UCSP

• The social sciences were the last to develop after the natural sciences
• The origin of the social sciences can be traced back to ancient Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle
• Social sciences include anthropology, sociology, and political science
• Social sciences deal with the study of human society and the relationship of human behavior to society
• Natural sciences deal with the study of the physical and natural world, including natural events that occur in nature
• Before the birth of modern social sciences in the West, the study of society, culture, and politics was based on social and political philosophy
• Social and political philosophies were informed by theological reasoning grounded in Revelation based on the Bible
• Philosophy is based on an analytic understanding of the nature of truth asserted about specific topics or issues
• Science is based on empirical data, tested theories, and carefully contrived observations
• The Scientific Revolution began with Nicholas Copernicus and culminated in the works of Isaac Newton proposing universal laws of motion and a mechanical model of the Universe
• Sir Francis Bacon established the supremacy of reason over imagination
• The Enlightenment period emphasized rationalism, political, and economic theory, building on the Scientific Revolution
• Immanuel Kant challenged the use of metaphysics and advocated the use of reason to know the nature of the world and human beings
• The rise of individualism refers to the recognition of the power of the individual to assert freedom against the given norms and structures of society
• Auguste Comte coined the term sociology and saw the need for a systematic science of studying society
• Harriet Martineau is known for her work on the condition of women and minorities in Britain and the United States
• Karl Marx is known for his theory of historical materialism, arguing that economic and social conditions shape human history
• Emile Durkheim was the pioneer of functionalism in sociology and defended sociology as an independent discipline
• Max Weber stressed the role of rationalization in the development of society
• Anthropology is the study of human beings and their ancestors through time and space in relation to physical character, environmental, social relations, and culture
• Franz Boas is considered the father of modern American anthropology and developed the doctrine of historical particularism
• Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski is known for his participant observation method in anthropology
• Radcliffe-Brown developed the theory of structural functionalism in anthropology
• Political science is the systematic study of government, politics, and political power
• Political science includes political theory, political philosophy, ideologies, public management, human rights, international relations, and foreign policies
• The goals of political science include making people better citizens, keeping social order and harmony, protecting the rights of individuals, and avoiding conflict while promoting cooperation
• Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving
• Cultural variation refers to differences or distinct forms of social behavior that various cultures exhibit from around the world
• Environment, isolation, and technology are factors related to cultural variation
• Society is a fairly large number of people who are living in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside their area, and participate in a common culture
• Social difference refers to dissimilarities among individuals based on their social characteristics and qualities, including race, ethnicity, class, age, sex, gender, etc
• Social change is the alteration of society over time or changes in human interaction
• Politics came from the word “polis” which means city-state and is the science of government involving the exercise of control or authority within society
• Political identity focuses on the interests and perspectives of groups with which people identify
• Symbols are objects, gestures, or images that represent or stand for something else and are used to communicate ideas, values, and beliefs in a culture or society
• Practices refer to the actions and behaviors that individuals engage in on a regular basis within a particular cultural, social, or organizational context
• Artifacts refer to material objects or products created by human beings to express, reflect, or shape cultural values, beliefs, and norms
• Attitudes refer to evaluative judgments, feelings, or beliefs that individuals hold about a particular person, group, object, or idea
• Values refer to the beliefs, principles, and standards that individuals and groups hold to be important, desirable, and worthy of pursuit
• Laws are rules and regulations established by governments and other social institutions to regulate behavior and enforce social order