Table of Contents
Definition of Social Science
(noun) Any branch of science that systematically studies the social world, investigating how humans interact with each other and their environment
Examples of Social Science
Social Science Pronunciation
Syllabification: so·cial sci·ence
Audio Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling
- American English – /sOH-shuhl sIE-uhns/
- British English – /sOH-shuhl sIE-uhns/
International Phonetic Alphabet
- American English – /ˈsoʊʃəl ˈsaɪəns/
- British English – /ˈsəʊʃəl ˈsaɪəns/
Usage Notes
- Plural: social sciences
- The natural sciences study the physical world, as opposed to the social world.
Related Quotation
- “The discourse of sociology and the concepts, theories, and findings of the other social sciences continually ‘circulate in and out’ of what it is that they are about. In so doing they reflexively restructure their subject matter, which itself has learned to think sociologically. Modernity is itself deeply and intrinsically sociological” (Giddens 1991:43).
Related Video
Additional Information
Related Terms
Reference
Giddens, Anthony. 1991. The Consequences of Modernity. Cambridge: Polity Press.
Works Consulted
Delaney, Tim, and Tim Madigan. 2015. The Sociology of Sports: An Introduction. 2nd ed. Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
Encyclopædia Britannica. (N.d.) Britannica Digital Learning. (https://britannicalearn.com/).
Ferris, Kerry, and Jill Stein. 2010. The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology. 2nd ed. New York: Norton.
Henslin, James M. 2012. Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. 10th ed. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
Macionis, John, and Kenneth Plummer. 2012. Sociology: A Global Introduction. 4th ed. Harlow, England: Pearson Education.
Merriam-Webster. (N.d.) Merriam-Webster Dictionary. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/).
Oxford University Press. (N.d.) Oxford Dictionaries. (https://www.oxforddictionaries.com/).
Schaefer, Richard. 2013. Sociology: A Brief Introduction. 10th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Stewart, Paul, and Johan Zaaiman, eds. 2015. Sociology: A Concise South African Introduction. Cape Town: Juta.
Taylor & Francis. (N.d.) Routledge Handbooks Online. (https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/).
Tischler, Henry L. 2011. Introduction to Sociology. 10th ed. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
Wikipedia contributors. (N.d.) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation. (https://en.wikipedia.org/).
Wiley. (N.d.) Wiley Online Library. (http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/).
Cite the Definition of Social Science
ASA – American Sociological Association (5th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “social science.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Retrieved April 19, 2024 (https://sociologydictionary.org/social-science/).
APA – American Psychological Association (6th edition)
social science. (2013). In K. Bell (Ed.), Open education sociology dictionary. Retrieved from https://sociologydictionary.org/social-science/
Chicago/Turabian: Author-Date – Chicago Manual of Style (16th edition)
Bell, Kenton, ed. 2013. “social science.” In Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Accessed April 19, 2024. https://sociologydictionary.org/social-science/.
MLA – Modern Language Association (7th edition)
“social science.” Open Education Sociology Dictionary. Ed. Kenton Bell. 2013. Web. 19 Apr. 2024. <https://sociologydictionary.org/social-science/>.