Module 1 Introduction to Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science Flashcards
The study of people, past and present, with a focus on understanding the human condition both culturally and biologically; concerned with determining what humans are, how they evolved, and how they differ from one another
Anthropology
Broadly defined as the study of human society; a systematic study of relationships among people
Sociology
The systematic study of government, politics, and political behavior; studies how a society governs itself at all levels and various ideas about how it should be governed in the future; centers on the theory and practice of government and politics at the local, national, and international levels
Political science
The study of anthropology is divided into four separate subdisciplines:
- Archaeology
- biological anthropology
- cultrual anthropolgy
- linguistic anthropology
Subfields of political science:
- Political theory
- Comparative politics
- International relations
- Political methodology
Two fields that examine human society:
Anthropology, sociology
Focuses more on how human society has changed over time
Anthropology
A branch of sociology, which deals with the principles of organization and government of human society
Political science
A collection of concepts about some real-world area of concern or interest which facilitate explaining, predicting, or intervening
Theory
A term that represents the process of gradual development; process through which simple things become complex over time
Evolution
Developed the theory of evolution
Charles Darwin
Theory that is sometimes referred to as the ‘survival of the fittest’
Theory of evolution
The belief that the universe and the various forms of life were created by God out of nothing
Creationism
Another scholar who applied the theory of evolution to his explanation
Herbert Spencer
Proposed the idea of unilineal evolution
E.B. Tylor
A society’s evolution is undirectional, and it passes through three different stages one after another (savagery, barbarism, civilization)
Unilineal evolution
Complex whole which includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society
Culture or civilization
A set of ideas that provides an explanation for human society; selective in terms of their priorities and perspectives and the data they define as significant
Sociological theories
Three sociological theories:
- Structural functional theory
- Social conflict theory
- Symbolic interactionism
A theory that views society as a complex, but interconnected system where each part works together as a functional whole
Structural functional theory
Views society as a system of groups that are not equal, and thus consistently general conflict and change; encompass the work of Marx, Engels, and Weber, among others; focus on social conflict and inequality
Social conflict theory
A perspective that argues that the structure of society and the nature of social relationships are the result of past and current conflicts between those who own or owned the means of producing wealth and those who did not
Marxist perspective
The two basic classes under capitalism:
- Bourgeois
- Proletariat
Difference between the bourgeois and proletariat classes; becomes the profit of the employer
Surplus value
Also called the symbolic interaction perspective; focuses on the symbolic meaning that people develop and rely upon in the process of social interaction
Symbolic interactionism
Believed that individuals act according to their interpretation of the meaning of the world
Max Weber
Introduced the symbolic interaction perspective to American sociology in 1920s
George Herbert Mead
Analyzes society by looking at subjective meanings people put on objectives, events, and behaviors
Symbolic interactionism
A political doctrine that believes that protecting and enhancing the freedom of the individual is the central problem of politics
Liberalism
An economic and social system based on the political and economic theories of Marx and Engels
Marxism
Theorists who contributed to marxism
Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels
The system of socialism of which the dominant feature is public ownership of the means of production, distribution, and exchange; the opposite of capitalism which is also an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and distribution of goods
Marxism
The working class or the people; own only their capacity to work; have the ability to sell their own labor to capitalists who own the means of production
Proletariat
Defined by the relations of its members to the means of production
Class
