"The important thing is to not stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing." Albert Einstein This unit will introduce you to the field of scientific study called the Social Sciences. The fundamental questions that social scientists ask relate to explaining human behaviour - in the past, in the present, and in the future. Anthropologists, psychologists, and sociologists seek answers in ways that are particular to their own discipline, but what they share is an inquiry process that helps them dive deeply into explaining what makes us act and think the way that we do.
This unit introduces you to anthropology as one of the social sciences. You will learn about different subfields of anthropology and examine the people who have helped shape how we work in this social science field today. You will also learn about different theories and methodologies anthropologists use in their work and study.
This unit introduces you to the social science of psychology by exploring prominent psychologist, whose work has helped shape how we think about psychology today, and the theories, approaches, and methodologies psychologists use to study the motivations behind human behaviour. You will also explore ethical guidelines required in conducting psychological research and examine why ethics, especially in psychological research, are so important.
This unit introduces you to the field of sociology, which is the study of the social behaviour of individuals and groups. Sociologists study individuals and groups to try to understand why we act the way we do, from where our beliefs have come, and the interaction between social institutions and behaviour by investigating various issues. We will apply our sociological thinking to the everyday world we inhabit and demonstrate in our field journals how we are beginning to think like sociologists.
This final culminating activity asks you to do two things: reflect on your learning in the course; and apply what you have learned to the question about which has the greater influence on us: our nature (how we were born) or nurture (our environment and our experiences).
