Transcription
When I say theory, is this your reaction? In this video, I'm going to help you become a theory boss. You're going to get rid of that feeling and become super confident in using theory in your assignments. I'm going to walk you through the following three-step process:
One, understand what theory actually means.
Two, know what you're dealing with in your subject area by identifying the most important theories you need to wrap your head around.
Three, find your go-to theory resource that you like, trust, and understand.
By the end of this video, you will be ready to tame your theory tiger. From today, you'll stop feeling intimidated by theory and start to actually become excited about it and its potential to enrich your academic assignments. You will trust me. I'm Dr. Elizabeth Yardley, and for the last 20 years, I've been supporting students in UK universities to get their heads around theory. I've taught criminology, sociology, and social policy, and every student who's implemented my theory systems has gone from theory phobe to theory boss. They have been able to take the best theory strands and expertly weave them into every assignment they do.
If you are not comfortable with theory, you are not alone. Most students do not feel comfortable with theory, but we need to get you comfortable with theory because when you are, you will see your grades skyrocket. You can get through your degree with a mediocre level of theory competence. You can scrape through with your knowledge of the issues and your ability to debate them, but if you do that, you're just going to end up with an average degree, and you are not an average human. And let's be honest, you paid a lot of money for that degree, so you need to make sure that you squeeze as much out of it as you possibly can. Get the grades that you're capable of, and knowing theory is an absolutely essential part of that.
So, how do you get confident with theory? Let's go through those three steps.
Firstly, understand what theory actually is and what it does. Think of theories like different sets of lenses that you might swap and change in a pair of glasses. Some help you see things up close, others from a distance. Some will try to do both. Some will blur the background, others will sharpen the focus. Some will be tinted different colors. Each one will give you a different perspective because it focuses your attention in a specific way. It hones in on particular things, and it might obscure other things. We put our theory glasses on to get better answers to this question: why? Why is a question that you ask a lot as a social science student. For example, why are things like this? Why are there high levels of poverty in this area? Why does this person keep going back to prison? Why does this group of boys do so badly in education? Why is this type of family stigmatized? Why is this person excluded? Why is this other person included? Why does that person get away with it and that other person doesn't? Lots and lots of why questions, right? And by really getting to grips with theory, you are able to try on all of those different sets of glasses with their different lenses, and each one will reveal different answers to those questions. That's it, in very simple terms, that is what theory is, and that is what theory does. It's something that can help you, so stop being intimidated by it and make it start working for you.
Secondly, get to grips with the core theories in your discipline. Know what they are. Know what you're dealing with. Talk to your professors and lecturers. Drop them a quick email. Arrange to see them in their student consultation hours. Say to them, "I really want to start getting better at theory. Can I come and talk to you about it?" They'll actually love your passion and enthusiasm, and they will be super keen to chat. They'll likely recommend some specific theories for you to start off with. They'll probably give you some really helpful tips and advice as well that have come from years or decades of working in the field you're studying in. You'll likely come away with some theory hacks that will be incredibly valuable for you. These are the kind of things that you probably won't read in any textbook or learn on a YouTube channel, well, apart from this one.
Also, read the course handbook that comes with your degree program. That will help you identify particular theories that are important to your course. All degree programs have to reach particular standards, and each discipline of the social sciences will have a set of essential theories that students of that discipline need to know. So go and do your research. Go and look at those course handbook documents that no one else ever bothers to look at, because there's gold in there.
Thirdly, find your go-to theory resource. This is going to be an introductory theory textbook. It will have a title like "Introduction to Sociological Theory" or "Introduction to Theory and Criminology," something along those lines. There are usually quite a good number of different textbooks like this in every discipline. You'll find at least one that resonates with you, that's easy for you to read, and that gives good examples. So try out a few of them. And this is something to ask your professors and lecturers about as well. They will know what the good books are. Go have a look in the library as well. But don't get too hung up on the theory textbook being the latest edition, because sometimes newer isn't always better. Theory is theory, and if you're needing to get to grips with theories that were developed 100 years ago, it's fine to have a book from 30 years ago.
Also, keep an eye out on sites like eBay and check out the new and used books on Amazon and secondhand bookstores. You can grab a bargain this way. I actually do this, and there's a real sense of accomplishment that comes with discovering a marvellous old theory book that cost you 50p.
To recap, you need to start by understanding that theory is a tool rather than a barrier. You then need to identify what the priority theories are in your particular discipline. Then you need to go and discover your go-to theory resource.
Share your views on theory books in the comments. What subject are you studying, and what is your go-to theory textbook? Don't forget to subscribe to my channel so you don't miss out on any of my theory videos. There are lots more on the way. Also, sign up for my email list to receive a dose of study inspiration straight into your inbox every Wednesday. I will put the link to the sign-up page in the description.