Social Science Glossary

This glossary contains the words people can use in Social Science program. The Social Sciences focus on the analysis of humans and their interactions with others. I have been in Social Science for one year and I am starting my second year of study. There are 22 terms in this glossary. I used the "check vocabulary" function in the Virtual Writing Tutor website with a Social Science text from Wikipedia to find the words for my glossary.

anthropology

noun

The study of human societies and cultures and their development.

Example: Occupational science examines human behaviour incorporating some sociology, psychology and anthropology.

fr: anthropologie

Correlation

noun

A mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.

Example: It was shown that, as suspected, there was a correlation between social class and the use of the affix 's' and that whilst lower working class (LWC) participants omitted the 's' 97% of the time, middle middle class (MMC) participants spoke with a Standard English dialect 100% of the time, never omitting the 's'.

fr: corrélation

economics

noun

The branch of knowledge concerned with the production, consumption, and transfer of wealth.

Example: Believing capitalism to be only another step toward a society without class antagonisms, Marx turned to studying history and economics, while Engels in 1845 published The Condition of the Working Class in England .

fr: économie

education

noun

The process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university.

Example: The Greenpeace Environmental Trust was also established in 1982 to focus upon research and education.

fr: éducation

geography

noun

The study of the physical features of the earth and its atmosphere, and of human activity as it affects and is affected by these, including the distribution of populations and resources, land use, and industries.

Example: His approach is one of 'human geography,' asserting that anthropological perspectives has focused too specifically upon the social and he expounds that, "The geographies (he employs) are those of the visible and invisible worlds, experienced by the people concerned, in order to gain alternative perspective on nature and culture" (Dwyer 1996 p158).

fr: géographie

interpretation

noun

The action of explaining the meaning of something.

Example: In this paper I will present some of these results and different theories, including an interpretation of the different econometric tools used to test for the relevant economic theories.

fr: interprétation

knowledge

noun

Facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.

Example: And all this time I have been involved in software projects without any knowledge of these techniques.

fr: connaissance

linguistics

noun

the scientific study of language and its structure, including the study of morphology, syntax, phonetics, and semantics. Specific branches of linguistics include sociolinguistics, dialectology, psycholinguistics, computational linguistics, historical-comparative linguistics, and applied linguistics.

Example: Historically employed in the fields of psychology and linguistics, many working in the Information industry have now begun to realise the potential and the value of employing this science in the development of information systems.

fr: linguistique

management

noun

The process of dealing with or controlling things or people.

Example: As a result of the acquisition questions have arisen regarding its integration into Wilkinson's current organisational structure which will also inevitably affect the businesses culture, motivation strategies and management of change.

fr: la gestion

media

noun

The main means of mass communication (broadcasting, publishing, and the Internet) regarded collectively.

Example: The rest of budget was spent on advertising media, market research and sales force payments.

fr: média

methodological

adjective

Relating to the system of methods used in a particular area of study or activity.

Example: Author's name Background to research (previous issues, questions, theoretical and methodological approaches; previous research and achievements, limitations and opportunities for future research; justification of the project The study of Greek vases has been one of the main preoccupations of classical archaeology.

fr: méthodologique

moral

adjective

Concerned with the principles of right and wrong behavior and the goodness or badness of human character

Example: Ethical marketing may be considered as a higher level of societal marketing as it not only strives to satisfy the customer but takes into consideration moral and ethical values; a code of conduct may be a way to ensure an ethical approach of staff towards both the customer and the company itself.

fr: moral

philosophy

noun

The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence, especially when considered as an academic discipline.

Example: The Tories embraced a philosophy of individual responsibility, encouraging government services such as the NHS to be run more like businesses and for the public to take responsibility for maintaining their own health.

fr: philosophie

political science

noun

The branch of knowledge that deals with systems of government; the analysis of political activity and behavior.

Example: The American political science Review.

fr: science politique

positivism

noun

The theory that laws are to be understood as social rules, valid because they are enacted by authority or derive logically from existing decisions, and that ideal or moral considerations (e.g., that a rule is unjust) should not limit the scope or operation of the law.

Example: Positivism equates the study of Management with the study of any other natural science, as would be quantum Physics or genetics, arguing that an organization possesses an objective reality independent of the individual's personal interpretations.

fr: positivisme

psychology

noun

The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context.

Example: The characters psychology is also reflected in language, as Othello's suffering increases his lines become more contorted, "O Desdemon!

fr: psychologie

qualitative

adjective

Relating to, measuring, or measured by the quality of something rather than its quantity.

Example: Outcomes of total knee replacement: a qualitative study.

fr: qualitatif

quantitative

adjective

Relating to, measuring, or measured by the quantity of something rather than its quality.

Example: Beerli, A. and Martin, J.D. (2004) Tourist characteristics and the perceived image of tourist destinations: a quantitative analysis - a case study of Lanzarote, Spain.

fr: quantitatif

research

noun

The systematic investigation into and study of materials and sources in order to establish facts and reach new conclusions.

Example: New Historicism hopes to find 'through historical research, a stable core of meaning within the text.

fr: recherche

social

adjective

relating to society or its organization

Example: The emotional benefit is of experiencing the culture of a country, India in this case. Values: Fabindia is associated with values like creativity and social responsibility providing employment to the poorer people of India.

fr: social

society

noun

The aggregate of people living together in a more or less ordered community.

Example: Governance is generally taken to comprehend institutions of government: it is essentially about the process rather than institutional structures: Local Governance in Britain, Leach and Percy-Smith (2001) 'Governance is the process by which we collectively solve our problems and meet out society's needs.

fr: société

theory

noun

A supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, especially one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained.

Example: A human baby of this age should be beginning to develop language and a theory of mind and possession.

fr: théorie

This glossary was made with the Virtual Writing Tutor glossary maker and grammar checker.