Social Sciences Handouts PDF

**SOCIETY** - an organized group of individuals whose members work together or regularly meet and have a shared territory, interest, and way of living. - it signifies companionship or association with others. - is the outcome of the purposeful activities of the people who came t...

**SOCIETY** - an organized group of individuals whose members work together or regularly meet and have a shared territory, interest, and way of living. - it signifies companionship or association with others. - is the outcome of the purposeful activities of the people who came together for the achievement of a shared goal **SOCIAL SCIENCE** - is defined as the body of knowledge concerned with the methodical study of various aspects of our society, numerous social phenomena, and the impacts of these occurrences on people's lives - the area of study that deals with the human behavior in its cultural and social facets. - it is considered as the branch of science that focuses on the interpersonal relationships among people living in a society. **ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES** 1. **Society**- the first element of Social Sciences, puts the entire body of knowledge in individuals as social beings and their social backgrounds or environments. 2. **Empirical analysis-** places the Social Sciences in an academic mode of investigation about human society using the scientific method, the systematic and rational process of obtaining knowledge. **POSITIVISM-** is a philosophy that believes that every single reasonable affirmation can be scientifically proven or tested by empirical sciences or is capable of mathematical or logical evidence. **Auguste Comte-** the founder of Positivism and the one who foreshadowed the use of this philosophy in studying human behaviors, argued that metaphysics and theology are imperfect methods in searching for knowledge; that rational thought is far more powerful in comparison to faith and superstition in explaining different social phenomena. **Natural Sciences-** or the sciences of nature, give attention on investigating every single natural phenomenon that occurred, or is currently happening, in our world using tangible evidence like natural forces, fossils, and artifacts. **Humanities-** are academic disciplines that study numerous human conditions and the manners wherein the human experiences are treated and recorded.\\ **SOCIAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES:** 1. **ANTHROPOLOGY -** is the study of humankind - Greek word *Anthropos -- "humankind" logo- "word" or "study of"* - [Anthropologist-] a person that studies anthropology - **[Branches :]** - **Physical or Biological Anthropology-** is the study of human biology within the milieu of evolution. - **Cultural or Social Anthropology[- ]**involves the study and comparative analysis of pre-literate societies, including all aspects of human behavior. - **Archaeology-** involves the study of earlier cultures and ways of life by way of retrieving and examining the material remains of previous human societies. 2. **ECONOMICS - i**s a discipline that concentrates on how a particular society solves its problem of scarcity and resources. - Greek word *oikos -- "house" nomos- "custom" or "law"* translate as "management of household" - [Economists-] a person that studies Economy - **[Fields :]** - **Macroeconomics-** analyses how economy functions as a whole or its basic subdivisions, such as the government or business sectors. Looking the economy broader lens. - **Microeconomics** focuses on the behaviour of individual agents, like households, industries, and firms. Like looking through the microscope 3. **GEOGRAPHY-** is the study of the features of the earth and the location of living things on the planet. - Greek word *geographia* from *geo- "earth" graphe- "to describe"* literal translation would be "*to describe the earth"* - [Geographers-] a person that studies Economy - **Main Branches:** - **Physical Geography-** it includes the study of soil, landforms, water, vegetation, minerals and climate. They also interested in the interplay of humans and the natural environment - **Human Geography-** is interested in determining humankind's role in changing the environment as well as the different processes that help shape human society, including migration and settlement patterns. 4. **HISTORY-** is a branch of knowledge that attempts to ascertain, record, and explain facts and events that happened in the past. - Greek word *historia* meaning "inquiry." - [Historians-] a person that studies History - **Branches:** - Social history- Experiences of common people - Cultural history- Customs, arts, traditions - Political History- Political ideas, events, movements, parties, leaders - Economic History- Economic occurrences, way of living, distribution of goods - Diplomatic History- International relations between states - Military History- Military affairs, strategies, doctrine, armed conflict - History of Religion - Religious experiences and ideas - Environmental History-Human interaction with nature and environment - History of Women- Women's role in history 5. **LINGUISTICS-** Is a field of knowledge involving the scientific study of language as a universal and recognizable aspect of human behaviour and capacity. - [Linguists- a] person that studies Linguistics - **Morphology-** study of language form - **Syntax**-study on how these words is formed into phrases - **Phonology**- study of sounds - **Philology**- study of human speech - **BRANCHES**: - **General Linguistics**- concepts and categories of language or theory of language - **Micro Linguistics-** structure of language system - **Macro Linguistics-** external view of language 6. **POLITICAL SCIENCE-** includes the study governments, and the need for the institution, its form and its processes. - **BRANCHES:** - Comparative Politics - Policy studies and analysis - Political Theory - Political Economy - Internal Relations - Political Philosophy - Political ideology 7. **PSYCHOLOGY-** deals with the nature of human behaviours, and both internal and external factors that affect these behaviours. - Latin word *psychologia* combining *psych "spirit" or "soul"* and *logia "study of the soul"* - [Psychologists-] a person that studies psychology 8. **SOCIOLOGY-** s a field of study dealing with the systematic study of patterns of human interaction. - Latin word *socius "companion"* and Greek word *logos "word" or "study of"* - [Sociologists-] a person who studies sociology - **BRANCHES:** - **General Sociology-** deals with the properties and homogeneity common to all social and cultural phenomena, including those characteristics found among groups and institutions. - **Special Sociology-** focuses on specific sociocultural phenomena usually selected for further study, including socialization, interaction, conflict, and domination. 9. **DEMOGRAPHY-** is the science and statistical study of human populations. - Greek word *demos* meaning "*people"* and French "graphie" - 3 demographic processes: 1. Birth 2. Migration 3. Aging (death) - [Demographers-] a persons who studies demography