Disciplines: Anthropology, Archeology & Economics

• Disciplines contain terms that, in specific contexts, are given specific meanings that deviate from the meanings the same words have in other contexts and in everyday language.

Anthropology and Archaeology

• Artifact - A thing that has been manufactured or intentionally modified for some use, for example prehistoric stone tools and pots.
• Evolution - Genetic change in a population of organisms that occurs over time and is frequently used to refer to the appearance of a new species.
• Forensic anthropology - Identifies murder and disaster victims mostly from skeletal remains.
• Paleoanthropology - The study of early forms of humans and their primate ancestors.
• Primates - The biological order of animals that includes humans, apes, and monkeys.

Economics

• Deficit - The amount by which government spending in a period (e.g. a year) exceeds the amounts raised by taxes and other government income.
• Demand - Quantity of goods or services which purchasers are willing to buy at a given price.
• Economic Growth - An increase over any given time period (e.g. one year) in the total output of an economy as measured by GDP.
• Gross Domestic Product (GDP) - A measure of the value of what is produced in a country in a given period.
• Inflation - A rise in the overall Price Level as measured by indicators such as CPI or RPI.
• Supply - The quantity of any good or service which people and organizations providing those goods and services will offer for sale at a given price.

Geography

• Latitude - A way of measuring your position on the earth in a north-to-south direction.
• Longitude - A way of measuring your position on the earth in an east-west direction.
• Topographic map - A map that shows the height and steepness (or relief) of land using contour lines.
• Political map - A map that shows who has authority in a particular area.
• Scale - A feature on a map that tells you how large the things represented on the map are in real life compared to the way they are shown on the map.

History

• Archive - A collection of documents and records.
• Autobiography - An account of a person's life written or otherwise recorded by that person.
• Historiography - Either the methods and principles used in the study of history or the written result.
• Journal - A periodical which normally deals with a specific issue.
• Primary Sources - Material from, or directly related to, the past.
• Reference Work - A text, usually in the form of a dictionary or encyclopedia, that contains facts and information, but not discussions.
• Secondary Sources - Material created by somebody removed from the event being studied.

Law

• Accessory - A person who in some manner is connected with a crime, either before or after its perpetration, but who is not present at the time the crime is committed.
• Accomplice - One who knowingly, voluntarily, and intentionally unites with the principal offender in the commission of a crime as a principal, accessory, or aider or abettor.
• Accused - A person charged with having committed a crime or misdemeanor.
• Acknowledgment - The short declaration showing that the instrument was duly executed and acknowledged.
• Bail - The amount of cash required to obtain the release of an accused from law enforcement custody while his or her case progressives.
• Caveat - A warning or caution.
• Double jeopardy - The constitutional prohibition against a person being put on trial more than once for the same offense after acquittal or conviction or multiple punishments for the same offense.
• Plaintiff - A person who initiates a lawsuit against another.
• Plea Bargain - Involves the defendant's pleading guilty to a lesser offense or to a lesser number of offenses.

Linguistics

• Phonetics - The study of human sounds.
• Phonology - The study of the sound system of a language/languages.
• Morphology - The study of the words as they express grammatical categories.
• Syntax - The study of sentence structure
• Semantics - The study of meaning in language.
• Connotation - Additional meaning which arises due to the associations a word has.
• Denotation - The relationship between a word and the non-linguistic, 'outside' world.
• Homograph - Any two (or more) words which are written the same, though the pronunciation may be different.
• Homonym - Any set of words which share their form but have different meanings.
• Intonation - Part of the sound system of a language that involves the use of pitch to convey information.

Political Science

• Authoritarian - Government is fully controlled by the ruler.
• Bicameral - A legislature that comprises two parts or chambers.
• Checks and balance - A principle of a system of government whereby each branch of the government can check the actions of the others.
• Constitution - A principle of a system of government whereby each branch of the government can check the actions of the others.
• Diplomacy - A principle of a system of government whereby each branch of the government can check the actions of the others.
• Ideology - A world view or set of comprehensive beliefs about people and the role of government.
• Legislature - A part of government primarily responsible for making laws.
• Separation of powers - Division of governmental functions and powers among different branches of government, so that the various self-interests of each group would moderate those of the others.
• Suffrage - Right and privilege of voting

Psychology

• Alter ego - Means second self
• Abnormal behavior - Behavior which is regarded by society as deviant or maladaptive.
• Affiliation - The desire of people to associate with others.
• Aggression - An action or a series of actions where the aim is to cause harm to another person or object.
• Anonymity - A state for an individual within a crowd where each person loses their sense of individuality.
• Antagonist - substance that hinders the activity of a neurotransmitter, through reducing the amount available.
• Attitudes - This refers to the degree to which a person has a favorable or unfavorable evaluation of the behavior of interest Entails a consideration of the outcomes of performing the behavior.
• Claustrophobia - An intense fear of confined spaces such as lifts.
• Daydream - A visionary fantasy experienced while awake, especially one of happy, pleasant thoughts, hopes, or ambitions.
• Defense mechanism - Psychological strategies as part of Freudian psychoanalytic theory that are used to distort or deny reality, in order to cope with anxiety and/or a situation which an individual feels is difficult to cope with.
• Gene - Biological units of heredity, crucial for transmitting traits.
• Genetics - The study of heredity of physical and psychological traits.

Sociology

• Culture - A system of values, beliefs, and practices that characterize a particular group, for example, a national or ethnic group.
• Custom - A practice from the past that people continue to observe.
• Demographic - A socioeconomic or similar factor that defines a certain group or area.
• Deviant behavior - Behavior that is a recognized violation of social norms.
• Discrimination - Unequal and unlawful treatment based upon race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation.
• Dysfunctional - Functioning incorrectly or abnormally.
• Gender roles - A given culture or society's acceptable set of attitudes and behaviors for each gender.
• Leadership - The ability of an individual or member of a group to influence other group members in achieving group goals.
• Social norms - Refers to the customary codes of behavior in a group or people or larger cultural context.

Social Science Theories

• Conflict theory - Tensions and conflicts arise when resources, status, and power are unevenly distributed between groups in society.
• Diffusion of Innovation Theory - Expresses how ideas are spread among groups of people.
• Exchange theory - Views social order as the unplanned outcome of acts of exchange between members of society.
• Feminist Theory - Focuses on analyzing the grounds of the limitations faced by women when they claim the right to equality with men.
• Functionalist Theory - Envisioned society as an organism since each component plays a necessary role but can't function alone.
• General Deterrence Theory - The public will avoid committing crimes from fear of the strict consequences.
• Rational choice theory - Individuals choose a course of action that is most in line with their personal preferences.
• Social exchange theory - A relationship between two people is created through a process of cost-benefit analysis.
• Theory of Planned Behavior - Behavioral intentions are influenced by the attitude about the likelihood that the behavior will have the expected outcome and the subjective evaluation of the risks and benefits of that outcome.
• Self-concept Theory - Individual perceptions of our behavior, abilities, and unique characteristics.
• Structural-functional theory - Sees society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of the individuals in that society.
• Manifest functions - Consequences of a social process that are sought or anticipated
• Latent functions - Unsought consequences of a social process.
• Dysfunction - Social processes that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society.

Disciplines often use specific terms with meanings that differ from everyday language. This includes fields like anthropology, archeology, and economics. Anthropology studies artifacts, evolution, and primates, while economics deals with deficits and demand.