Introduction to Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science

Anthropology
- Anthropology has humanity as its object of research, but unlike other human sciences, it tries to grasp its
object through its most diverse manifestations. (Claude Levi-Strauss, 1983)
- “Anthropos” – human and reason, “logos” - study; study of human.
- The study of humankind in all times and all places; includes topics such as human origin,
globalization, social change, and world history.
Goals of Anthropology
- Tries to account for the social and cultural variation in the world while conceptualizing and
understanding similarities between social systems and human relationships.
- Understand both connections within societies and between societies; studying commonalities
(folklores, traditions, language, etc.) in all humanity in order to better understand human’s nature.
- Account for the interrelationships between different aspects of human existence. ▸ Produce new
knowledge and new theories about human and human behavior that can be applied to various fields in
attempt to alleviate human challenges.
- Discover what makes people different from one another in order to understand and preserve
diversity.
- Look at one’s own culture more objectively like an outsider;
- Anthropology also challenges individuals to evaluate and criticize their own culture
Fields of Anthropology
1. Cultural Anthropology
- Social or sociocultural anthropology
- Refers to the study of living people and their cultures including variation and change.
2. Biological Anthropology
- The study of humans as biological organisms including their evolution and contemporary
variation.
3. Linguistic Anthropology
- Refers to the study of communication, mainly (but not exclusively) among humans.
- Includes the study of communication’s origins, history, and contemporary variation.
- Explores how language shapes communication, since language plays a huge role in social
identity, group membership and cultural beliefs.
4. Archaeology
 - Refers to the study of past human cultures through their material remains. It is the study of past
human cultures through the recovery and analysis of artifacts.

Sociology
- The study of human social relationships and institutions
- Study of groups and societies that people build and how these affect their behavior.
- Subject matter: from crime to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions of race
and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and from social stability to radical
change in whole societies.
Goals of Sociology
- Seeks to understand how human action and consciousness both shape and are shaped by
surrounding cultural and social structures.
- According to Greg Jackson, “sociologists look for patterns that reflect particular generalities of
the society. A sociologist might study an individual's behavior or actions to see how it fits into the broader
pattern of that person's society and culture.”
Sociology enables us to…
- Obtain possible theories and principles about society, also in various aspects of social life.
- Critical study of human nature.
- Broaden our familiarity on sociological facts, which may lead to us realizing our own prejudices
on different social issues.
- Expose ourselves to different perspectives on attaining the truth.
Branches of Sociology
1. Theoretical Sociology
- It includes micro theory or small/middle/large theory.
- The theories of Karl Marx, August Cimte, Max Wever, Emmile Durkhaim, Sorokin, etc are
studied under the theories of sociology.
2. Historical Sociology
- It is the study of social facts and social groups. It studies the background of any social event.
3. Sociology of Knowledge
- The newly emerged branch of sociology indicates that our knowledge is the product of social
phenomena. This means our knowledge is always influenced by society.
4. Criminology
- This branch of sociology studies the criminal behavior of individuals or groups; Origin of crime
its types of nature, causes as well as law, punishment, police, etc.
5. Sociology of Religion
 - It analyses the social behavior of human beings. It also studies the religious constitutions and
their role in the society.
6. Sociology of Economy
- This branch of sociology studies production, distribution, consumption and exchange of goods
and services. This branch also studies the economic activities of the society in which the focus is
given about the socio-cultural factors.
7. Rural Sociology
- Studies the way of life of rural people as the rural population is higher than the urban. The
patterns of life such as behavior, belief, culture, tradition norms, values, etc. are totally different
than of urban people.
8. Urban Sociology
- Studies the way of life of urban people. It gives information about the social organizations and
institution of urban society as well as social structure and social interaction.
9. Political Sociology
- Studies different political moments of society. It includes the study of different political
ideology (view), their origin, development and functions.
10. Sociology of Demography
- Demography of scientific mathematical and statically study of population. It studies about the
size, situation, composition, density, distribution, and measurement etc. of the population.
11. Sociology of Law
- Related to moral order for the society as formulation and implementation of rules and
regulations, law and order come under this.
12. Industrial Sociology
- Studies the different industrial organizations and institutions. As well as their interrelationship
and links with other various institutions of society.

Political Science
- the systematic study of governance by the application of empirical and generally scientific
methods of analysis.
- It is an academic discipline that deals with the study of government and political processes,
institutions, and behaviors.
- Although it has borrowed a lot of concepts and subject matter from other social sciences, it is
distinguished by its focus on POWER.
Why Study Political Science?
- To discover the principles that should be adhered to in public affairs and study operations of the
government.
 - To deepen knowledge and understanding of one of the most powerful forces operating on
people, communities and corporations today.
- Necessary and important for the citizen to study to have knowledge and understanding of the
government.
Fields of Political Science
1. Domestic politics
- the most common field of study; include public opinion, elections, national government, and
state, local, or regional government.
2. Comparative politics
- focuses on politics within countries (often grouped into world regions) and analyzes similarities
and differences between countries.
3. International relations
- considers the political relationships and interactions between countries, including the causes of
war, the formation of foreign policy, international political economy, and the structures that
increase or decrease the policy options available to governments.
4. Political theory
- includes classical political philosophy and contemporary theoretical perspectives (e.g.,
constructivism, critical theory, and postmodernism).
5. Public administration
- studies the role of the bureaucracy; focuses more on civil service. 6. Public law - studies
constitutions, legal systems, civil rights, and criminal justice.
7. Public policy
- examines the passage and implementation of all types of government policies, particularly those
related to civil rights, defense, health, education, economic growth, urban renewal, regional
development, and environmental protection.