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F OUNDATION OF fascination with human behavior

and organizations.
SOCIAL SCIENCES  From the beginning of recorded
history, humans have organized
WEEK NUMBER ONE their societies using myriad
Foundation of Social Science systems—political, religious,
economic, and social.
SOCIAL SCIENCE  Those organizational systems,
 Study of individuals, and our understanding of
communities, and societies’ human behavior, evolve as we
human behaviors and learn from the past and study
interactions with each other and the present.
with their natural environments.
 Examines human behavior and CONTRIBUTORS
society (e.g. psychology,  David Emile Durkheim (1858-
economics, political science) 1917) – education in society
 Broad field of academic  Thomas Jesse Jones (1873-
disciplines that study human 1950) - "that evil genius of the
society and the relationships Negro race"
among individuals within a
society that aims to understand SCOPE OF SOCIAL
the complexities of human
SCIENCES
behavior, the development of
societies, and the structures
ANTHROPOLOGY
that govern them.
 Study of human beings, their
 the study of people: as
ancestors, and related primates.
individuals, communities and
 Derived from two Greek words,
societies; their behaviors and
“anthropos” (human) and
interactions with each other and
“logos” (study)
with their built, technological
 Four primary branches: Socio-
and natural environments.
cultural, Archeological, Physical,
 the systematic study of human
Linguistic
society and social relationships,
employing various
SAMPLE OBJECTIVES OF AN
methodologies to understand
ANTHROPOLOGIST:
the complexities of human
 Why some people are dark-
behavior, social institutions, and
skinned while some are light-
cultural norms.
skinned?
 seeks to understand the
 Why in European countries the
evolving human systems across
O blood group is the most
our increasingly complex world
prevalent whereas in India it’s B
and how our planet can be more
and in Central Asia, it’s A?
sustainably managed.
 Why do some languages have
 Vital to our shared future.
more specific color terms while
 varied as the interests of
others do not?
humankind, but they share a
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 What are the power distribution SOCIOLOGY

and resource-control patterns in  The study of society, human
any community? behavior, and social institutions.
 Why do people belonging to a  Six branches: Criminology, Rural
particular community suffer Sociology, Urban Sociology,
more from a given disease than Political Sociology, Economic
others? Sociology, Gender Studies
 What is the means of
subsistence in a community and HISTORY
how it has changed with time?  Provides a comprehensive
 Why in some cultures do understanding of human
children leave the house of their societies through the study of
parents when they grow old past.
while in some they do not?  Types: Social, Political, Art,
 How do the birth, marriage, and Women’s, Food
death ceremony vary within
communities? LAW
 Governs the behavior of
ECONOMICS individuals and institutions
 Studies how society employs its within a society.
scarce resources for alternative  Five branches: Constitutional,
uses. Administrative, Civil, Procedural,
 Two branches: Macro, Micro Penal
 Two concepts: demand, supply
LINGUISTICS
POLITICS (Exploration of the  Delves into the study of
Political Science) language.
 The study of politics is a vast  Six subfields: Phonology,
and multifaceted field that Syntax, Historical Linguistics,
touches on the very fabric of Applied Linguistics, Semantics,
societies. Comparative Linguistics
 Four pillars: Political Philosophy,
Political Economics, ARCHAEOLOGY
Comparative Politics,  “Uncovering the past and
International Relations understanding the present.”
 Delves into the study of human
PSYCHOLOGY (The Study of history and prehistory.
Human Mind)  Seven subfields:
 Social psychologists study how Zooarchaeology, Historical
people’s thoughts, feelings, and Linguistics, Underwater
behaviors are shaped. Archaeology, Prehistoric
 Five branches: Child Psychology, Archaeology, Historical
Social Psychology, Industrial Archaeology, Forensic
Psychology, Depression Archaeology, Geoarchaeology
Counseling, Psychotherapy
GEOGRAPHY
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 Explores the relationships 3. Third, social science is

between people and their susceptible to political and
environments, both natural and ideological bias.
 Researchers' values, beliefs, and
human-made.
the socio-political context can
 Types: Geology, Environmental influence the framing of
Science, Population studies, research questions, the
Oceanology, Earth Sciences, interpretation of data, and the
Forensic Archeology conclusions drawn. This
undermines the perceived
objectivity and reliability of
NATURE AND social science research.
CHARACTERISTICS
4. Social science is frequently
1. First, social science often criticized for its limited
grapples with the problem of ability to produce definitive
subjectivity. solutions to social problems.
 Unlike natural sciences, where  Unlike natural sciences, where
objective measurement is discoveries can lead to tangible
possible, social scientists study technological advancements,
human behavior, which is the insights gained from social
influenced by a myriad of science often led to more
subjective factors such as questions than answers,
emotions, cultural values, and reflecting the complexity and
individual experiences. This fluidity of human societies.
makes it difficult to achieve the  While social science plays a
same level of empirical rigor and crucial role in understanding
predictability of natural science.
human societies, its critical
limitations —subjectivity,
2. Social science is often
criticized for its methodological inconsistency,
methodological pluralism, ideological bias, and limited
which, while allowing for diverse generalizability — underscore
approaches, can lead to a lack the challenges of studying
of coherence and consensus complex social phenomena in a
(general agreement) within the scientifically rigorous manner.
field.
 Different disciplines within social
science—like sociology,
anthropology, and political
science—often use conflicting
theories and methods, leading
to fragmented and sometimes
contradictory findings.
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