Salsa Dancing Into the Social Sciences: Research in an Age of Info-Glut

By Kristin Luker

Book Overview

"You might think that dancing doesn't have a lot to do with social research, and doing social research is probably why you picked this book up in the first place. But trust me. Salsa dancing is a practice as well as a metaphor for a kind of research that will make your life easier and better."

Savvy, witty, and sensible, this unique book is both a handbook for defining and completing a research project, and an astute introduction to the neglected history and changeable philosophy of modern social science. In this volume, Kristin Luker guides novice researchers in: knowing the difference between an area of interest and a research topic; defining the relevant parts of a potentially infinite research literature; mastering sampling, operationalization, and generalization; understanding which research methods best answer your questions; beating writer's block.

Most important, she shows how friendships, non-academic interests, and even salsa dancing can make for a better researcher.

"You know about setting the kitchen timer and writing for only an hour, or only 15 minutes if you are feeling particularly anxious. I wrote a fairly large part of this book feeling exactly like that. If I can write an entire book 15 minutes at a time, so can you."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674048210
• ISBN13: 9780674048218
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Harvard University Press
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.76 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.5" x 8.2"