DISCIPLINES AND
IDEAS IN THE APPLIED
SOCIAL SCIENCES
W EEK 1
DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES
DIASS |HUMSS4
OUR
OBJECTIVES
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MELCS
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LET’S REVIEW!
Defining Social Sciences
It is made of several disciplines and these include
history, political science, sociology, psychology,
economics, geography, demography,
anthropology and linguistics.
As a body of scientific knowledge, the social
sciences provide diverse set of lens that help us
understand and explain the different facets of
human society. The varieties of lens that social
sciences study refer to the different fields of the
social sciences that investigate human society.
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Branches of the
Social Sciences
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Economics studies the allocation of scarce resources and the production and exchange of
goods and services in society.
Economics has different subfields:
● Environmental Economics – studies the allocation of natural resources
● Labor Economics – focuses on the study of the decision-making and behaviors of
employees and the relationships between employers and their employees.
● Business Economics – examines the behavior of companies and firms by studying the
factors that result in profit maximization, price setting, production goals, and the role of
incentives.
● Monetary Economics – on the other hand, studies the nation’s production, inflation,
income, interest rates, and monetary policies.
Anthropology is the scientific study of humans and their cultures in the past and present time.
Anthropologist are trained in the different areas:
● Cultural anthropology studies the development of human culture based on ethnologic,
linguistic, social, and psychological data analysis. It explains how people in other societies
live and affects their environments to their respective lives.
● Physical anthropology studies human biological nature, particularly its beginning, evolution,
and variation in prehistory
● Archaeology studies human life in the past through the examination of things left behind by
the people.
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History is systematic study of human past events in order to understand the meaning, dynamics, and
relationship of the cause and effects of events in the development of societies.
History has several subfields:
● Political History studies history of political institutions
● Economic History studies the development of economic institutions and other economic factors.
● Social History studies the history of ordinary lives of people like women, children, ethnic groups, and
the different sectors of society from historical point of view.
● Environmental History looks into the history of the interaction of humans with the environment
● History of Medicine and public health examines the history of public health and human medicine
● Business History studies the history of the development of businesses, companies, and industries
● Biographies studies the history of great persons in history
Political Science primarily studies human behavior in relation to political systems, governments, laws, and
international relations.
Political has several fields of study:
● Domestic politics studies public opinion, elections,national and local governments.
● Comparative politics studies politics within countries and analyzes the similarities and differences
between among countries
● International Relations focuses on the study of political relationship and interaction between and
among countries
● Public administration studies national and local governance and bureaucracy
● Public law examines legal systems, civil rights, and criminal justice
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Psychology studies how the human mind works in consonance with the body to produce thoughts that
lead to individual actions.
Psychology subfields:
● Experimental psychology studies of humans and animals examines how and why learning takes
place
● Developmental psychology studies the ways people change and behave as they go through their life
● Personality psychology studies human nature and differences among people
● Environmental psychology studies the effects of surroundings on a person’s attitude and behavior
Sociology is a systematic study of people’s behavior in groups.
Sociology subfields:
● Applied sociology focus on the use and proper application of sociological theories, methods and skills
to examine data, solve problems and communicate research to the public.
● Urban sociology studies societal life interactions in urban areas through the application of
sociological methods like statistical analysis and ethnographies
● Cultural sociology analyzes the development of social institutions, norms and practices.
● Rural sociology studies the social life of people in rural areas
● Medical sociology examines the societal aspects of health and medicine of people
● Sociology of education analyzes how social forces and institutions like politics, economic systems,
and culture affects school and educational systems.
● Political sociology examines how social structure affects and influences politics.
● Military sociology is a sociological study of the military organization, the different civilian and military
relationships, war experiences, and the use and control of force 7
Geography is the study of interaction between people and their environments.
Geography subfields:
● Physical geography studies the natural features of the Earth, including land, water, and atmosphere
● Human geography studies how people create cultures in their natural environments.
Demography according to the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (2016) demography is the
scientific study of human populations across time.
Major subfield:
● Population studies or social demography analyze demographic data to define, explain, and foresee
social phenomena. It also studies social-status composition and population distribution.
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Thanks!
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