NATURE, GOALS, & PERSPECTIVES OF SOCIO-ANTHRO & POLSCIENCE

• Anthropology:

  • Systematic study of humanity to understand evolutionary origins, distinctiveness as a species, and diversity in social existence
  • Focuses on shared humanity and diversity, engaging with diverse ways of being in the world
• Sub-fields of Anthropology:

  • Archaeology: focuses on objects made by humans
  • Biological anthropology: examines human adaptation to different environments
  • Cultural anthropology: studies how humans live and make sense of their surroundings
  • Linguistic anthropology: studies how different cultures communicate
• Perspectives in Anthropology:

  • Holism: interested in the whole of humanity and how different aspects of life interact
  • Cultural relativism: seeks to understand people's beliefs within their own system for explaining things
  • Comparison: learns what humans have in common, how they differ, and how they change
  • Fieldwork: ethnography involves participant-observation fieldwork to understand different cultures
• Sociology:

  • Study of groups, societies, and social interactions from small to large groups
  • Sociologists study all aspects and levels of society
• Sub-fields of Sociology:

  • Sociology of Religion
  • Sociological Theory
  • Rural Sociology
  • Urban Sociology
  • Criminology
• Perspectives in Sociology:

  • Symbolic interactionist perspective: considers symbols and details of everyday life, also known symbolic interactionism, directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols means, and how people interact with each other
• Political Science:

  • Deals with the study of political phenomena to deepen understanding of political action
  • Focuses on public national life, democracy, parliaments, politicians, and government
• Sub-fields of Political Science:

  • Comparative politics
  • International Relations
  • Political theory
  • Political economy
  • Public administration
  • Domestic Policy
• Approaches in Political Science:

  • Institutionalism: emphasizes institutions that influence political outcomes
  • Positivism: holds that every assertion can be scientifically verified
  • Rational Choice Theory: individuals make rational choices aligned with personal objectives
• Perspective in Sociology:

  • Functionalist perspective: each aspect of society is interdependent and contributes to society's functioning, also called as functionalism, each aspects of society is interdependent and contributes to society's functioning as a whole. the government, or state, provides education for the children of the family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running.
• Perspective in Sociology:

  • Conflict perspective: focuses on the negative and conflicted nature of society. originated primarily out of Karl Max's writings on class struggles. the conflict perspective focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever-changing nature of society.