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Lesson 2 DISS Student

The document provides an overview of social sciences, highlighting its diverse disciplines such as anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology, along with their respective methods and subject areas. It emphasizes that social sciences focus on understanding human behavior and societal dynamics, contrasting them with natural sciences. Additionally, it outlines the etymologies and definitions of various social science disciplines, detailing their functions and significance in studying human life and society.

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24 views14 pages

Lesson 2 DISS Student

The document provides an overview of social sciences, highlighting its diverse disciplines such as anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and sociology, along with their respective methods and subject areas. It emphasizes that social sciences focus on understanding human behavior and societal dynamics, contrasting them with natural sciences. Additionally, it outlines the etymologies and definitions of various social science disciplines, detailing their functions and significance in studying human life and society.

Uploaded by

liezavs
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Lesson 2

Social science tells us


•Social sciences consist of a
variety of disciplines, subject
areas, and methods, and
there is no reason to expect
that these disciplines will
eventually add up to a single
unified theory of society. The
social sciences are concerned
with the complex drivers of
human behavior.
The social sciences are a broad field of
study that includes many different
disciplines, subject areas, and methods:
•Disciplines
• Some examples of social science disciplines include
anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, and
sociology.
•Subject areas
• Social science subject areas include how people organize
and govern themselves, how wealth is generated, and how
business works.
•Methods
• Social science methods include case studies,
historical research, interviewing, participant
observation, social network analysis, survey
research, statistical analysis, and model building.

• The social sciences focus on understanding the


drivers of collective human behavior, while the
natural sciences focus on investigating the laws
governing observable natural phenomena.
Table 1: Etymologies of Social Science
Disciplines and Definitions
Social Science
Disciplines
Etymologies Definitions

Scientific study of man or


Anthropology
“anthopos” (human),
human being and their societies
“logos” (study of)
in the past and present

Demography
“demos” (people), Study of human population and
“graphein” (description) dynamics

Study of study of how people


Economics
“oikanomia” (household
produce, distribute, and
management)
consume goods and services.
Social Science
Etymologies Definitions
Disciplines
Deals with the study of the
Geography
“geo”(Earth),
relationship between the
“graphein”(description)
earth and people

Study of languages and


Linguistics
“lingua”(tongue,
focuses on the three aspects
language)
of language

History
“histoire”(recorded and The study of the past and its
documented events) records about events.
Social Science
Etymologies Definitions
Disciplines

Political “politika,” “polis” Deals with the system of


Science (affairs of the cities) governance

Psychology
“psyche”(mind), Scientific study of the
“logos”(study of) mind and behavior
Study of groups-how they
“socius” (people are formed, how they
Sociology together, associate), change, and how the
“logos” (study of) group impacts individual
behavior
DISCIPLINES FUNCTION
Essentially to understand as many aspects of human life as
can possibly be studied, to record its findings, and
contribute to both historical understanding as well as to
Anthropology
ascertain current states of the human condition in an
attempt to better understand and/or act upon those
findings.

To understand basic physical systems that affect everyday


life (e.g. earth-sun relationships, water cycles, wind and
ocean currents). To learn the location of places and the
Geography
physical and cultural characteristics of those places in
order to function more effectively in our increasingly
interdependent world.
A useful for work. Its study helps create good businesspeople,
professionals, and political leaders. The number of explicit
History professional jobs for historians is considerable, but most
people who study history do not become professional
historians.

Can study society with a wide variety of focuses. From studying


the power elite, to the interaction of the economy, society and
Sociology the environment, to the examination of various rights
movements. Sociology examines the way different aspects of
society behave and function.

A social study concerning the allocation and transfer of power in


decision making, the roles and systems of governance including
Political Science governments and international organizations, political behavior
and public policies.
The three most important functions of economics are as follows: Just
as feeding, digestion and growth are the vital processes of living
Economics beings; similarly, production, consumption and growth are the
essentials of economies.
Refer to the general social uses of language, such as requesting objects
and activities, initiating social interactions, expressing personal
Linguistics feelings, describing aspects of the world, requesting information, and
pretending.
To know the population of a particular area; To ascertain as to which
factors are influencing the population of that particular area; To explain
Demography the factors relating to changes in population; and To study the
population trends on the basis of the above three factors.

According to earlier psychologists, the function of psychology was to


study the nature, origin and destiny of the human soul. But soul is
Psychology something metaphysical. It cannot be seen, observed and touched and
we cannot make scientific experiments in soul.

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