What is scientific knowledge? How does it differ from knowledge acquired “unconsciously”?
social sciences
Description
Chapter 1
1. What
is scientific knowledge? How does it differ from knowledge acquired
“unconsciously”?
2. What
is the scientific method?
3. In
what sense is social science scientific?
4. What
are the advantages of the interdisciplinary approach to the study of many
social problems?
5. What
new social science fields do you think will be important ten years from now?
Why do you think so?
1. What
are some of the developments that changed human beings from roving hunters to
people living in fixed communities? What responsibilities and functions did the
towns grow to provide?
2. In
thinking about your life today, can you identify any ideas that may have come
from the Greeks? From the Romans? From the Middle Ages? If so, what are they?
(If you prefer, choose some of the other periods discussed, such as the
Reformation and the Industrial Revolution.)
3. How
did the church affect life in the Middle Ages? Did its influence change in the
Renaissance?
4. What
was revolutionized by the Industrial Revolution?
5. Name
some of the wars that altered the course of Western society. Why do you think
they led to change??
1. What
is the definition of culture given in the text? What is cultural evolution?
2. Explain
the relationship between culture and society.
3. Distinguish
between the concepts of social evolution and social change.
4. Of
today’s major social problems, which three seem to you most critical? Defend
your choices.
5. Sometimes
we are dissatisfied with aspects of our social system. Should we therefore
dismantle it completely and start over? Why or why not?
Chapter 5
1. What
are some of the questions that geography is concerned with?
2. How
does geography interact with sociology?
3. What
is the Malthusian doctrine? Have the predictions of Thomas Malthus come true?
4. Identify
some of the reasons why the world population has grown in the past 200 years.
5. In
practice, are all policies for limitation of population growth acceptable? If
not, which ones would you argue against?
