The nature, goals and

perspectives of
anthropology, sociology
and
political science
1. Anthropology
relates to sociology, it
always describes human,
human behaviour and
human societies around the
world. It is a comparative
science that
examines all societies. The
term anthropology means
scientific study of
man or human beings.
 Cultural anthropology
studies, human societies
and elements of
cultural life. An example
of cultural anthropology is
the Linguistic
anthropology which focuses
on language in a certain
society. The goal of
studying anthropology is to
understand the origin human
evolution and the
diverse forms of its existence
throughout time
The study of Man and its
various aspects is known as
Anthropology. It
may be a subject of science
and arts. It is a branch of
sociology. It describes
human, human behaviour
and human societies and it
examines all
societies around the world.
It also describes the
ancestors through time
and space in relation to its
environmental, social
relations, and culture
2. Sociology
is the study of human
social relationships and
institutions.
Sociology’s subject matter
is diverse, ranging from
crime to religion, from
the family to the state,
from the divisions of race
and social class to the
shared beliefs of a
common culture, and from
social stability to radical
change in whole societies.
The purpose of sociology
is to understand how
human action and
consciousness both shape
and are shaped by
surrounding cultural and
social structures.
 Sociology is a social
science; it belongs to the
family of social sciences.
As a social science, focuses
its aspects on man, his social
manners, social
activities and social life.
The goal of sociology is to
help you understand
how human action and
consciousness both shape
and are shaped by the
surrounding cultural and
social structures
3. Political Science
is a social science that deals
with humans and their
interactions. It is
a branch of sociology; it
essentially deals with the
large-scale actions of
humans, and group mentality
it is a discipline that deals
with several aspects such as
the study of
Understanding Culture Society and Politics
L.1 The nature, goals and perspectives of anthropology, sociology and
political science

1. Anthropology

relates to sociology, it always describes human, human behavior and human societies around the
world. It is a comparative science that examines all societies. The term anthropology means scientific
study of man or human beings.

Cultural anthropology studies, human societies and elements of cultural life. An example of
cultural anthropology is the Linguistic anthropology which focuses on language in a certain society.
The goal of studying anthropology is to understand the origin human evolution and the diverse forms of its
existence throughout time

The study of Man and its various aspects is known as Anthropology. It may be a subject of science
and arts. It is a branch of sociology. It describes human, human behavior and human societies and it
examines all societies around the world. It also describes the ancestors through time and space in
relation to its environmental, social relations, and culture

2. Sociology

is the study of human social relationships and institutions. Sociology’s subject matter is
diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions of race and
social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and from social stability to radical change in
whole societies. The purpose of sociology is to understand how human action and consciousness
both shape and are shaped by surrounding cultural and social structures.

Sociology is a social science; it belongs to the family of social sciences. As a social science,
focuses its aspects on man, his social manners, social activities and social life. The goal of sociology is
to help you understand how human action and consciousness both shape and are shaped by the
surrounding cultural and social structures

3. Political Science
is a social science that deals with humans and their interactions. It is a branch of sociology; it
essentially deals with the large-scale actions of humans, and group mentality it is a discipline that deals
with several aspects such as the study of state and government. It deals with the nature and formation of
the state and attempts to understand its forms and functions. The goal of Political Science is to
constantly deepen the knowledge, discover progress and protect the quality of life within a group,
community, country, and the world. Thus, it is the study of power relationships and competing interests
among states around the world.

4. Anthropological perspectives

are culture, cultural relativism, fieldwork, human diversity, holism, bio-cultural focus. The four
main perspectives of Anthropology are the cross-cultural or comparative emphasis, its
evolutionary/historical emphasis, its ecological emphasis, and its holistic emphasis . An example for this
is the analysis and solutions of the different aspects of the society such as the environment issues of
pollution, the issues on health and medicine and other issues related to the human activities.

5. Sociological perspective

introduces the discipline of sociology, including something about its history, questions, theory, and
scientific methods, and what distinguishes it from other social science disciplines. Central features
include social interaction and relationships, social contexts, social structure, social change, the
significance of diversity and human variation, and the critical, questioning character of sociology. It also
explores what sociologists do.
Sociology includes three major theoretical perspectives:

1. the functionalist perspective;

2. the conflict perspective; and

3. the symbolic interaction perspective.

6. Theoretical perspective

is used to analyse and explain objects of social study, and facilitate organizing sociological
knowledge. In functionalist perspective, societies are thought to function like organisms, with various social
institutions working together like organs to maintain and reproduce societies. The conflict perspective
sees social life as a competition, and focuses on the distribution of resources, power, and inequality.

7. Political science perspective

studies the tendencies and actions of people which cannot be easily quantified or examined. Political
science is more focused than most social sciences. It sticks to the political arena and to the realm of
politics, either dealing with situations with two competing sides or the lateral decisions that affect the
group as a whole. An example is the study of democracy as a form of government and why is democracy
considered as the best form of government.