Study sheet: Introduction to Social Sciences

📋 Course Outline

1. Sociology and Social Life
2. Political Power and Its Exercise
3. The Three Social Sciences
4. Methods of Social Investigation
5. Variables, Correlation and Causality

📖 1. Sociology and Social Life

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Sociology : the science that studies the behaviors and interactions of individuals living in society
• Social group : A social group is a set of people considered as part of a larger social whole.

★ Must-know

• The principal object of study of sociology is society.

📌 A norm is a rule of behavior, whereas a value is an idea about what is desirable or important.

Further detail

• The two basic questions of sociology are how a society is formed and how social behaviors can be explained.

💡 Memory Hook

Society explains both social interactions and individual behavior.

📖 2. Political Power and Its Exercise

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Political science : the science that studies the conquest and exercise of political power

★ Must-know

• The conquest of political power can occur through speech or by force. — Patrick Charaudeau, La Conquête du pouvoir. Opinion, persuasion, valeur. Les discours d’une nouvelle donne politique, 2013

📌 In a democracy, citizens give power to an elected representative by trusting them to apply their promises while continuing to control what they do.

Further detail

• The political world involves:

  • women and men in politics
  • the people
  • journalists
  • social movements expressing public opinions

• The basic question of political scientists is how political power is conquered and exercised.

💡 Memory Hook

Conquer power, exercise power, remain controlled.

📖 3. The Three Social Sciences

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Economics : the science that studies how scarce resources are produced and distributed

📝 Essential Points

• Because resources are scarce, individuals and organizations must make choices.

• The three social sciences are:

  • economics
  • sociology
  • political science

💡 Memory Hook

E-S-P: Economy, Sociology, Political science.

📖 4. Methods of Social Investigation

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Sample : a small group of people chosen to represent part of a larger group

★ Must-know

• 🔄 Social investigation involves:
  1. collecting data
  2. analyzing links between variables
  3. using models

📌 Quantitative investigations use tools such as questionnaires and surveys, whereas qualitative investigations use interviews and observations.

Further detail

📌 Quota sampling is based on precise selection criteria, whereas random sampling uses a random draw.

💡 Memory Hook

Collect data, analyze variables, use models.

📖 5. Variables, Correlation and Causality

🔑 Key Concepts & Definitions

• Correlation : when two variables change together
• Causality : when one variable is the direct cause of another variable
• Model : a simplification of reality, often presented as a diagram, table, or equation, used to understand a phenomenon

★ Must-know

📌 A positive correlation means that two variables change in the same direction, whereas a negative correlation means that they change in opposite directions.

📌 Correlation does not necessarily imply causality because two variables can change at the same time without a direct link.

Further detail

• A variable intermediate can sometimes explain the link between two variables that change together.

📌 A model isolates precise elements to understand causal links without being overwhelmed by the complexity of the real world.

💡 Memory Hook

Correlation means variables move together; causality means one directly causes another.

📊 Synthesis Tables

The Three Social Sciences

Discipline	Object of study	Basic question
Economics	Production and distribution of scarce resources	How can scarce resources be distributed efficiently?
Sociology	Behaviors and interactions in society	How is a society formed and how can social behaviors be explained?
Political science	Conquest and exercise of political power	How is political power conquered and exercised?