Introduction to Social Sciences

Introduction to Social Sciences History of Social Sciences · Created as a response to the Age of the Enlightenment of the 18th century. Definition Anthropology: the study of the lives and cultures of human beings, alive or dead. Psychology: the scientific study of behaviour and mental process. Sociology: the systematic study of human social life, groups, and societies. Social Science: the organized study of people, their activities and their customs in relations to others. Questions Asked by Social Scientists 1. What is the nature of people? 2. What does it mean to be human? 3. What is the structure of one’s society? 4. What defines a person? 5. Where do they live? 6. Where do their actions begin? 7. What is this person like? 8. What influence do people in proximity have? Comparing the Social Sciences Anthropology: customs (culture), rituals Psychology: personality development Sociology: group dynamic, roles, rules, and institutions. Anthropology and Psychology: behaviour of individual within a group Anthropology and Sociology: behaviour of group and institutions Psychology and Sociology: individual behaviour All: human behaviour