Social Sciences

 Geisteswissenschaften vs Naturwissenschaften (Wilhelm Dilthey 1883)

“How’s your research going”?

1. a. Match the name of the expert with the field of study

sociologist different cultures and their customs
psychologist the human mind and emotions
anthropologist how different kinds of government work
economist how people live together in a society
political scientist the system of money and business

b. Fill in the appropriate word:

subject [scientist] [the study of]
………….. ………… religion
………….. ………… ancient ruins
penology ………… ……………
………… ………… literary scholarship
…………… …………. origin and derivation of words
history ................. ....................
………… ………… the art/love of wisdom

2. Look at the questions below. Decide which type of social scientist would study them.
1. How can parents have a better relationship with their children?
2. Will people buy more cars if the price is lower?
3. Who was our country’s most popular president?
4. What can our country do to reduce unemployment?
5. Do teenagers think the future will be better or worse than now?
6. Who did elderly people vote for in the last election?
7. How do people in Nigeria find a husband or a wife?
8. Why are some people happier than others?
9. How do more married women have more jobs today?
10. How do native people live in the desert in Australia?

3. Listen to the programme and complete the file:

Name: Naomi Yoshida
Works for:
Profession:
Special field:
Current project:
Research question:
Countries in the studies:
Amount of time in each country:

4. Naomi is attending a reception for visiting researchers in Seoul. She is talking to three
other social scientists. Listen to what they say and identify each person’s field.
5. Naomi is interviewing students and parents in a Korean city about their opinions on
schools. Listen and make notes of what they are speaking about.
1.Jae-Hak 2. Myoung-Hee 3. Mrs. Shin
(Kristin Johannsen, English for the Humanities, Thomson, 2006, pp. 58, 63)