study of creativity to help researchers and theorists work toward the development of different perspectives on creativity with young children. It focuses on critical analyses and reviews of the literature on topics related to creativity research, development, theories, and practices. It will serve as a reference for early childhood education researchers, scholars, academics, general educators, teacher educators, teachers, graduate students, and scientists to stimulate further “dialogue” on ways to enhance creativity. The chapters are of high quality and provide scholarly analyses of research studies that capture the full range of approaches to the study of creativity --- behavioral, clinical, cognitive, cross-cultural, developmental, educational, genetic, organizational, psychoanalytic, psychometric, and social. Interdisciplinary research is also included, as is research within specific domains such as art and science, as well as on critical issues (e.g., aesthetics, genius, imagery, imagination, insight, intuition, metaphor, play, problem finding and solving). Thus, it offers critical analyses on reviews of research in a form that are useful to early childhood researchers, scholars, educators, and graduate students. It also places the current research in its historical context. The volume is also of interest to the general readers who are interested in the young children’s creativity. The chapters are authored by established scholars in the field of young children’s creativity.
The human aspect plays an important role in the social sciences. The behavior of people has become a vital area of focus in the social sciences as well. Interdisciplinary Behavior and Social Sciences contains papers that were originally presented at the 3rd International Congress on Interdisciplinary Behavior and Social Science 2014 (ICIBSoS 2014),
What are the possible future worlds of social science? How do these prospects compare with recent conclusions that social science “is generally a non-factor in policy debates and irrelevant to the lives of a host of real-world people,” as a well-known sociologist reported in the centennial volume of the American Sociological Association? This substantial study covers history, art and aesthetics, identity and the self, in seeking an answer to the question of ‘Future Worlds’.
Written in an easy-to-understand style, the text has been thoroughly revised in tune with the spirit and need of the new nomenclature Pedagogy of Social Sciences in place of the old designation Teaching of Social Studies. It reflects on the theoretical knowledge and practical skills required to teach Social Sciences in an effective manner. Introducing new chapters, the second edition of the book mainly focuses on improving the methodological concepts of the Social Sciences teachers. In doing so, it covers various strategies and devices of teaching Social Sciences, e-learning in Social Sciences, e-learning resources in Social Sciences, and professional growth of the Social Sciences teacher. Besides, the chapters of the previous edition have been updated, with the required information given in various new sections. This book is suitable for a course on ‘Pedagogy of Social Sciences’ for the students of B.Ed. and M.A. (Education). It can also be used for the in-service teacher education programmes organized by the Central and State education boards. NEW TO THE SECOND EDITION In addition to the four new chapters, the book now incorporates several new sections: • Concept and meaning of the term Social Sciences; distinguishing the subject Social Sciences from Natural Sciences and the subject Social Studies; justification for using the term teaching/pedagogy of Social Sciences in place of teaching/pedagogy of Social Studies (Chapter 1) • Bloom’s revised taxonomy, 2001 (Chapter 4) • Views of NCF and Focus Group (NCERT) about curriculum at the various stages of school education (Chapter 5) • Survey method and cooperative learning method for the teaching of Social Sciences (Chapter 7) • Reference books in Social Sciences (Chapter 9) • Atlases, newspapers, digital audio recorders and players and documentaries as instructional material or teaching aids (Chapter 11) • Question banks, grading system, open book examinations and use of rubrics as the means and ways for improving the evaluation programmes in Social Sciences (Chapter 23) Also, the chapter on ‘Relationship of Social Studies with other Subjects’ has been replaced with a more comprehensive and detailed chapter on ‘Correlation in Social Sciences’ (Chapter 6). KEY FEATURES Chapter-end summary and study questions to help readers review the important topics and drill the concept discussed, respectively. Numerous figures and tables to facilitate easy understanding of the concepts. References and Suggested Readings to provide scope for further reading.
