science

Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse

Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse rather than just read about it. In short: The sociology of knowledge approach to discourse (SKAD) is a social science research programme for studying discourse developed by Reiner Keller in order to analyze knowledge relationships and conditions in society. SKAD stems from the sociology of knowledge of Peter L.

Key takeaways

Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The sociology of knowledge approach to discourse (SKAD) is a social science research programme for studying discourse developed by Reiner Keller in order to analyze knowledge relationships and conditions in society. SKAD stems from the sociology of knowledge of Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann who in the 1960s studied the processes involved in the social construction of generally accessible everyday knowledge in their defining work, The Social Construction of Reality. Keller combines this approach with Michel Foucault's discourse theory, which is responsible for the prominent role of discourse concepts in social science and inspired several approaches to discourse analysis in other scientific disciplines. As a comprehensive analytical perspective, SKAD has been applied in a number of empirical studies (on environmental conflicts, sex work, right wing populist discourses, medical discourses, education, migration policy,, not only within sociology but also in disciplines that extend beyond its borders (e.g., archaeology, education, Japanese studies, criminology, linguistics, political science). SKAD is well established within German-speaking discourse studies, though interest has recently been increasing in the English-speaking world and beyond.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse

In research: Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Discourse analysis, Sociolinguistics stubs, Sociology of knowledge, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse in simple terms?

Why does Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sociology of knowledge approach to discourse.