The Social Sciences

Vocabulary-style flashcards covering key concepts from the lecture notes on the social sciences.

Social science

Branch of science devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals; includes sociology and a wide range of other disciplines.

Disciplines included in the social sciences

Anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, linguistics, management, communication studies, psychology, culturology, and political science.

Social research

Relatively autonomous practice across disciplines sharing aims and methods to study social phenomena.

Eclectic methodologies

Modern social scientists frequently combine quantitative and qualitative approaches.

Age of Enlightenment

The period after 1650 that sparked revolutions in natural philosophy and helped establish social science.

Industrial Revolution

A transformative era that influenced the development of social science and social thought.

French Revolution

A major historical influence on the development of social science and its ideas.

Boundary blurring in science

Emerging areas where social science methods influence medicine, sociobiology, neuropsychology, bioeconomics, and the history/sociology of science.

Quantitative methods

Research designs that rely on numerical data and statistical analysis to make general claims.

Qualitative methods

Research designs emphasizing direct observation, interviews, and analysis of texts and contexts.

Interdisciplinary inquiry

The cross-disciplinary nature of social science research that blends methods and theories from multiple fields.

Five fields (late 19th c.)

Jurisprudence and amendment of the law; education; health; economy and trade; art.

Economic imperialism

Describes the expansion of economics within the social sciences around the start of the 21st century.

Social sciences vs humanities

Debate over predictability; social sciences aim to predict human behavior, humanities emphasize interpretive understanding.

Psychology

The scientific study of mind and behavior; studies both humans and nonhumans and conscious/unconscious processes.

Economics

A social science studying production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services; micro- and macroeconomics.

Sociology

Scientific study of human society, social behavior, relationships, and social change; micro and macro analyses.

History

Systematic study of past events; uses sources like documents, oral histories, artifacts; past is interpreted via evidence.

Anthropology

Scientific study of humanity, including sociocultural, linguistic, biological dimensions, and archaeology.

Philosophy

Love of wisdom; systematic study of existence, knowledge, values, mind, language; branches include epistemology, ethics, logic, and metaphysics.

Political Science

Study of politics, political systems, and behavior; includes subfields like international relations and public policy.

Geography

Discipline split into human geography (space created/managed by humans) and physical geography (natural environment); environmental geography integrates both.

Religious Studies

Scientific study of religion; cross-cultural, empirical and historical perspectives, distinct from theology.

Recursivity

The condition in which social scientists are both subjects and objects of the discourses they produce.

Reflexivity

Practicing self-awareness to examine how researchers' own backgrounds influence knowledge production.

Social research methods range

From census data to in-depth case studies; uses both measurement and qualitative analysis.

Critical theory

Examination and critique of society and culture; draws on multiple social sciences and humanities.

Dialectical materialism

Karl Marx's synthesis of Hegel's dialectic with materialist philosophy.

Feminist theory

Extends feminist thought into theory to analyze gender inequality.

Marxist theories

Philosophical approaches influenced by Marx; includes revolutionary theory and class analysis.

Phronetic social science

Theory and methodology focused on ethics and political power, inspired by Aristotelian phronesis.

Post-colonial theory

Critical response to the cultural legacies of colonialism.

Postmodernism

A late-20th-century perspective that questions grand narratives and emphasizes plurality and interpretation.

Rational choice theory

Framework for modeling social and economic behavior as rational, self-interested choice.

Social constructionism

Idea that many social phenomena are created through social processes and collective interpretation.

Structuralism

Analytical approach that studies systems as interrelated structures.

Structural functionalism

Sociological paradigm examining the functions of each element within the social system.

Anti-intellectualism

Critique of intellectuals and intellectual pursuits.

Antiscience

Position critical of science and the scientific method.

Origins of Religious Studies

Originated in 19th-century Europe; cross-disciplinary analysis of religion beyond theology.