Download Uni1- Intro to the Social Sciences 2015

THE SOCIAL SCIENCE
HSB4U
Maharaj
INTRODUCTION TO THE
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Social Sciences
-The social sciences describe disciplines
that explore human behaviour and use
the scientific method where information
is collected and analyzed.
-These disciplines involve research and
data collection and of course analysis.
Social scientists apply their research to
help solve problems that may occur in
current society
E.g. “Bleaching and Lightning of Skin”
Types of Social Sciences
Anthropology
Psychology
Sociology
Geography
Political Science
Economics
Family Studies
THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
ANTHROPOLOGY
 Studies the behaviour of human
culture from the past and present
 The study of the unity and
diversity of human culture and
society from a comparative and
global perspective.
THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
Example of an anthropological question is:
Why is death celebrated in some cultures?


Eg. Days of the Dead in Mexico or Nine Nights in
Jamaica
THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
PSYCHOLOGY
 Studies the thought
processes and behavior
of the individual.

An example of a
psychology question is:
Does violent media cause
people to become violent?
THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
SOCIOLOGY
 Studies human social life
and groups in society;
how people act in group
situations
 An example of a
sociological question is:
Why is crime increasing
amongst lower-class
income groups?
ETHICAL PROBLEMS IN RESEARCH


As you might imagine in a research field involving
human subjects, there are a variety of ethical
problems for social science researchers.
Government regulations insure that most research is
done according to strict guidelines with the fully
informed consent of the subjects.
 Not
always been the case (e.g Milgram experiment with
electric shocks).
 We
encounter this experiment in depth later on
ETHICAL PROBLEMS IN RESEARCH

There is still some popular fear of social science
research involving psychology.
 data
gathered by researchers will be used to invade
privacy or to support inappropriate ends.
 Conspiracy Theory?
 In
this world of surveillance and heightened terror threats,
people are less willing to participate or think that the work
being done is for RESEARCH purposes only (Marketing firms
etc)
ETHICAL PROBLEMS IN RESEARCH

A few examples of research that may involve ethical
problems:
Market research used to encourage consumers to buy products
that may be bad for them *diet pills, sleep aids etc
 Jury research used to disallow jurors likely to have certain
values or beliefs--- E.g. race, religion issues in cases
 Polling research used to create candidate platforms for
elections
 Research conducted by "house" researchers to demonstrate
that something is not really a problem (wide-spread gun
availability is not really a problem or legalizing gambling is a
social good)

SOCIAL SCIENCE PROFESSIONS

Professions for the social sciences:

Business

Education

Journalism

Law

Public health

Social work

Government work

International organizations

Policing

Fire and Rescue
Why should you care?


Social Science thinkers are among the most coveted
graduates in university due to their ability to think from
differing perspectives, troubleshoot and understand
varying perspectives
With a degree in social sciences you can get into
Law
 Criminology
 Forensics
 Research + Marketing
 Teaching
 Policing
 Customs and Border Control ETC
