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Social and Human sciences (Humanities) Date :Monday, October 30th, /2023
Level : 1st Year Tech Eng
The Main Disciplines in the field of Social Sciences
Economics: Alfred Marshall has defined economics as the study of mankind in the ordinary business of life.
It seeks to analyze and describe the production distribution and consumption of wealth.

Political Science: is a social science concerned with the theory and practice of politics and the description
and the analysis of political systems and political behavior.

Sociology: is the study of society.

Psychology: is the study of human or animal mental functions in individual and social behaviors.

History: is the study of the human past It is a field of research which uses a narrative to examine and analyze
the sequence of events and it sometimes attempts to investigate objectively the patterns of cause and effect
that determine events.

Geography: is the study of the earth and its lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena.

Archaeology: is the study of the ancient times with respect to society and culture. It is the gateway to the
past.

The Correlation between History and Archaeology

The relationship between history and archaeology is that history relies on written records and
documents and legacy to understand the past, while archaeology uses physical remains, artifacts, and
excavation to uncover and interpret the past. These disciplines often complement each other, with
archaeology providing tangible evidence that can enhance and even revise historical accounts. These
disciplines work in tandem to reconstruct and enrich our knowledge of human history.

The Relationship between Archaeology and Geography

The significant relationship between archaeology and geography gave birth to a new field called
landscape archaeology. Geography provides the spatial context and environmental insights for archaeological
research. Archaeology relies on geographic knowledge to choose excavation sites and understand how the
physical environment influenced ancient civilizations.

Geographic information helps archaeologists locate and interpret sites, while archaeology, in turn,
contributes to geographic studies by providing historical and cultural context to landscapes.

This collaboration between archaeology and geography enhances our understanding of human history and
the impact of the environment on past societies.

Natural and Social Sciences

Science, broadly speaking, is the systematic study of all things, natural and social. It is the act of
arriving at the truth, analyzing it, determining the relationships between facts and the formulation of casual
explanations. These explanations are continuously verified, validated and testable hypotheses are arrived at.

Social phenomena, which result from human interaction, are the focus of the social sciences, such as
sociology, political science, psychology, and economics. These disciplines aim to explain and predict human
behavior using scientific methods but face challenges due to the complexity of social environments, social
sciences deal with data that are not measurable and controllable, the subjectivity of data involving values,
 beliefs, and morals, and the interpretive nature of human experience. While natural sciences deal with
quantifiable data and focus on "what things are," social sciences are concerned with "what is" and "what
should be," aiming to contribute to the betterment of humanity.

The Scientific Method Used in Studying Social Sciences

The scientific method is a set of rules about how to establish rules. The use of the scientific method is
perhaps the most important tool you can have in studying social science because it enables you not only to
learn the lessons of the individual social sciences, but also to go beyond and strive for an understanding of
their synthesis. The scientific method, they feel, should focus only on a ‘probable certainty’ rather than the
absolute truth.

Conditions Favorable to Scientific Inquiry

Scientific inquiry thrives in a society where individuals possess not only intelligence but certain
mental attitudes, first, curiosity, which drives questions of "Why?" and "How?"; second skepticism, which
encourages the reevaluation of past explanations and evidence; finally, objectivity, enabling impartial
truth-seeking without personal biases. When these attitudes align, scientific investigation becomes
successful.

Social Studies as a Branch of Science

The classification of social science as a science or not hinges on the definition. If science is narrowly
defined as only the natural or exact sciences, social science may not qualify. However, if science is broadly
defined to encompass systematic attempts to expand knowledge using the scientific method, then social
science fits in. What truly matters is that social scientists have revealed valuable relationships that enhance
our comprehension of social behavior and guide us in dealing with some social problems.

Methodology and the Social Sciences

The basic procedures of the scientific method are as important in social science as in physical science.
Discovering precise laws that govern social life is challenging due to several factors. First, crucial aspects of
social life, like satisfactions, social progress, and democracy, are not measurable. Second, society's
complexity makes it hard to identify and assess all the causes behind a situation. Third, human behavior
plays a significant role in social events, and predicting individual actions is rarely certain.

Social scientists face the difficulty of conducting controlled experiments to test their hypotheses,
relying more on observation and abstraction. This method demands competence and precision, as errors can
easily occur. It's easier for social scientists to be vague, perpetuate errors, and hide incompetence compared
to physical scientists, whose theories can often be tested through experiments.

Maintaining objectivity is also a challenge for social scientists, as personal biases and emotions can
influence their work. Social scientists must remain vigilant against these pitfalls and strive for clarity and
objectivity in their research. This doesn't make social science any less scientific or objective than natural
sciences, but it emphasizes the need for diligence in maintaining objectivity and competence.

The Scientific Approach Adopted in Social Sciences

The differences between physical science and social science lead to slightly different structures of research.
Although there is no ideal structure, a reasonable approach to a problem in social science is the following:

1. Observe: Social science seeks to understand the real world, and the primary means is through observation.
This initial step involves identifying a phenomenon or question that requires investigation.

E.g: You notice an increase in public discussions about: “the potential negative effects of social media on
mental health”.
2. Define the problem: Precisely defining and specifying the key terms and concepts you use in your research
can result in significant energy savings during the research process.
E.g: What you mean by "social media," "mental health," and the specific aspects you want to study, like
anxiety and depression.

3. Review the literature: To become familiar with what has been previously observed and studied by others
Eg: You conduct a literature review and find existing research on how social media use may lead to feelings
of isolation and anxiety among young adults.

4. Observe some more: After defining the research problem and reviewing existing literature, your
observational skills become more focused. This sharper observation allows you to identify exactly what
you're searching for and how to go about finding it.

E.g: You observe how people in your community are using social media, particularly among different age
groups and for various purposes.

5. Develop a theoretical framework and formulate a hypothesis: Create a predictive statement (hypothesis)
expected results and then clarify what each of the terms in the statement means within the framework of
your research.

E.g: You suggest that heavy social media use is associated with higher levels of anxiety and depression
among adolescents.

6. Choose the research design: Choose a method for collecting data, whether it's a survey, an experiment,
observational study, use of existing sources, or a combination of these.

E.g: You decide to use a combination of surveys and interviews to gather data from adolescents about their
social media use and mental health experiences.

7. Collect the necessary data: Data are what one collects from careful observation. Your conclusions will be
only as good as your careful collection and accurate recording of data.

E.g: You collect data by administering surveys and conducting interviews with a sample of adolescents,
asking about their social media habits, their emotional well-being, and any potential correlations.

8. Analyze the results: When all the data are collected, classify facts, identify trends, recognize relationships,
and organize the information so that it can be accurately analyzed and interpreted.

E.g: That heavy social media use is indeed linked to higher levels of anxiety and depression among the
surveyed adolescents.

9. Draw conclusions: At this stage, you can create a comprehensive report summarizing the research process
and discussing your findings. A well-structured report will relate your conclusions to the existing body of
research, suggest where current assumptions may be modified because of new evidence, and possibly
identify unanswered questions.

E.g: social media and mental health, suggest that interventions to promote responsible social media usage
among adolescents are needed, and highlight unanswered questions, such as the long-term effects of social
media on mental health or potential solutions to mitigate the negative impacts.