Transcript History and the Social Sciences

History and the Social Sciences
Framework for a Systematic Study of People
Read the following
statement
If you would study America, think first that
this is more than just a place to live. Think of it as a
state of being that has done much and has meaning
for all ages. You are in a place to be a gatekeeper of
the new millennium. If you would be a part of all of
this, you must know its people, from where they have
come and why.
AIM Question: In what ways
might an understanding of the
social sciences help us to better
study people and cultures?
Objective of this Lesson
As a result of this lesson you will
be able to explain the role of the
Historian and the Social
Sciences in our society.
What are the Social Sciences?
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History
Sociology
Economics
Geography
Political Science (civics)
Anthropology
Archaeology
Psychology
Vocabulary for this lesson
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Interpret:To offer an explanation
Primary source: First hand information written at the time
of the event.
Secondary source: Information originating after the event
takes place.
Assumptions: Guesses based on preliminary evidence.
Hypotheses: Firm positions or beliefs based on evidence
that is being tested.
Inferences: Judgments based on an accumulation and
cross-checking of proven facts.
What is it that historians do?
How do they study the past?
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Historians interpret the past using
information and evidence from many
different sources.
Historians examine primary and
secondary sources.
. Historians test sources by crosschecking
with other accurate sources and other
proven events to see if new discoveries
are trustworthy.
. Historians make assumptions,
hypotheses, and inferences.
1. Historians interpret the past
using information and evidence
from many different sources.
Historians use………
Written records
 Oral traditions
 Physical evidence
(artifacts)
For example, they might
gather information from
parish records or tax
registers; symbols found
in art, religion, customs,
or folklore.
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Historians look in
many directions.
primary and
Historians examine _______
secondary sources.
_________
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Using the vocabulary
definition of primary
sources, give an
example of something
a historian would use.
Give an example of a
secondary source.
Which do you think is
more important?
Why?
Primary Sources give firsthand
information about the who, what,
where, and when, of a past
event.
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letters
Primary Sources include accounts from _______,
chronicles, _______,
diaries documents, and
newspapers
time of an event.
___________written
at the ____
books and
Secondary Sources are investigations, _____,
secondhand accounts written _____
after the event took
place.
The fact that Primary Sources are closer to the time of
actual events makes them more valuable, accurate, and
verifiable than Secondary Sources.
sources by
Historians test _______
cross-checking with other accurate
______________
sources and other proven events to see
trustworthy
if the new discoveries are __________.
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Why is it important for historians to test
sources of historical information and
findings?
Can you think of any examples where
history books were changed to
accommodate new historical finds?
How do historians determine truth?
Historians cross-check?
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Historians crosscheck new
information and
findings with other
accurate sources and
other proven events
to see if the new
discoveries are
trustworthy and
reliable.
Historians make assumptions
__________,
hypotheses, and inferences.
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If aliens teleported
into this classroom
tonight, what kinds of
assumptions,
hypotheses, and
inferences would they
arrive at by looking at
the objects in this
room?
Assumptions, Hypotheses, and
Inferences lead to statements that
begin with………
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This evidence seems to indicate……..
Using the alien historians as an example,
choose one object in this room and write a
sentence that begins with – This _______
seems to indicate that…………………….
Other Social Sciences
Early historians focused on official accounts
of major political events, treaties, wars,
crusades, and colonization. Modern
historians look beyond politics and major
events. They now include geography, the
economy, society, and culture to view life in
a broader way.
Social Sciences approach problems in
society using a method similar to the
scientific method.
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Social scientists begin by observing.
1. They define the problem.
2. They review other studies that relate to the problem.
3. They develop a hypothesis about the problem
4. They research
5. Collect data
6. Analyze the results
7.Draw conclusions.
2. Sociology
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social
Sociologists study human ______
relations or group
_____ life and how they affect
societies
human life and _________.
Famous Sociologists
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The father of Sociology was French philosopher
and sociologist August Comte (1798—1857) He
believed that social behavior within a social
system of humans could be studied. Any aspect
of society can be studied sociologically.
Areas of study that have gained the most
attention include; crime, the family,gender, the
media, science and technology, and medicine.
3. Economics
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Economists study how three broad human
activities (__________,
production ________,
exchange and
consumption affect individuals and
___________)
societies .
Famous Economists
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Adam Smith: (1723-1790) A Scottish economist
and Philosopher who in 1776 developed the
idea of laissez-faire (leave alone) economics
that said economies could regulate themselves.
John Maynard Keynes: (1883-1946) An
English economist who believed that
governments could and should intervene in the
economy of a country. His work influenced
President Franklin Roosevelt during the “New
Deal” era after the “Great Depression” of 1929.
4. Geography
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Geographers study location of various
elements in the ___________
environment and try to
describe how they affect human
______ life and
societies.
Geographers consider factors such as
land forms (mountains, plains, rivers) and
climate and how they influence cultural
development.
Famous Geographers
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SIR PATRICK GEDDES
LIFE and WORK
Patrick Geddes was born in 1854. He was one of the pioneers of
town planning. People should think about the growth of cities. City
jobs developed from those in the countryside. He produced reports
on towns and cities from Dunfermline to Tel Aviv and Madras. To
Geddes, it was important that planners listened to the people.
He was one of the pioneers of environmental education. Geddes
believed we should learn about PLACES, PEOPLE and WORK both near and far.
5. Political Science
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Political scientists study the structures and
activities of __________
government and try to
describe how they affect human life and
_________.
societies
Famous Political Scientists
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Alexis de Tocqueville: 1805-59 French historian and
political scientist. Studied America’s new government in
1831 and returned to write a famous work on American
political systems entitle De la Democratie en Amerique.
Quote: However energetically society in general may
strive to make all the citizens equal and alike, the
personal pride of each individual will always make him
try to escape from the common level, and he will form
some inequality somewhere to his own profit.
What does this say about Americans?
6. Anthropology
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social life
Anthropologists study human ___________
culture
and _______.
Anthropology can be physical (human
characteristics) or cultural (the way of life of a
group of people, learned patterns of behavior
and thought passed from one generation to the
next—includes, beliefs, values, language,
political organization, and economic activity).
Famous Anthropologists
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Donald Johanson: discovered 3.2 million
year old skeleton he named “Lucy” in
Hadar, Ethiopia in 1973.
Mary Leakey’s work
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Mary and Louis spent from 1935 to 1959 at Olduvai Gorge in the
Serengeti Plains of northern Tanzania where they worked to
reconstruct many Stone Age cultures dating as far back as 100,000
to two million years ago. They documented stone tools from
primitive stone-chopping instruments to multi-purpose hand axes.
In October of 1947, while on Rusinga Island, Mary unearthed a
Proconsul africanus skull (pictured upper left) which was the first
skull of a fossil ape ever to be found. It was dated to be twenty
million years old. Today only three others are known. In 1955, Mary
and Louis were jointly awarded the Stopes Medal from the
Geological Association for their hard work and discoveries.
7. Psychology
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Psychologists study why living humans
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act the way they do, how they grow up,
how they learn and ______,
change how they
differ from one another , and even how
they get into trouble or become mentally
disturbed
_________.
Famous psychologists
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Sigmund Freud: 1856-1939 Born in
Freiburg, Moravia. Was the father of
psychoanalysis.
Summary
Using what you have learned about the role of
social science, go back and look at your Do Now
statement and see if you can make any changes.
Cross out any words you would like to change or
write a whole new statement above or below the
old one.
Homework
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Think of a problem in society that you are aware
of that concerns you.
Examples:
1. Overcrowding population
2. Gangs
3. Drug abuse
4. AIDS in Africa
5. School Bullies
6. Health care
7. Money for College
8. Jobs
Summarize the problem.
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Write a brief paragraph that describes the
problem.
Write at least two questions that you have
about the problem.
Explain which social sciences might be
used to address the problem you describe
and why.
Quiz
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Discovery of an arrowhead, an ancient basket
made of woven plant fibers, or ancient cave
drawings would be of most interest to a……
A letter written by George Washington in 1777
would be of great interest to a….
A political scientist would be concerned with
how a society …..
The annual production of a nation’s factories
would be of interest to a….
Creating a new map of Long Island’s physical
characteristics would be a job for……
A person who participates in the study of
gangs would probably be a …….