Social Sciences Flashcards
Social science
The field of human knowledge that deals with all aspects of the group life
of human beings
disciplines within the Social Sciences
- Anthropology
- Economics
- Geography
- History
- Linguistics
- Political Science
- Psychology
- Sociology and Demography
- Sociology
Anthropology
is the holistic “science of man,” - a science of the totality of human existence.
Physical Anthropology Cultural Anthropology
Economics
is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of
goods and services
Geography
is the science that studies the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. It
is “the bridge between the human and physical sciences.
Physical Geography:
environment and how space is created, viewed and managed by humans as
well as the influence humans have on the space they occupy.
Human Geography
examines the natural environment and how the climate, vegetation & life, soil,
water, and landforms are produced and interact
History
the study of the past of human in the world.
Political Science
is the study of social arrangement to maintain peace and order within a society.
State, Politics, power, Law, and ideology are components of Political Science
Psychology
is the study of the human soul/ mind/ behavior/ personality and how these are
affected by individual’s environment
Sociology
is the study of human social relationships or social systems or human group behavior.
Sociology is the systematic study of society and human social action.
Social Problem
A social problem is any condition or behavior that has negative consequences for large numbers
of people and that is generally recognized as a condition or behavior that needs to be addressed.
Sociological Perspective
Music, fashion, technology, and values—all are products of culture.
Functionalists
view society as a system in which all parts work—or function—together to create
society as a whole.
Conflict theorists
view social structure as inherently unequal, based on power differentials related
to issues like class, gender, race, and age.
Symbolic interactionism
is a sociological perspective that is most concerned with the face-to-face
interactions between members of society.
Karl Marx
The history of all existing society is the history of class struggles.
Emile Durkheim
“Modern society is held together by a division of labor that makes individuals
dependent upon one another because they specialize in different types of work.
Max Weber
“An action that a person does not think about cannot be a social action”
CONFLICT THEORY
The role of COERCION and POWER in producing social order. This perspective is derived from the
works of Karl Marx, who saw society as fragmented groups that compete for social and economic
resources.
Karl Marx
Inequality exists because those in control of a disproportionate share of society’s resources
actively defend their advantages.
CONSENSUS THEORY
States that social change should occur in institutions that are provided by a political or economic
system
-States that the absence of conflict within society is the state of equilibrium (a state of rest or
balance due to the equal action of opposing forces, an equal balance between any powers,
influences, etc.; equality of effect.)
STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM
states that society is made up of various institutions that work together in cooperation
Define the Problem
This one is probably the most important. If you have carefully defined your terms, you can save
an enormous amount of energy.