Ardina, Quennie M. 3APH What are the Main Branches of Sociology?

According to Emile Durkheim, sociology is made of three main branches and then b reaks down further into different types of sociology. The three main branches of sociology are: Social morphology - a study of geographical data and settings Social physiology - the study of religion, law, economics, politics and other in fluences of society General sociology - the study of how different social laws are derived from vari ous processes Types and Areas of Sociology Social organization - this is the study of different institutions, such as educa tional institutions, the institution of marriage, social stratification and even the economy, and how these influence society and create different groups. Social psychology - out of all of the different types of sociology, social psych ology focuses on the study of human nature, traits, belief systems, attitudes an d morals. Social psychologists play close attention to individual groups and wha t drives people to do certain things. Social disorganization and social change - this is the study of deviant behavior in society and sociologists in this field try to make sense of why some people are involved with crime, drug addiction and other problems that plague society. Population or demographic sociology - this is the study of the population and ch anges in the population, and sociologists in this field review statistics and da ta to forecast population growth and trace its root causes. Sociology theory and methods - this is one of the types of sociology that is mor e scientific in nature. Sociologists in this field test various methods and make attempts to prove different theories. Applied sociology - makes use of existing research data to solve social problems and apply sociological concepts in fields such as family counseling, industrial relations and economic development. Human ecology - deals with some of the social problems affecting society, and tr ies to identify what types of institutions are prompting these problems. Branches of Anthropology Anthropology is a holistic subject that covers all facets of human life includin g biological, cultural as well as economic. There are various branches of anthro pology like cultural, linguistic, forensic, medical, etc. To get further insight on the subject, read on... The term anthropology has been coined from two Greek words anthropos which means 'man' and logy which stands for ' the science of'. It involves the study of the human species at any place on earth, at any given time; be it in the busy neigh borhood of Los Angeles or the dense forests of the Amazon. There are anthropolog ists who study fossils to solve the riddles of human evolution, whereas there ar e others who try to understand the effect of modernization on contemporary socie ties. While subjects like economics and biology focus on specific aspects of hum an life, anthropology is the only discipline that addresses all facets of human existence. Branches of Anthropology Cultural Anthropology Culture is an important tool for human survival. It is a complex whole of knowle dge, morals, traditions, arts and customs, that we have learned as being part of a society. It is transferred over generations non-biologically, through words a nd symbols. Cultural anthropologists try to understand the logic behind cultural norms. They believe that no tradition or cultural practice is wrong. For exampl e, scarring of the body might seem bizarre to us. However, a study of the cultur e of the African tribes that follow this ritual has shown that this is a highly relevant practice. During their research, cultural anthropologists live within a community, observe their customs, and try to understand them in comparison to t

he practices of other societies. Cultural anthropologists may study a society li ving on the far end of the globe, or may concentrate on certain segments of our own society, like the corporate sector, laborers, or slum dwellers. Linguistic Anthropology Language is an important agent of transmission of culture. It is an accomplishme nt of the human species that has given it an edge over the rest of the animals i n the living world. In their endeavor to understand the origin and evolution of a language and oral traditions, linguistic anthropologists gain valuable insight s into the culture of a community. They understand prehistoric links between var ious societies and explore the meaning of verbal concepts to learn about the con ditions that existed in the past, and how humans adjusted to those. Besides stud ying language in a cultural aspect, linguistic anthropologists also try to under stand the biological implications of language. This involves studying changes in the human brain and body, that enabled us to organize sounds in a meaningful wa y, to evolve language. Archeology Archeology deals with studying the tangible remains of a culture. Fortunately, h uman beings leave clues about their ways of life, not only in words and alphabet s, but also in the form of material remains like potsherds, foundation of houses , stone tools and burials. These reveal important information about the beliefs and traditions of a particular civilization or community. For example, paintings on walls of tombs may throw light on the status of the person buried there. Suc h paintings often depict practices prevalent in a society. Study of burial sites can help archaeologists understand the religious beliefs of a group of people. Biological Anthropology Biological anthropology, also known as physical anthropology, deals with tracing the biological origins, evolutionary changes, and the genetic diversity of the human species. In the process, biological anthropologists study primate behavior , and anatomical variations between primates and human beings in order to unders tand physical changes that have taken place in humans during their evolutionary journey from apes. They may also take up genetic analysis and anthropometric stu dies to find reasons behind the physical differences between people of various g roups. Besides these major branches, anthropology also has other divisions like forensi c anthropology, medical anthropology, and ecological anthropology. Although each branch is a specialized field of study, they are inter-related. This gives anth ropologists an edge over researchers from other fields in addressing human probl ems, as they study human existence not in isolation but in totality.