DISS 1st Semester

Vocabulary flashcards summarizing key terms and definitions from the lecture on social-science disciplines.

Anthropology

The comparative study of humankind, human societies, cultures, and their development.

Physical (Biological) Anthropology

Branch that studies the biological evolution of humans, including human paleontology and human variation.

Human Paleontology

Sub-area of physical anthropology concerned with how humans emerged and evolved through time.

Human Variation

Study of biological differences among contemporary human populations.

Cultural Anthropology

Branch that examines cultural differences over time.

Archaeology

Subfield of cultural anthropology that studies past cultures through tangible or material remains.

Anthropological Linguistics

Subfield that explains differences in languages by culture and how languages are constructed.

Ethnology

Subfield comparing past and recent cultures through rigorous research.

Ethnography

Qualitative research method involving detailed observation and description of a culture.

Political Science

The ‘master science’ that studies power, politics, governance, and the allocation of power in society.

Comparative Politics

Political science subfield comparing political systems within different nations.

International Relations

Subfield studying politics among nations, including conflict, diplomacy, and international law.

Political Theory

Subfield exploring classical and modern theories to define good politics.

Public Administration

Subfield analyzing bureaucracies and ways to improve their function.

Constitutional Law

Subfield that studies how laws are made and applied within a state and its legal system.

Public Policy

Subfield at the interface of politics and economics that designs programs to meet societal needs.

Sociology

Social science that studies society, social behavior, groups, norms, and organizations.

Auguste Comte

French thinker who coined the term ‘Sociology’; considered its father.

Karl Marx

Early sociologist known for conflict perspective and critique of capitalism.

Emile Durkheim

French sociologist who formalized Sociology; introduced concept of ‘social fact.’

Max Weber

Foundational sociologist noted for work on bureaucracy and symbolic interaction.

Social Fact

Durkheim’s term for ways of acting, thinking, and feeling external to the individual that exert social control.

Structural Functionalism

Sociological theory viewing society as a system of interrelated parts working toward stability.

Conflict Theory

Theory emphasizing power struggles and inequality as drivers of social change.

Symbolic Interactionism

Theory focusing on everyday interactions and the meanings individuals attach to them.

History

Study that reconstructs the recorded past through systematic accounts of events.

Primary Source

Eyewitness testimony or contemporary account of an event (e.g., journals, photos, official records).

Secondary Source

Account by someone not present at the event, using primary materials (e.g., biographies, textbooks).

Economics

Study of efficient allocation of scarce resources to satisfy unlimited human wants.

Law of Demand and Supply

Principle describing how price and quantity are determined by interactions of demand and supply.

Demand Increase, Supply Constant

Creates a shortage and raises equilibrium price.

Demand Decrease, Supply Constant

Creates a surplus and lowers equilibrium price.

Supply Increase, Demand Constant

Creates a surplus and lowers equilibrium price.

Supply Decrease, Demand Constant

Creates a shortage and raises equilibrium price.

Factors of Production

Economic resources—land, labor, capital, entrepreneurship—used to produce goods and services.

Land (Factor)

Natural resources and immovable properties that support production.

Labor (Factor)

Human effort exerted during the production process.

Capital (Factor)

Man-made resources (machinery, buildings) used to produce goods and services.

Entrepreneurship

Human ability to organize other factors of production and take risks to create goods and services.

Observational Methods

Anthropological inquiry technique involving direct observation of cultural practices.

In-depth Interview

Qualitative method collecting detailed personal perspectives from participants.

Social Science

is the subject that deals with the society and its corresponding behaviors, events, and other occurrences that deal with humans.

Humanities

That studies the human condition by analytical, critical, and speculative methodology