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social science Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of s ...
s are the
science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...
s concerned with
societies A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...
,
human behaviour Human behavior is the potential and expressed capacity ( mentally, physically, and socially) of human individuals or groups to respond to internal and external stimuli throughout their life. Kagan, Jerome, Marc H. Bornstein, and Richard M. ...
, and
social relationship A social relation or also described as a social interaction or social experience is the fundamental unit of analysis within the social sciences, and describes any voluntary or involuntary interpersonal relationship between two or more individuals ...
s.


Definition

Social science can be described as all of the following: * A
science Science is a systematic endeavor that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe. Science may be as old as the human species, and some of the earliest archeological evidence ...
– systematic enterprise that builds and organizes
knowledge Knowledge can be defined as awareness of facts or as practical skills, and may also refer to familiarity with objects or situations. Knowledge of facts, also called propositional knowledge, is often defined as true belief that is distin ...
in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the
universe The universe is all of space and time and their contents, including planets, stars, galaxies, and all other forms of matter and energy. The Big Bang theory is the prevailing cosmological description of the development of the univers ...
."... modern science is a discovery as well as an invention. It was a discovery that nature generally acts regularly enough to be described by laws and even by
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
; and required invention to devise the techniques, abstractions, apparatus, and organization for exhibiting the regularities and securing their law-like descriptions." —p.vii,
J. L. Heilbron John Lewis Heilbron (born 17 March 1934, San Francisco) is an American historian of science best known for his work in the history of physics and the history of astronomy. He is Professor of History and Vice-Chancellor Emeritus (Vice-Chancellor ...
, (2003, editor-in-chief). ''The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science''. New York: Oxford University Press. .
* Major category of
academic disciplines An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...
– an academic discipline is focused study in one academic field or profession. A discipline incorporates expertise, people, projects, communities, challenges, studies, inquiry, and research areas that are strongly associated with academic areas of study or areas of professional practice. For example, the branches of science are commonly referred to as the scientific disciplines. For instance, gravitation is strongly associated with the discipline of physics, and is considered to be part of that disciplinary knowledge.


Branches of social science

*
Anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...
- the study of humans, past and present, that draws and builds upon knowledge from the social sciences and biological sciences, as well as the
humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at t ...
and the natural sciences. **
Anthropology of religion Anthropology of religion is the study of religion in relation to other social institutions, and the comparison of religious beliefs and practices across cultures. History Al-Biruni (973–1048), wrote detailed comparative studies on the anthro ...
– the study of religious institutions about other social institutions, and the comparison of religious beliefs and practices across cultures **
Applied anthropology Applied anthropology is the application of the methods and theory of anthropology to the analysis and solution of practical problems. In ''Applied Anthropology: Domains of Application'', Kedia and Van Willigen define the process as a "complex of ...
– application of the method and theory of anthropology to the analysis and solution of practical problems. **
Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...
– the study of cultures via material remains and environmental data ( Outline of archaeology) **
Cultural anthropology Cultural anthropology is a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans. It is in contrast to social anthropology, which perceives cultural variation as a subset of a posited anthropological constant. The portma ...
– a branch of anthropology focused on the study of cultural variation among humans, collecting data about the effect of global economic and political processes on local cultural realities. **
Ethnobiology ] Ethnobiology is the scientific study of the way living things are treated or used by different human cultures. It studies the dynamic relationships between people, biota, and environments, from the distant past to the immediate present.culture ...
– the scientific study of dynamic relationships between peoples, biota, and environments, from the distant past to the immediate present. **
Ethnobotany Ethnobotany is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of a local culture and people. An ethnobotanist thus strives to document the local customs involving the practical uses of local flora for m ...
– is the study of a region's plants and their practical uses through the traditional knowledge of local culture and people. **
Ethnography Ethnography (from Greek ''ethnos'' "folk, people, nation" and ''grapho'' "I write") is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. Ethnography explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject ...
– the systematic study of people and cultures. **
Ethnology Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural, social, or sociocultural anthropology). ...
– a branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity. **
Ethnopoetics Ethnopoetics is a method of recording text versions of oral poetry or narrative performances (i.e. verbal lore) that uses poetic lines, verses, and stanzas (instead of prose paragraphs) to capture the formal, poetic performance elements which ...
– method of recording text versions of oral poetry or narrative performances (i.e., verbal lore) that uses poetic lines, verses, and stanzas (instead of prose paragraphs) to capture the formal, poetic performance elements which would otherwise be lost in the written texts. **
Evolutionary anthropology Evolutionary anthropology, the interdisciplinary study of the evolution of human physiology and human behaviour and of the relation between hominids and non-hominid primates, builds on natural science and on social science. Various fields and ...
– an interdisciplinary study of the evolution of human physiology and human behaviour and the relation between hominids and non-hominid primates. **
Experimental archaeology Experimental archaeology (also called experiment archaeology) is a field of study which attempts to generate and test archaeological hypotheses, usually by replicating or approximating the feasibility of ancient cultures performing various tasks ...
– Experimental archaeology employs several different methods, techniques, analyses, and approaches to generate and test hypotheses, based upon the archaeological source material, like ancient structures or artifacts. **
Historical archaeology Historical archaeology is a form of archaeology dealing with places, things, and issues from the past or present when written records and oral traditions can inform and contextualize cultural material. These records can both complement and conflict ...
– a form of archaeology dealing with topics that are already attested in written records. **
Linguistic anthropology Linguistic anthropology is the interdisciplinary study of how language influences social life. It is a branch of anthropology that originated from the endeavor to document endangered languages and has grown over the past century to encompass mo ...
– is the interdisciplinary study of how language influences social life. **
Medical anthropology Medical anthropology studies "human health and disease, health care systems, and biocultural adaptation". It views humans from multidimensional and ecological perspectives. It is one of the most highly developed areas of anthropology and applie ...
– an interdisciplinary field that studies "human health and disease, health care systems, and biocultural adaptation". **
Physical anthropology Biological anthropology, also known as physical anthropology, is a scientific discipline concerned with the biological and behavioral aspects of human beings, their extinct hominin ancestors, and related non-human primates, particularly from an e ...
– the study of the physical development of the human species. **
Psychological anthropology Psychological anthropology is an interdisciplinary subfield of anthropology that studies the interaction of cultural and mental processes. This subfield tends to focus on ways in which humans' development and enculturation within a particular cu ...
– interdisciplinary subfield of anthropology that studies the interaction of cultural and mental processes. **
Zooarchaeology Zooarchaeology (sometimes called archaeozoology), also known as faunal analysis, is a branch of archaeology that studies remains of animals from archaeological sites. Faunal remains are the items left behind when an animal dies. These include bon ...
– study of faunal remains. **
Anthrozoology Anthrozoology, also known as human–nonhuman-animal studies (HAS), is the subset of ethnobiology that deals with interactions between humans and other animals. It is an interdisciplinary field that overlaps with other disciplines including ...
– study of human-animal interaction. *
The arts The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both ...
– refers to the theory and physical expression of
creativity Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed lit ...
found in human
culture Culture () is an umbrella term which encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, and habits of the individuals in these groups ...
and
societies A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...
. **
Culinary arts Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called chefs ...
– are the
cuisine A cuisine is a style of cooking characterized by distinctive ingredients, techniques and dishes, and usually associated with a specific culture or geographic region. Regional food preparation techniques, customs, and ingredients combine to ...
arts of
food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is in ...
preparation, cooking, and presentation of food, usually in the form of
meals A meal is an eating occasion that takes place at a certain time and includes consumption of food. The names used for specific meals in English vary, depending on the speaker's culture, the time of day, or the size of the meal. Although they c ...
. **
Literary Arts Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...
– refers to writing considered to be an art form or any single writing deemed to have artistic or intellectual value, often due to deploying language in ways that differ from ordinary usage. **
Performing arts The performing arts are arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which are the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art objects. Perfo ...
– refers to forms of art in which artists use their voices, bodies or inanimate object to convey artistic expression. **
Visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile art ...
– are art forms such as
painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and a ...
,
drawing Drawing is a form of visual art in which an artist uses instruments to mark paper or other two-dimensional surface. Drawing instruments include graphite pencils, pen and ink, various kinds of paints, inked brushes, colored pencils, crayo ...
,
printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniqu ...
,
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable ...
,
ceramics A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
,
photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is emplo ...
,
video Video is an electronic medium for the recording, copying, playback, broadcasting, and display of moving visual media. Video was first developed for mechanical television systems, which were quickly replaced by cathode-ray tube (CRT) sy ...
,
filmmaking Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, cast ...
,
design A design is a plan or specification for the construction of an object or system or for the implementation of an activity or process or the result of that plan or specification in the form of a prototype, product, or process. The verb ''to design' ...
,
crafts A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...
, and
architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and constructing buildings ...
. *
Business studies Business studies, often simply called business, is a field of study that deals with the principles of business, management, and economics. It combines elements of accountancy, finance, marketing, organizational studies, human resource management, ...
– an academic area that consists of many sub-areas about the social relationships that comprise the human economic systems. **
Accountancy Accounting, also known as accountancy, is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial and non financial information about economic entities such as businesses and corporations. Accounting, which has been called the "langua ...
– the measurement, processing and communication of financial information about economic entities. **
Finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of f ...
– a field dealing with the study of investments. **
Commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, natio ...
**
Management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...
– the administration of an organization, whether it be a business, a not-for-profit organization, or government body. ***
Human resource management Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, culture ...
– a function in organizations designed to maximize employee performance in service of an employer's strategic objectives. **
Marketing Marketing is the process of exploring, creating, and delivering value to meet the needs of a target market in terms of goods and services; potentially including selection of a target audience; selection of certain attributes or themes to emph ...
– the study and management of exchange relationships. **
Organizational studies Organization studies (also called organization science or organizational studies) is the academic field interested in a ''collective activity, and how it relates to organization, organizing, and management''. It is "the examination of how individua ...
– the examination of how individuals construct organizational structures, processes, and practices and how these, in turn, shape social relations and create institutions that ultimately influence people. *
Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...
– details of this area and its sub-areas are provided in this taxonomy below. ***
Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics anal ...
– analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. It aims to explain how economies work and how economic agents interact. ****
Macroeconomics Macroeconomics (from the Greek prefix ''makro-'' meaning "large" + ''economics'') is a branch of economics dealing with performance, structure, behavior, and decision-making of an economy as a whole. For example, using interest rates, taxes, and ...
– branch of economics dealing with the performance, structure, behaviour, and decision-making of the whole economy ****
Microeconomics Microeconomics is a branch of mainstream economics that studies the behavior of individuals and firms in making decisions regarding the allocation of scarce resources and the interactions among these individuals and firms. Microeconomics fo ...
– branch of economics that studies the behaviour of individual households and firms in making decisions on the allocation of limited resources ****
Behavioural economics Behavioral economics studies the effects of psychological, cognitive, emotional, cultural and social factors on the decisions of individuals or institutions, such as how those decisions vary from those implied by classical economic theory. ...
– Behavioral economics and the related field, behavioural finance, study the effects of social, cognitive and emotional factors on the economic decisions of individuals and institutions and the consequences for market prices, returns and resource allocation. **** Bioeconomics – applies the laws of thermodynamics to economic theory **** Comparative economics – a comparative study of different systems of economic organization, such as capitalism, socialism, feudalism and the mixed economy. ****
Socialist economics Socialist economics comprises the economic theories, practices and norms of hypothetical and existing socialist economic systems. A socialist economic system is characterized by social ownership and operation of the means of production that may ...
– economic theories and practices of hypothetical and existing socialist economic systems. ****
Development economics Development economics is a branch of economics which deals with economic aspects of the development process in low- and middle- income countries. Its focus is not only on methods of promoting economic development, economic growth and structural ...
– branch of economics which deals with economic aspects of the development process in low-income countries. **** Ecological economics – an interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary field that aims to address the interdependence and coevolution of human economies and natural ecosystems. ****
Economic geography Economic geography is the subfield of human geography which studies economic activity and factors affecting them. It can also be considered a subfield or method in economics. There are four branches of economic geography. There is, primary sect ...
– the study of the location, distribution and spatial organization of economic activities across the world. ****
Economic history Economic history is the academic learning of economies or economic events of the past. Research is conducted using a combination of historical methods, statistical methods and the application of economic theory to historical situations and i ...
– study of economies or economic phenomena in the past. ****
Economic sociology Economic sociology is the study of the social cause and effect of various economic phenomena. The field can be broadly divided into a classical period and a contemporary one, known as "new economic sociology". The classical period was concerned ...
– studies both the social effects and the social causes of various economic phenomena. ****
Energy economics Energy economics is a broad scientific subject area which includes topics related to supply and use of energy in societies. Considering the cost of energy services and associated value gives economic meaning to the efficiency at which energ ...
– broad scientific subject area which includes topics related to supply and use of energy in societies ****
Entrepreneurial Economics Entrepreneurial economics is the study of the entrepreneur and entrepreneurship within the economy. The accumulation of factors of production per se does not explain economic development. They are necessary factors of production, but they are not s ...
– the study of the entrepreneur and entrepreneurship within the economy. ****
Environmental economics Environmental economics is a sub-field of economics concerned with environmental issues. It has become a widely studied subject due to growing environmental concerns in the twenty-first century. Environmental economics "undertakes theoretical or ...
– subfield of economics concerned with environmental issues. ****
Evolutionary economics Evolutionary economics is part of mainstream economics as well as a heterodox school of economic thought that is inspired by evolutionary biology. Much like mainstream economics, it stresses complex interdependencies, competition, growth, stru ...
– part of mainstream economics as well as a heterodox school of economic thought that is inspired by evolutionary biology. ****
Financial economics Financial economics, also known as finance, is the branch of economics characterized by a "concentration on monetary activities", in which "money of one type or another is likely to appear on ''both sides'' of a trade". William F. Sharpe"Financia ...
– branch of economics concerned with "the allocation and deployment of economic resources, both spatially and across time, in an uncertain environment". ****
Heterodox economics Heterodox economics is any economic thought or theory that contrasts with orthodox schools of economic thought, or that may be beyond neoclassical economics.Frederic S. Lee, 2008. "heterodox economics," '' The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economic ...
– approaches or to schools of economic thought that are considered outside of "mainstream economics" and sometimes contrasted by expositors with neoclassical economics. ****
Green economics A green economy is an economy that aims at reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities, and that aims for sustainable development without degrading the environment. It is closely related with ecological economics, but has a more politi ...
– one that results in improved human well-being and social equity, while significantly reducing environmental risks ****
Feminist economics Feminist economics is the critical study of economics and economies, with a focus on gender-aware and inclusive economic inquiry and policy analysis. Feminist economic researchers include academics, activists, policy theorists, and practitio ...
– a diverse area of economic inquiry that highlights the androcentric biases of traditional economics through critical examinations of economic methodology, epistemology, history and empirical study. ****
Islamic economics Islamic economics ( ar, الاقتصاد الإسلامي) refers to the knowledge of economics or economic activities and processes in terms of Islamic principles and teachings. Islam has a set of special moral norms and values about individua ...
– body of Islamic studies literature that "identifies and promotes an economic order that conforms to Islamic scripture and traditions," and in the economic world an interest-free Islamic banking system, grounded in Sharia's condemnation of interest (riba). ****
Industrial organization In economics, industrial organization is a field that builds on the theory of the firm by examining the structure of (and, therefore, the boundaries between) firms and markets. Industrial organization adds real-world complications to the perf ...
– field of economics that builds on the
theory of the firm The theory of the firm consists of a number of economic theories that explain and predict the nature of the firm, company, or corporation, including its existence, behaviour, structure, and relationship to the market. Firms are key drivers in ec ...
in examining the structure of, and boundaries between, firms and markets. ****
International economics International economics is concerned with the effects upon economic activity from international differences in productive resources and consumer preferences and the international institutions that affect them. It seeks to explain the patterns and ...
– study of the effects upon economic activity of international differences in productive resources and consumer preferences and the institutions that affect them. ****
Institutional economics Institutional economics focuses on understanding the role of the evolutionary process and the role of institutions in shaping economic behavior. Its original focus lay in Thorstein Veblen's instinct-oriented dichotomy between technology on the ...
– the study of the role of the evolutionary process and the role of institutions in shaping economic behaviour. **** Labor economics – seeks to understand the functioning and dynamics of the markets for labour. ****
Law and Economics Law and economics, or economic analysis of law, is the application of microeconomic theory to the analysis of law, which emerged primarily from scholars of the Chicago school of economics. Economic concepts are used to explain the effects of law ...
– application of economic methods to the analysis of law. ****
Managerial economics Managerial economics is a branch of economics involving the application of economic methods in the managerial decision-making process.• Trefor Jones (2004). ''Business Economics and Managerial Decision Making'', WileyDescriptionand chapter-pre ...
– "application of economic concepts and economic analysis to the problems of formulating rational managerial decisions" ****
Monetary economics Monetary economics is the branch of economics that studies the different competing theories of money: it provides a framework for analyzing money and considers its functions (such as medium of exchange, store of value and unit of account), and ...
– branch of economics that historically prefigured and remains integrally linked to macroeconomics. ****
Neoclassical economics Neoclassical economics is an approach to economics in which the production, consumption and valuation (pricing) of goods and services are observed as driven by the supply and demand model. According to this line of thought, the value of a good ...
– focuses on goods, outputs, and income distributions in markets through supply and demand. ****
Public finance Public finance is the study of the role of the government in the economy. It is the branch of economics that assesses the government revenue and government expenditure of the public authorities and the adjustment of one or the other to achiev ...
– the study of the role of the government in the economy. ****
Public economics Public economics ''(or economics of the public sector)'' is the study of government policy through the lens of economic efficiency and equity. Public economics builds on the theory of welfare economics and is ultimately used as a tool to improve ...
– the study of a government policy through the lens of economic efficiency and equity. ****
Real estate economics Real estate economics is the application of economic techniques to real estate markets. It tries to describe, explain, and predict patterns of prices, supply, and demand. The closely related field of housing economics is narrower in scope, con ...
– application of economic techniques to real estate markets. ****
Resource economics Natural resource economics deals with the supply, demand, and allocation of the Earth's natural resources. One main objective of natural resource economics is to better understand the role of natural resources in the economy in order to deve ...
– the study of supply, demand, and allocation of the Earth's natural resources. ****
Welfare economics Welfare economics is a branch of economics that uses microeconomic techniques to evaluate well-being (welfare) at the aggregate (economy-wide) level. Attempting to apply the principles of welfare economics gives rise to the field of public ec ...
– branch of economics that uses microeconomic techniques to evaluate economic well-being, especially relative to competitive general equilibrium within an economy as to economic efficiency and the resulting income distribution associated with it. ****
Political economy Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour ...
– the study of the production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. ****
Socioeconomics Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their l ...
– considers behavioural interactions of individuals and groups through social capital and social "markets" (not excluding, for example, sorting by marriage) and the formation of social norms. ****
Transport economics Transport economics is a branch of economics founded in 1959 by American economist John R. Meyer that deals with the allocation of resources within the transport sector. It has strong links to civil engineering. Transport economics differs from ...
– branch of economics that deals with the allocation of resources within the transport sector and has strong linkages with civil engineering. ****
Economic methodology Economic methodology is the study of methods, especially the scientific method, in relation to economics, including principles underlying economic reasoning. In contemporary English, 'methodology' may reference theoretical or systematic aspe ...
– the study of methods, especially the scientific method, about economics, including principles underlying economic reasoning. ****
Computational economics Computational Economics is an interdisciplinary research discipline that involves computer science, economics, and management science.''Computational Economics''."About This Journal"an"Aims and Scope" This subject encompasses computational model ...
– research discipline at the interface between computer science and economic and management science. ****
Econometrics Econometrics is the application of statistical methods to economic data in order to give empirical content to economic relationships. M. Hashem Pesaran (1987). "Econometrics," '' The New Palgrave: A Dictionary of Economics'', v. 2, p. 8 p. ...
– application of mathematics and statistical methods to economic data ****
Mathematical economics Mathematical economics is the application of mathematical methods to represent theories and analyze problems in economics. Often, these applied methods are beyond simple geometry, and may include differential and integral calculus, difference ...
– application of mathematical methods to represent economic theories and analyze problems posed in economics. ****
Economic statistics Economic statistics is a topic in applied statistics and applied economics that concerns the collection, processing, compilation, dissemination, and analysis of economic data. It is closely related to business statistics and econometrics. It ...
– topic in applied statistics that concerns the collection, processing, compilation, dissemination, and analysis of economic data. ****
Time series In mathematics, a time series is a series of data points indexed (or listed or graphed) in time order. Most commonly, a time series is a sequence taken at successive equally spaced points in time. Thus it is a sequence of discrete-time data. Ex ...
– sequence of data points, measured typically at successive time instants spaced at uniform time intervals. **** Experimental economics – application of experimental methods to study economic questions. * Cognitive science – the interdisciplinary scientific study of the mind and its processes. It examines what cognition is, what it does and how it works. * Cultural studies – academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. * Demography – statistical study of human populations and sub-populations. * Development studies – a multidisciplinary branch of social science that addresses issues of concern to developing countries. * Outline of education, Education – in the general sense is any act or experience that has a formative effect on the mind, character, or physical ability of an individual. In its technical sense, education is the process by which society deliberately transmits its accumulated knowledge, skills, and values from one generation to another. * Outline of environmental studies, Environmental studies – the interdisciplinary academic field which systematically studies human interaction with the environment. * Folkloristics – the study of tradition as a social force within complex societies. * Gender studies, Gender and sexuality studies – field of interdisciplinary study and academic field devoted to gender identity and gendered representation as central categories of analysis. * Outline of geography, Geography – the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. ** Physical geography – a branch of the social sciences that studies physical features on the Earth's surface, water, the atmosphere and biodiversity on the Earth. *** Geomorphology – branch of physical geography that studies the Earth and its landforms. *** Hydrology – study of water on the Earth's surface and in its atmosphere. *** Glaciology – study of ice sheets and glaciers on the Earth's surface. *** Biogeography – study of the distribution of living organisms on the Earth. *** Climatology – the study of climate. *** Meteorology – the study of weather. *** Pedology, Soil geography – the study of soil. *** Oceanography – the study of oceans. *** Coastal geography – study of coasts. *** Landscape ecology – the study of effects of the ecological process on the Earth. *** Palaeogeography – studies distribution of continents and oceans over time. *** Environmental geography – studies the interaction between humans and the physical environment. ** Outline of cartography, Cartography – study and practice of making maps or globes. ** Human geography – the branch of the social sciences that studies the world, its people, communities, and cultures with an emphasis on relations of and across space and place. *** Critical geography – takes a critical theory (Frankfurt School) approach to the study and analysis of geography. *** Cultural geography – the study of cultural products and norms and their variations across and relations to spaces and places. *** Feminist geography – approach in human geography which applies the theories, methods and critiques of feminism to the study of the human environment, society and geographical space. ***
Economic geography Economic geography is the subfield of human geography which studies economic activity and factors affecting them. It can also be considered a subfield or method in economics. There are four branches of economic geography. There is, primary sect ...
– study of the location, distribution and spatial organization of economic activities across the world. *** Development geography – branch of geography concerning the standard of living and quality of life of its human inhabitants. *** Historical geography – study of the human, physical, fictional, theoretical, and "real" geographies of the past. *** Time geography – *** Political geography & geopolitics – field of human geography that is concerned with the study of both the spatially uneven outcomes of political processes and how political processes are themselves affected by spatial structures. *** Marxist geography – strand of critical geography that uses the theories and philosophy of Marxism to examine the spatial relations of human geography. *** Military geography – sub-field of geography that is used by, not only the military but also academics and politicians to understand the geopolitical sphere through the militaristic lens. *** Strategic geography – concerned with the control of, or access to, spatial areas that affect the security and prosperity of nations. *** Population geography – the study of how spatial variations in the distribution, composition, migration, and growth of populations are related to the nature of places. *** Social geography – branch of human geography that is most closely related to social theory in general and sociology in particular, dealing with the relation of social phenomena and its spatial components. *** Behavioral geography – approach to human geography that examines human behaviour using a disaggregated approach. *** Children's geographies – area of study within human geography and Childhood Studies which involves researching the places and spaces of children's lives. *** Health geography – application of geographical information, perspectives, and methods to the study of health, disease, and health care. *** Tourism geography – a study of travel and tourism, as an industry and as a social and cultural activity. *** Urban geography – the study of areas that have a high concentration of buildings and infrastructure. ** Environmental geography – a branch of geography that describes the spatial aspects of interactions between humans and the natural world. ** Regional geography – the study of world regions. * Gerontology – the study of the social, psychological and biological aspects of aging. * Outline of history, History – discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period after writing was invented. This category includes many sub-domains of history such as art history, diplomatic history, history of science, economic history, environmental history, military history, political history, urban history, women's history and many others. * Industrial relations – the multidisciplinary field that studies the employment relationship. * Information science – interdisciplinary field primarily concerned with the analysis, collection, classification, manipulation, storage, retrieval and dissemination of information. * International studies – the study of the major political, economic, social, cultural and sacral issues that dominate the international agenda * Outline of law, Law – set of rules and principles (laws) by which a society is governed, through enforcement by governmental authorities. * Legal management (academic discipline), Legal management – social sciences discipline that is designed for students interested in the study of State and its elements, Law, Law Practice, Legal Research and Jurisprudence, legal Philosophy, Criminal Justice, Governance, Government structure, Political history and theories, Business Organization and Management, Entrepreneurship, Public Administration and Human Resource Development. ** Paralegal studies – social sciences discipline that is designed for students interested in the study of State and its elements, Law, Law Practice, Legal Research and Jurisprudence, legal Philosophy, Criminal Justice, Governance, Government structure, Political history and theories, Business Organization and Management, Entrepreneurship, Public Administration and Human Resource Development. * Outline of library science, Library science – the study of issues related to libraries and the information fields. *Outline of linguistics, Linguistics – the scientific study of natural language. **Anthropological linguistics – the study of the relations between language and culture and the relations between human biology, cognition and language. **Applied linguistics – an interdisciplinary field of study that identifies, investigates, and offers solutions to language-related real-life problems. **Biolinguistics – study of the biology and evolution of language. **Clinical linguistics and speech and language pathology – a sub-discipline of linguistics that involves the application of linguistic theory to the field of Speech-Language Pathology. **Cognitive linguistics – a branch of linguistics that interprets language in terms of the concepts, sometimes universal, sometimes specific to a particular tongue, which underlies its forms. **Comparative linguistics – the branch of historical linguistics that is concerned with comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness. **Computational linguistics – interdisciplinary field dealing with the statistical or rule-based modelling of natural language from a computational perspective. **Developmental linguistics – the study of the development of linguistic ability in an individual, particularly the acquisition of language in childhood. *** language acquisition – the process by which humans acquire the capacity to perceive and comprehend language, as well as to produce and use words to communicate. **Dialectology – the scientific study of linguistic dialect, a sub-field of sociolinguistics. *** dialectometry – the study of high levels of structure in geographical dialect networks. **Discourse analysis – a general term for several approaches to analyzing the use of written, oral or sign language or any significant semiotic event. **Etymology – the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time. **Evolutionary linguistics – the scientific study of both the origins and development of language as well as the cultural evolution of languages. **Forensic linguistics – application of linguistic knowledge, methods and insights to the forensic context of law, language, crime investigation, trial, and judicial procedure. **Geolinguistics – branch of human geography that studies the geographic distribution of language or its constituent elements. **Historical linguistics – the study of language change. ** Language – is a Grammar, structured means of communication **Lexis (linguistics), Lexis – total vocabulary or lexicon having items of lexical, rather than grammatical, meaning. **Linguistic typology – subfield of linguistics that studies and classifies languages according to their structural features. ** Literature – refers to writing considered to be an art form or any single writing deemed to have artistic or intellectual value, often due to deploying language in ways that differ from ordinary usage. ** Mathematical linguistics, Mathematics linguistics – Mathematics has been applied in linguistics for analysis, grammar logic and other theoretical aspects in linguistics. **Morphology (linguistics), Morphology – identification, analysis and description of the structure of a given language's morphemes and other linguistic units, such as words, affixes, parts of speech, intonation/stress, or implied context (words in a lexicon are the subject matter of lexicology). **Neurolinguistics – the study of the neural mechanisms in the human brain that control the comprehension, production, and acquisition of language. **Philology – the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics. **Phonetics – a branch of linguistics that comprises the study of the sounds of human speech, or the equivalent aspects of sign. **Phonology – the branch of linguistics concerned with the systematic organization of sounds in languages. **Phraseology – the study of the set or fixed expressions, such as idioms, phrasal verbs, and other types of multi-word lexical units (often collectively referred to as phrasemes), in which the parts of the expression take on a meaning more specific than or otherwise not predictable from the sum of their meanings when used independently. **Pragmatics – subfield of linguistics that studies how context contributes to meaning. **Psycholinguistics – the study of the psychological and neurobiological factors that enable humans to acquire, use, comprehend and produce language. **Sociolinguistics – a descriptive study of the effect of any aspects of society, including cultural norms, expectations, and context, on the way language, is used, and the effects of language use on society. **Speech science – Speech science refers to the study of production, transmission and perception of speech. Speech science involves anatomy, in particular the anatomy of the oro-facial region and neuroanatomy, physiology, and acoustics. **Stylistics (linguistics), Stylistics – study and interpretation of texts from a linguistic perspective. **Syntax – "the study of the principles and processes by which sentences are constructed in particular languages." **Semantics – the study of meaning. **Writing, Writing systems and orthography – representation of language in a textual medium through the use of a set of signs or symbols (known as a writing system). *
Management Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activitie ...
– in addition to the administration of an organization, it is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively. * Media studies – academic discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history and effects of various media; in particular, the 'mass media. ** Communication studies – an academic field that deals with processes of human communication, commonly defined as the sharing of symbols to create meaning. * Outline of political science, Political science – social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government, and politics. ** Civics – the study of the theoretical and practical aspects of citizenship, its rights and duties; the duties of citizens to each other as members of a political body and to the government. ** Comparative politics – field and a method used in political science, characterized by an empirical approach based on the comparative method. ** Game theory – the study of strategic decision making. ** Geopolitics – a theory that describes the relationship between politics and territory whether on a local or international scale. *** political geography – field of human geography that is concerned with the study of both the spatially uneven outcomes of political processes and how political processes are themselves affected by spatial structures. ** Ideology – a set of ideas that constitute one's goals, expectations, and actions. **
Political economy Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour ...
– Political economy originally was the term for studying production, buying, and selling, and their relations with law, custom, and government, as well as with the distribution of national income and wealth, including through the budget process. Political economy originated in moral philosophy. It developed in the 18th century as the study of the economies of states, polities, hence political economy. ** Political psychology – bureaucratic, administrative and judicial behaviour ** Psephology – the branch of political science which deals with the study and scientific analysis of elections. ** Voting systems – methods by which voters choose between options, often in an election or on a policy referendum. ** Public administration – houses the implementation of government policy and an academic discipline that studies this implementation and that prepares civil servants for this work. *** Public policy – generally the principled guide to action taken by the administrative or executive branches of the state about a class of issues in a manner consistent with law and institutional customs. *** Public health – the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting human health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals *** Local government studies – a form of public administration which is a majority of contexts, exists as the lowest tier of administration within the given state. *** International politics – the study of relationships between countries, including the roles of states, inter-governmental organizations (IGOs), international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multinational corporations (MNCs). **** International relations theory – the study of international relations from a theoretical perspective; it attempts to provide a conceptual framework upon which international relations can be analyzed. * Outline of psychology, Psychology – the science of behaviour and mental processes **Abnormal psychology - the study of unusual behavior, emotion, and thought in an individual, likely of that as a mental disorder. **Applied psychology – use of psychological principles and theories to overcome problems in other areas, such as mental health, business management, education, health, product design, ergonomics, and law. *** Psychological testing – field characterized by the use of samples of behaviour to assess psychological construct(s), such as cognitive and emotional functioning, about a given individual. *** Clinical psychology – integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development. *** Community psychology – Sense of community Social capital *** Consumer behaviour – study of when, why, how, and where people do or do not buy a product. *** Counseling psychology – a psychological specialty that encompasses research and applied for work in several broad domains: counselling process and outcome; supervision and training; career development and counselling; and prevention and health. *** Educational psychology – the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. *** Forensic psychology – the intersection between psychology and the courtroom—criminal, civil, family and Federal. *** Health psychology – concerned with understanding how biological, psychological, environmental, and cultural factors are involved in physical health and illness. *** Industrial and organizational psychology – the scientific study of employees, workplaces, and organizations. *** Legal psychology – involves empirical, psychological research of the law, legal institutions, and people who come into contact with the law. *** Media psychology – seeks an understanding of how people perceive, interpret, use, and respond to a media-rich world. *** Military psychology – research, design and application of psychological theories and experimentation data towards understanding, predicting and countering behaviours either in friendly or enemy forces or civilian population that may be undesirable, threatening or potentially dangerous to the conduct of military operations. *** Occupational health psychology – concerned with the psychosocial characteristics of workplaces that contribute to the development of health-related problems in people who work. *** Political psychology – an interdisciplinary academic field dedicated to understanding political science, politicians and political behaviour through the use of psychological theories. *** Psychology of religion – application of psychological methods and interpretive frameworks to religious traditions, as well as to both religious and irreligious individuals. *** Psychometrics – field of study concerned with the theory and technique of psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personality traits, and educational measurement. *** School psychology – the field that applies principles of clinical psychology and educational psychology to the diagnosis and treatment of children's and adolescents' behavioural and learning problems. *** Sport psychology – interdisciplinary science that draws on knowledge from the fields of Kinesiology and Psychology. *** Systems psychology – the branch of applied psychology that studies human behaviour and experience in complex systems. *** Traffic psychology – the study of the behaviour of road users and the psychological processes underlying that behaviour (Rothengatter, 1997, 223) as well as to the relationship between behaviour and accidents ** Behavior analysis – philosophy of psychology based on the proposition that all things that organisms do can and should be regarded as behaviours, and that psychological disorders are best treated by altering behaviour patterns or modifying the environment. ** Biopsychology – application of the principles of biology (in particular neurobiology), to the study of physiological, genetic, and developmental mechanisms of behaviour in human and non-human animals. ** Clinical psychology – integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development. ** Cognitive psychology – subdiscipline of psychology exploring internal mental processes. ** Cultural psychology – field of psychology which assumes the idea that culture and mind are inseparable, and that psychological theories grounded in one culture are likely to be limited in applicability when applied to a different culture. ** Developmental psychology – the scientific study of systematic psychological changes, emotional changes, and perception changes that occur in human beings throughout their life span. ** Educational psychology – the study of how humans learn in educational settings, the effectiveness of educational interventions, the psychology of teaching, and the social psychology of schools as organizations. ** Evolutionary psychology – approach in the social and natural sciences that examines psychological traits such as memory, perception, and language from a modern evolutionary perspective. ** Experimental psychology – application of experimental methods to the study of behaviour and the processes that underlie it. ** Forensic psychology – the intersection between psychology and the courtroom—criminal, civil, family and Federal. ** Health psychology – concerned with understanding how biological, psychological, environmental, and cultural factors are involved in physical health and illness. ** Humanistic psychology – a psychological perspective which rose to prominence in the mid-20th century in the context of the tertiary sector beginning to produce in the most developed countries in the world more than the secondary sector was producing, for the first time in human history demanding creativity and a new understanding of human capital. ** Industrial and organizational psychology – the scientific study of employees, workplaces, and organizations. ** Mathematical psychology – understanding of human nature and mind, all through applications of mathematics theories and concepts along with other methods. ** Music therapy – allied health profession and one of the expressive therapies, consisting of an interpersonal process in which a trained music therapist uses music to help clients to improve or maintain their health. ** Neuropsychology – studies the structure and function of the brain as they relate to specific psychological processes and behaviours. ** Personality psychology – the branch of psychology that studies personality and individual differences. ** Psychometrics – field of study concerned with the theory and technique of psychological measurement, which includes the measurement of knowledge, abilities, attitudes, personality traits, and educational measurement. ** Psychology of religion – application of psychological methods and interpretive frameworks to religious traditions, as well as to both religious and irreligious individuals. ** Psychophysics – quantitatively investigates the relationship between physical stimuli and the sensations and perceptions they affect. ** Sensation and perception psychology * Religious studies – is an academic field devoted to research into religion beliefs, Religious behaviour, behaviors, and institutions. * Science and technology studies – the study of how society, politics, and culture affect scientific research and technological innovation, and how these, in turn, affect society, politics and culture. * Social work – a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or perceived social injustices and violations of their human rights. * Outline of sociology, Sociology – studies society using various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to understand the human social activity, from the micro-level of individual agency and interaction to the macro level of systems and social structure. ** Criminology – the study of the nature, extent, causes, and control of criminal behaviour in both the individual and in society. ** Demography – statistical study of human populations and sub-populations. ** Urban sociology, Urban and rural sociology - the analysis of social life in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas. * Sustainable development – the process of meeting human development goals while sustaining the ability of natural systems to continue to provide the natural resources and natural system services upon which the economy of human society depends. ** Sustainable agriculture – farming in sustainable ways based on an understanding of ecosystem services, the study of relationships between organisms and their environment. * Sustainability studies – focuses on the interdisciplinary perspective of the sustainability concept. Programs include instruction in sustainable development, geography, environmental policies, ethics, ecology, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, economics, natural resources, sociology, and anthropology, many of which are considered social sciences in their own right.


History of social science

* History of the social sciences ** History of anthropology ** History of archaeology ** Area studies#History, History of area studies ** History of communication studies ** Cultural studies#History, History of cultural studies ** Development studies#History, History of development studies ** History of economics ** History of education ** Environmental studies#History, History of environmental studies ** Gender studies#Influences of gender studies, History of gender studies ** History of geography *** Human geography#History, History of human geography ** Historiography, History of history ** Information science#History, History of information science ** History of journalism ** History of law ** Library science#History, History of library science ** History of linguistics ** Management#History, History of management ** History of political science *** International studies#History, History of international studies **** History of international relations *** History of political economy *** Public administration#History, History of public administration ** History of psychology *** Social psychology#History, History of social psychology ** History of social work ** History of sociology *** History of criminal justice *** Demography#History, History of demography ** History of sustainability


Education and degrees

* Bachelor of Social Science * Bachelor of Science * Bachelor of Arts * Bachelor of Economics


General social science concepts

* Ethical research in social science * Open and closed systems in social science


Social science organizations


Social science publications

* List of social science journals


Social scientists

* List of anthropologists * List of business theorists * List of developmental psychologists * List of economists * List of socialist economists * List of educational psychologists * List of geographers * List of psychologists * List of political scientists * List of social psychologists * List of sociologists * List of urban planners * List of urban theorists


See also

* Outline of science ** Outline of natural science *** Outline of physical science **** Outline of earth science ** Outline of formal science ** Outline of applied science ** National Nothing Day


References


External links


Social Science Virtual Library

UC Berkeley Experimental Social Science Laboratory

Intute: Social Sciences
(UK)



Critical Essays
praxeology as the method of the social sciences

in defense of extreme apriorism
{{Outline footer Social sciences, *Outline Outlines of social sciences, Social science