HSP3U Introductory Activities

After viewing the video clip, “An Animated Introduction to Social Science,” and reading the other side of this handout, please complete the following questions and tasks in your notebook.

1. Write down 5-10 questions that you think each type of social scientist would ask:a) Anthropologistb) Psychologistc) Sociologist

2. Identify one recent trend or issue (eg. women’s marches, Pokémon Go) and examine them from the perspective of an anthropologist, a psychologist, and a sociologist. Make a list of the questions that you think each type of social scientist would ask when examining the trend or issue.

3. Create a chart where you identify what you consider to be the benefits and challenges of being an anthropologist, psychologist, and sociologist.

4. What type of social science appeals to you the most: anthropology, psychology, or sociology? Explain.

Sources:Barter. (2016). Intro to APS. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Byd-viQUdKZ6NUNhRFZranI1TEU/view

2016. Social Sciences and Related Disciplines. http://hsp3usta.blogspot.ca/

Moffatt. The Three Social Sciences. TVDSB. Retrieved from http://www.tvdsb.ca/webpages/moffattl/hsp3m.cfm?subpage=133669

An Introduction to the Social Sciences

Anthropology: The word anthropology is derived from two Greek words “Anthropos” meaning

humans and “logia” meaning study. It is the science that studies the origin, development, and customs of human beings.

It involves the study of people, both in the past and in the present day, using many methods including studying and classifying fossils and artifacts, and analyzing behaviours, languages, and other characteristics of specific cultural groups.

Two major branches within anthropology include cultural anthropology and physical anthropology.

Physical anthropology: examining bone and stone remains of our ancient ancestors, studying primates, and examining the physical differences and similarities of existing human populations.

Cultural anthropology: learning about the origins and cultures of different races and peoples, studying the history and structure of language, examining the ways humans use language to communicate, and studying the physical remains of past cultures.

Essentially, anthropology examines what makes humans “human.”

Psychology: Psychology comes from the Greek words psyche (“soul” or “mind”) and logos (“study

of”). It is interested in the human mind and how it functions. Psychologists often look for links between human behaviour and the mental

processes. Psychologists will study the following mental activities:

Cognition - knowledge and beliefs Emotions - affect, mood and feelings Motivations - drives, needs, desires and goals

It often involves constructing models to understand individual experiences. Essentially, psychologists are intrigued by what’s happening inside the mind.

Sociology: Sociology comes from the Greek words socius meaning “companion” and logy

meaning “study of.” Studies how humans relate to one another on a social level. Sociologists often look for patterns in human behaviour and use statistics to study

societal trends, issues, individuals, and groups. It can take 2 approaches:

Macrosociology: concerned with studying society as a whole and analyzing social systems and populations on a large scale.

Microsociology: concerned with the role and interactions an individual or small group of people may have on society.

Essentially, sociologists are interested in human interactions and how social systems and institutions shape individuals and groups in society (eg. government, religion, media).