Social Science| What is social science| Social Science Disciplines

 What is it social science?

Social science is, in its broadest sense, the study of society and the manner in which people behave and influence the world around us.

Social science tells us about the world beyond our immediate experience, and can help explain how our own society works - from the causes of unemployment or what helps economic growth, to how and why people vote, or what makes people happy. It provides vital information for governments and policymakers, local authorities, non-governmental organizations and others.

Social science disciplines

Demography and social statistics, methods, and computing

• Demography is the study of populations and population changes and trends, using resources such as statistics of births, deaths, and disease.
• Social statistics, methods, and computing involves the collection and analysis of quantitative and qualitative social science data.

Development studies, human geography, and environmental planning

• Development studies are a multidisciplinary branch of the social sciences which addresses a range of social and economic issues related to developing or low-income countries.
• Human geography studies the world, its people, communities, and cultures, and differs from physical geography mainly in that it focuses on human activities and their impact - for instance on environmental change.
• Environmental planning explores the decision-making processes for managing relationships within and between human systems and natural systems, in order to manage these processes in an effective, transparent and equitable manner.

Economics, management and business studies

• Economics seeks to understand how individuals interact within the social structure, to address key questions about the production and exchange of goods and services.
• Management and business studies explores a wide range of aspects relating to the activities and management of the business, such as strategic and operational management, organizational psychology, employment relations, marketing, accounting, finance, and logistics.

Education, social anthropology, and linguistics

• Education is one of the most important social sciences, exploring how people learn and develop.
• Social anthropology is the study of how human societies and social structures are organized and understood.
• Linguistics focuses on language and how people communicate through spoken sounds and words.

   

Law, economic and social history

• Law focuses on the rules created by governments and people to ensure a more orderly society.
• Economic and social history looks at past events to learn from history and better understand the processes of contemporary society.

Politics and international relations

• Politics focuses on democracy and the relationship between people and policy, at all levels up from the individual to a national and international level.
• International relations is the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of other organizations.

Psychology and sociology

• Psychology studies the human mind and try to understand how people and groups experience the world through various emotions, ideas, and conscious states.
• Sociology involves groups of people, rather than individuals, and attempts to understand the way people relate to each other and function as a society or social sub-groups.

Science and technology studies

• Science and technology studies is concerned with what scientists do, what their role is in our society, the history, and culture of science, and the policies and debates that shape our modern scientific and technological world.

Social policy and social work

• Social policy is an interdisciplinary and applied subject concerned with the analysis of societies' responses to social need, focusing on aspects of society, economy and policy that are necessary to human existence, and how these can be provided.
• Social work focuses on social change, problem-solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance social justice.

How social science shapes lives

Social scientists influence our lives usually without us being aware they are doing so. For example, a study of behavior at football matches has shown that if police avoid heavy-handed tactics this can help maintain crowd control in potentially hostile situations. The study's findings on how to create a less confrontational atmosphere are being included in police training across Europe.

Other research findings have informed policies aimed at reducing child poverty and reforming the UK tax system to help poorer families. Charities such as Save the Children have used such research to highlight the higher prices paid by the poor for basic necessities such as fuel and banking.

Other examples of areas in which social science influences our lives to include:

• The role of governments in an increasingly market-based society, which has been determined by famous thinkers such as John Maynard Keynes and Karl Popper
• It was an economist who came up with the idea of the National Health Service
• The payment of billions of pounds of state benefits for the needy has been influenced by the work of social scientists
• Social science research findings continue to provide invaluable information whether you are a parent, a local councilor, a police officer, or a business executive.