Social Science: Anthropology and Economics

• Social science investigates society and the relationships among individuals within it.
• Social science uses various methods to explore human behavior, social structures, and societal change.
• Major disciplines include: anthropology, economics, political science, psychology, sociology, history, geography, communication studies, and archaeology.

Anthropology

• Anthropology is the study of humanity, including human culture, society, and biological evolution.
• Cultural anthropology explores diverse cultural systems, examining values, beliefs, and practices.
• Biological anthropology studies human origins, evolution, and genetic diversity.
• Linguistic anthropology explores the role of language in human societies.
• Archaeology studies past human societies through excavation and analysis of material remains.

Economics

• Economics studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
• Microeconomics focuses on individual consumer and firm behavior, examining decision-making in scarcity.
• Macroeconomics examines overall economy behavior, analyzing inflation, unemployment, and economic growth.
• Econometrics applies statistical methods to analyze economic data.

Political Science

• Political science studies politics and government.
• It examines political systems, institutions, and behavior.
• Political theory explores fundamental questions about justice, power, and governance.
• Comparative politics compares different political systems.
• International relations studies interactions between states and other actors.
• Public policy examines government decision-making and implementation.

Psychology

• Psychology studies the human mind and behavior.
• It examines perception, cognition, emotion, personality, and social interactions.
• Clinical psychology focuses on diagnosing and treating mental disorders.
• Cognitive psychology studies mental processes like memory, attention, and problem-solving.
• Developmental psychology examines changes across the lifespan.
• Social psychology studies how people's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are influenced by others.

Sociology

• Sociology studies society and social behavior.
• It examines social structures, institutions, and interactions.
• Social stratification examines inequalities in wealth, power, and status.
• Social change studies transformations in societies over time.
• Criminology studies crime and deviance.
• Demography studies population trends and patterns.

History

• History studies the past.
• Historians analyze primary and secondary sources to understand past events and developments.
• Political history focuses on past political events, leaders, movements, and ideas.
• Social history examines past societies, social structures, and everyday life.
• Economic history studies past economic systems, development, and activities.
• Cultural history explores past cultural practices, beliefs, and expressions.

Geography

• Geography studies the Earth's surface and human-environment interactions.
• Physical geography examines natural features and processes.
• Human geography studies human activities and their spatial patterns.
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analyze and visualize spatial data.

Communication Studies

• Communication studies explores how people communicate.
• It examines verbal and nonverbal communication, media, and interpersonal dynamics.
• Interpersonal communication studies communication between invididuals.
• Organizational communication examines communication within organizations.
• Mass communication studies the role of media in society.

Archaeology

• Archaeology studies past human societies through excavation and analysis of material remains.
• Artifacts, ecofacts, and features provide insights into past lifeways.
• Archaeological sites are locations where evidence of past human activity is found.
• Archaeological methods include excavation, survey, and laboratory analysis.
• Cultural resource management (CRM) focuses on protecting and preserving archaeological sites.

Key Concepts in Social Science

• Culture includes the shared values, beliefs, and practices of a group.
• Society is a group of people living together in a defined territory and sharing a culture.
• Social structure refers to patterned relationships between individuals and groups.
• Power is the ability to influence or control others' behavior.
• Inequality involves differences in wealth, power, and status within a society.
• Social change refers to transformations in social structure and culture.

Research Methods in Social Science

• Surveys collect data from individuals using questionnaires or interviews.
• Experiments manipulate variables to determine their effects.
• Ethnography involves immersion in a culture to observe and understand behavior.
• Content analysis analyzes the content of texts, images, or other media.
• Statistical analysis uses statistical methods to analyze quantitative data.
• Qualitative research explores complex social phenomena using non-numerical data.

History

• History focuses on human activities, societies, and civilizations of the past.
• Analysis of primary (documents, artifacts) and secondary sources (books, articles) is involved.
• Key areas of history include political, social, economic, cultural, and intellectual history.
• Political history examines political systems, governments, and ideologies.
• Social history focuses on ordinary people's experiences and living conditions.
• Economic history studies the evolution of economic systems and activities.
• Cultural history explores cultural practices, beliefs, and values.
• Intellectual history examines the evolution of ideas and intellectual movements.

Historical Analysis

• Interpretation: Historians interpret evidence to construct narratives and explanations about the past.
• Context: Historical events are understood within their specific historical context.
• Causation: Historians analyze the causes and consequences of historical events.
• Significance: Historians evaluate the significance of historical events and their long-term impact.
• Revisionism: Historical interpretations are constantly revised and updated as new evidence emerges.

Historical Sources

• Primary sources are original documents, artifacts, or eyewitness accounts from the studied time period.
• Letters, diaries, government documents, photographs, and archaeological remains are examples of primary sources.
• Secondary sources are analyses or interpretations of historical events based on primary sources.
• Books, articles, documentaries, and biographies are examples of secondary sources.

Key Historical Periods

• Prehistory: The period before the invention of writing.
• Ancient History: The period from the earliest civilizations to the fall of the Roman Empire.
• Medieval History: The period from the fall of the Roman Empire to the Renaissance.
• Early Modern History: The period from the Renaissance to the French Revolution.
• Modern History: The period from the French Revolution to the present.

Historiography

• Historiography is the study of how history is written and interpreted over time.
• It examines the different approaches, perspectives, and biases that historians bring to their work.
• Different schools of historical thought include: Marxist history, feminist history, and post-structuralist history.

History and Social Science

• History informs social science by providing a temporal context for understanding social phenomena.
• Social science theories and methods can be applied to the study of history.
• History and social science both contribute to our understanding of human societies and behavior.
• Interdisciplinary approaches combine historical and social scientific perspectives.

Overview of social science, focusing on anthropology and economics. Anthropology studies human culture, society, and evolution. Economics examines production, distribution, and consumption of resources.