The social sciences have and will continue to be in the future will play an important role in studying and solving problems for both society and its individuals. The disciplines that it encompass vary widely but often need to come together to solve issues and study certain facets of humanity. For my personal use social science is a tool to better understand others, be more sensitive to issues that people may face and to anticipate the way people and society may act in certain situations. A social science lens can be productive in that it helps people be more indiscriminate though understanding people and their behavior. I hope to use the socials sciences to impact other people’s lives in a positive manner. The social sciences to me when used in a well-intended manner are able to not only explain phenomena but also be a solution and or make a situation better. The intent of this essay is to better understand and define the social sciences, touch on the many disciplines of the science in addition to its relationships with other scientific areas.
The social sciences have always face ridicule from many other of its scientific partners and colleagues of different disciplines, in fact the “fields of social science have occupied a shifting, liminal position within the academy. Condemned by one set of observers for being insufficiently scientific, they are condemned by the other side for being too scientific.”(Gerring xxiii) Although it has faced ridicule for it legitimacy it has held true to studying human society and societal relationships. There are many functioning definitions for social science, but the best one that I have come across state that “Social science is the collection of academic disciplines which study any aspect of soc...
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... more and more in a society that is withdrawing further and further, the development of technology has created a distancing between people and eventually it will have to be dealt with in some manner. Who better to help the divide than social scientists. Social interactions are becoming increasingly less personal and communication is being lost in many areas within life. I believe that the future of social science lies in the belly of communication and interpersonal interaction becoming personal once again.
Works Cited
Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSSR) Definition. (n.d.). NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR). Retrieved February 4, 2014, from http://obssr.od.nih.gov/about_obssr/BSSR_CC/BSSR_definition/definition.aspx
Gerring, J. (2001). Social science methodology: a criterial framework. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Blakeley, G., Bromley, G., Clarke, J., Raghurham, P., Silva, E. and Taylor, S. (2009) ‘Introducing the Social Sciences’ Learning Companion 1, Milton Keynes, The Open University
However opposing theorists (Ponterotto, 2005) have highlighted that even though the broad groupings in the social sciences are not derived from paradigms present in the natural sciences, the individual sub-disciplines may still be underpinned by a paradigm or a research programme with similar rese...
The study of sociology enables us to understand the basis of human behaviour within different contexts, the interaction between different classes and social divisions, such as race, sex and age, and the factors that give rise to these different patterns of behaviour. Sociology is a study of human behaviour as constructed by the human race, as distinct from a study of those sciences which are dependent upon natural evolution. Although humans are basically similar, it helps us understand their behavioural attitudes towards any kind of situation, particularly where there are conflicts of interests such as those between the different classes, or communities of large cultural diversity. Sociologists believe that the way to adequately study and understand the behaviour and lives of individuals is to study the social contexts within which they live. It studies social patterns and trends and the phenomena that causes social change, how individuals adapt to that change and how that influences collective behaviour in groups: families, youth clubs and work places, as well as large-scale global problems such as poverty, helping to bringing forth solutions as a result. Sociology is not a precise science, and is dependent on outside influ...
Babbie, E. (2007) The Practice of Social Research. Thomson Higher Education. Belmont. (USA) Eleven Edition.
Social science is defined as “the scientific study of human society and social relationships”. (Oxford Dictionaries 2013a) It is important to understand that different people would interact differently, giving rise to different different culture, social norms, beliefs and religions. By improving our understanding and awareness, we would be able to treat patients more efficiently and effectively whilst respecting their culture and beliefs. There is an increasing number of diseases and societal problems such as addiction, obesity, violence and end-of-life care that cannot be addressed without taking into account the behavioural or social factors. (Mann 2012)
After reviewing the article titles given for this first assignment, I believe they indicate that Sociology, generally speaking, is not only a study of diversity or commonality in traits among people; it is also a science about factors in a person’s life and how these factors culminate responses. Interestingly enough, its topics of concern seem to be directly determined by current and common events of the world. Through the invention and expansion of new ideas, popular trends and fashions through time, Sociology adapts to responsibly to service the very subjects of interest it studies; for, even the slightest change of a person’s daily experience can have an insurmountable impact on attitude, personal growth, family dynamics and basic group behavior.
Social science is the scientific study of human society and social relationships. Social science definitely helps us make the connection with our personal situations in everyday life. The two topics that interested me were sociological Imagination and politics. In this essay I will explain what I have learnt from these two topics and how they apply to my personal life as a member of society.
Weber, Max. 1949. The Methodology of the Social Sciences. Eds. Edward A. Shils & Henry A. Finch. Glencoe, IL: Free Press.
Theories in sociology sometime provide us with the different perspectives with which to view our social...
Sociology is a social science that enables people to understand the structure and dynamics of society. By using a scientific approach, and by critically analysing society using qualitative and quantitative methods, sociologists can find patterns and connections within human behaviour to provide explanations of how society affects people. Sociological views are based on theories that have been tested through unbiased research and attempt to take all values into account. Common sense theories are generally individualistic and naturalistic assumptions that are based on opinions than can vary depending on an individuals class or cultural background. During this essay I will aim to provide examples of the differences between the sociological viewpoint, and the common sense viewpoint of human behaviour, using theories of some renowned sociologists.
Sociology is a study of society social life, social change, and social causes and consequences of human behaviour and allows us to gain an understanding of the structure and dynamics of today’s society, looking at the interlinking links patterns of human behaviour. Sociology looks at the in which social structure and institutions affect our everyday life. Sociological imagination was founded by C. Wright mills in the 1950`s it is an overall understanding of that some of the things that happen in society may lead to a particular outcome. Mills said it is “the vivid awareness of the relationship between experience and wider society.” sociological imagination can also be defined as the ability to look at how sociological situations can unfold due to how everyone is different. The way we behave is shaped by the situation that we find ourselves in, the values and norms that we have and the way that other members of society act around us. It is also a way of thinking about how things in society have led to a particular outcome, and understanding of what led to that specific outcome. Sociological imagination is an ability to look at things socially and how they interact and influence each other gaining an understanding of different cultures and class systems.
Social sciences are the analysis methodically of the social area of the world. They are mixed area of study of human behavior and society which include disciplines of anthropology, economics, political science, psychology and sociology. Social sciences study methodically the manner in which people behave and how they influence the world around us. It aims to comprehend any given social phenomena by using a methodology borrowed from the physical sciences. Natural sciences are the study of natural world. They use scientific method to study about nature and relate to everything else in nature such as the animals, earth, plants and etc. It covers topics such as physics, chemistry, and mathematics.
To Quote Anthony Giddens: "Sociology is the study of human social life, groups and societies. It is a dazzling and compelling enterprise, having as its subject matter our own behaviour as social beings. The scope of sociology is extremely wide, ranging from the analysis of passing encounters between individuals in the street up to the investigation of world-wide social processes“(1989). Gidden’s statement describes sociology as a study that helps us understand our own behaviour as human beings in a social word. Sociologist study everything from the interaction between people in the street to the interaction between different countries. Sociologists aim to study how societies have changed over, how societies are structured and organized, the norms of society. It’s also important to understand that not all sociologists agree with each other, Sociologists often debate with one another to prove/disprove certain theories and concepts. By studying Sociology is it helps us analyze social conflicts on a micro and macro scope. Through a macro level, we can study large-scale social organization and large social categories it also examinees social processes and patterns society as a whole. We can analyze individuals much deeper on a micro level. This way we study a human by face-to face interactions. Its important as humans to understand the way our society came together and the reasons to how elements work and function together. Sociology gives us a deeper
Becoming advocates for social scientists have both benefits and drawbacks. On the good side, Gutting (2012) says that it can supplement general knowledge, critical intensity, practical experience and good sense. Gutting also says that scientists know where a certain piece of work falls in their relevant discipline. This allows them to be good advocates. Taking sides also allows social scientists to help curb harmful behaviors by conducting research on their harmful effects and discouraging the behaviors with facts. Examples are effects of drugs and substance abuse, risky sexual behaviors etc.
The discipline of sociology provides a perspective that allows for individuals to expand and dig beyond “common knowledge” and inherit an approach to society that allows an advanced analysis of the root cause of activity in a certain society, opposed to assessing it on an assumption. A beneficial component to sociology is that it can be individually directed to different components of society that all contribute to its overall functioning. Under a sociological perspective we can use an engaged approach that once applied to social issues can improve the functioning of societies on both local and global scales that are considered complex, degrading, or facing considerable amounts of neglect. When we take into consideration the environment and