300193 Tricks of the trade. Getting social research done while you're doing it (Method Class) (S) (WiSe 2025/2026)

In his book Tricks of the Trade Howard S. Becker paints a broad panorama of the research problems that sociologists often face while (!) seriously engaging with ‘their’ research subjects, armed with theoretical knowledge but empirically naive. En passant, he writes a sociology of sociological research – and in particular of theoretical work. To this end, he discusses a number of tools for tackling the problems that arise – tricks, in other words. He does not propose abstract solutions but describes very specifically where the tricks in question have already been used. The book does not contain general, downright ‘global’ recipe knowledge, but rather formulates typical occasions for using the tricks described and applying them creatively to fruitfully shape one's own ‘local’ problem situation.
Working with sociological tricks is therefore based on the premise that social research – as mentioned above: theoretically informed but empirically naive – is a constant problem-solving exercise. (And of course, it would be nice if the problems that arise were already fully known in the conceptual phase of a study. But they usually are not. If they were, it would probably not be research that follows the conception.) An example of such a problem: As you grapple with empirical materials, a nice answer slowly takes shape in your head. Unfortunately, you still don't have the right question. What do you do? (“Nine Wagner.”)
In our seminar, we will take an in-depth look at various sociological tricks. We will not do this in the abstract, but rather in concrete terms. This will give us the opportunity to discuss the usefulness of certain tricks and, above all, their limitations, using a similar level of knowledge of empirical material. In addition, this approach offers the opportunity to bring descriptions of our own areas of interest into the discussion and to discuss them in relation to or in contrast to the case we are dealing with. (This trick is called “thinking in analogies.”)
You will see in the course schedule that the seminar concept envisages discussing large parts of Becker's book, supplemented by further readings on sociological tricks. However, the seminar does not follow the structure of the book. Its design suggests that research problems occur in a certain sequence. However, such linearity is a chimera. (Becker was also fully aware of this. Not least because of this, it is possible to start reading his monograph at any point.) And we have the opportunity not to unquestioningly reel off a supposedly necessary program. Rather, we can explore certain, let's say, technical problem horizons. These include: Discovering. Explaining. Developing, collecting, creating material. Dealing with the wealth of material. Explaining. Writing (down), rewriting, finishing writing.

Bibliography

Abbott, A., 2004: Methods of Discovery. Heuristics for the Social Sciences. New York: W.W. Norton.
Becker, H.S., 1998: Tricks of the Trade. How to Think About Your Research While You’re Doing It. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
Becker, H.S., 2017: Evidence. Chicago; London: The University of Chicago Press.
Kleinman, S. & K.H. Kolb, 2011: Traps on the Path of Analysis. Symbolic Interaction 34: 425–446.
Merton, R.K., 1987: Three Fragments from a Sociologist’s Notebooks: Establishing the Phenomenon, Specified Ignorance, and Strategic Research Materials. Annual Review of Sociology 13: 1–29.