Key Concepts in the Philosophy of Social Research

About Malcolm Williams

Malcolm Williams is Professor and Director of the School of Social Sciences at Cardiff University. Prior to joining Cardiff in 2010 he was Professor of Social Research Methodology and Head of the School of Psychosocial Sciences at the University of Plymouth where he taught for 16 years. Malcolm has designed and taught modules in the philosophy of social research for 18 years at both undergraduate and postgraduate level. In these he has introduced a number of innovative pedagogic techniques such as Problem Based Learning and Concept Speed Dating in which students take a key idea and move from table to table attempting to build conceptual links between ideas.Additionally he has taught many modules and short courses in social theory research design questionnaire design scaling sampling scientific method and history of science. Williams has an extensive publishing record in philosophy of social research including: Introduction to Philosophy of Social Research (with Tim May Routledge 1996) Knowing the Social World (with Tim May OUP 1998) Science and Social Science (Routledge 2000) Making Sense of Social Research (SAGE 2003) Philosophical Foundations of Social Research (SAGE 2006) Teaching Quantitative Methods (with Geoff Payne SAGE 2011) Objectivity and Subjectivity in Social Research (with Gayle Letherby and John Scott SAGE 2012) and The SAGE Handbook of Innovations in Social Research (with W Paul Voght SAGE 2014).