Currently the department offers courses in geography, government, economics, philosophy, comparative religion and history. In order to explore other options, defining terms, fields of study, and certain concepts is in order.
Social Science:
1. The study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society.
2. A scholarly or scientific discipline that deals with such study, generally regarded as including sociology, psychology, anthropology, economics, political science, and history.
Anthropology:
The scientific study of humans, especially of their origin, their behavior, and their physical, social, and cultural development.
Sub-fields/focus areas include:
- Archaeology
- Biological anthropology
- Culture and personality
- Forensic anthropology
- Human origins and evolution
- Language and culture
- Primate behavior
(click here for a brief overview)
Archeology :
The systematic study of past human life and culture by the recovery and examination of remaining material evidence, such as graves, buildings, tools, and pottery.
Sub-fields/focus areas include:
- Archaeological theory and methods
- Chinese dynastic history
- Egyptology
- Field excavation
- Greco-Roman studies
- Origins of new world civilizations
- Paleolithic (Stone Age) cultures
- Sub-Saharan African cultures
- Survey of world prehistory
(click here for a brief overview)
Psychology:
1.The scientific study of mental processes and behavior.
2. The behavioral and cognitive characteristics of a specific individual, group, activity, or circumstance.
Sub-fields/focus areas include:
- Abnormal psychology
- Cognitive psychology
- Developmental psychology
- Learning
- Neuroscience
- Perception and sensation
- Personality
- Research methods in psychology
- Social psychology
(Click here for a brief overview)
Sociology:
The scientific study of human social behavior and its origins, development, organizations, and institutions.
Sub-fields/focus areas include:
- Criminology
- Gender roles
- Juvenile delinquency
- Mass media
- Minority groups
- Social problems
- Social psychology
- Sociological research methods
- Sociological theory
- Sociology of the family
