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