1. Normative v. Empirical Statements

2. Normative Statements Contain value judgments Contain words such as should or should not, better or worse

3. Empirical Statements describe what is in the social world, without evaluating it. They are statements that can be measured empirically. Empirical: can be proven through experience or experiment

4. Examples of Normative and Empirical Statements From Caroline Persell Decide if each of the following are normative or empirical statements

5. 1. Judging from his lawsuit, LaTulippe decided to challenge the norms held by the hockey team.

6. 2. LaTulippe chose to deviate from these terrible norms.

7. "Gay families are indisputably here." (Judith Stacey, 2003, “In the Name of the Family” pp. 105-28 in All Our Families: New Policies for a New Century, edited by Mary Ann Mason and Steven Sugarman. New York: Oxford University Press.)

8. 4. "Gay and lesbian families come in different sizes, shapes, ethnicities, races, religions, resources, creeds, and quirks, and even engage in diverse sexual practices." (Stacey, 2003)

9. 5. Gay families should be normalized (Stacey, 2003).

10. 6. "In this [article] I hope to facilitate such a process of normalization…" (Stacey, 2003)

11. 7. “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point is to change it.” (Karl Marx, Theses on Feuerbach, XI)

12. With a Partner: Write three normative and three empirical statements based on observations of Woodland Hills High School Be prepared to share