Human Sciences

Items used in the website have been sourced from Kognity

One interesting focus for discussion could be, for example, whether there are fundamental differences between the human sciences and the natural sciences in terms of how they interpret the word “science”, the methods they use for collecting data, or how they test the validity and reliability of hypotheses. Another interesting focus for discussion could be the use of questionnaires and polls in the human sciences. This could include whether the results of questionnaires can be reliable given the challenges around neutral language, leading questions, or sampling and selection effect. It could also include discussion of issues relating to respondents not being truthful or deliberately giving misleading responses. Students could also be encouraged to consider the ways in which social, political, cultural or financial factors may affect the types of research that are supported and financed in the human sciences.

TASK 1:

Respond with as many answers as possible in 5 minutes to the quote found below. Use the Slideshow for your class - create a page and answer the two questions you see posed: - ensure that your name is on the pages that you create. You will use this slideshow as a way to answer a few tasks as we move forward.

If the sciences are developed to answer questions about the world, what kind of questions are the human sciences trying to answer?

Human Sciences

TOK 7 Human Sciences

Task 2

In small groups, match the names of the disciplines to the descriptions and the methodologies. Click on the link for your class to bring you to Flippity project.

You will be making matches for the column headings, descriptions and methodologies. The descriptions are in blue and the methodologies in red. The column headings are deliberately not in the correct place on the table - you will need to move them.

On the Slideshow called Human Sciences found above - provide descriptions for the blue and red categories on your page that you created. If you do not have enough room - please create a new slide.

TASK 3:

Identify an example of knowledge that you have seen in your individual and societies classes, the issue or problem being addressed or solved, and the methodology used to produce the knowledge. Knowledge could refer to theories or models.

You will make a presentation to the class using the template: You will have time during todays class to work on this. Students studying the same subjects can work together but ensure that the issues/problems are not repeated between groups.

Add pages into this NEW slideshow for your group. You will need to copy the 3 pages and identify your group names and TOK class on the first page.

Template presentation for reflection activity.pptx

REFLECTION TASK:

Students will write a 100-word reflection on either their own selected issue or problem which focuses on a real-world application of the knowledge they have seen identified and any possible limitations involved in its application or methodology - on the PADLET

This Area of Knowledge (AOK) seeks explanations for the human condition; our existence, our behaviours, our function and our systems. The nature of these disciplines can essentially be characterized by the process of humans studying humans. However, while no one would question the placing of biology, chemistry and physics in the AOK natural sciences, the placing of some disciplines within this area of knowledge can be highly contentious. This is thought to be related to the term ‘science’ and what it means to be classified as a science.

The human sciences:

How scientific are the human sciences? What makes something a science?

As TOK Students, we need to examine the nature of what it means for something to be scientific and to scrutinize the human sciences in terms of their scientific validity. The human sciences are designed to generate knowledge about a whole range of different phenomena and experiences and some of these are unavailable for empirical measurement.

The natural sciences gain their authority from their ability to present quantifiable evidence, sometimes gained through experiments that can be repeated and therefore confirmed as valid. As the human sciences cannot always offer this type of evidence to support its claims, it can lead us to a discussion of whether we should consider them sciences in the first place.

Stage 1:

How scientific - Companion presentation.pptx

Stage 2:

A possible definition may be a structured approach to creating knowledge. *

Using the TOK slideshow that you used at the beginning of the unit - which you will refer back to for your notes -

create a new slide after your previous one (ensure your name is on all content you create)
Title it: Scientific Definition - no access to online or other dictionaries - create your own definition of what the definition is of Scientific. Keep in mind the importance of using your own definitions and the subsequent exploration of meaning in your future essay writing.
Consider the following questions in your definition:
1. What criteria did you use to arrange the activities on the scale?
2. What must be present in order for something to be considered scientific?

Stage 3:

Read, answer and compare

Pairs should read one article each, complete the table separately and then come together to explain the two perspectives to each other.

Use this chart to make notes in your slide on your article that you are reading. Make a copy of the slide - put your name on the slide in the speaker notes are.

Put the title of the article you are reading in the slide.

“Students should recognize that the content and methodologies of the individuals and societies subjects are contestable and that their study requires the tolerance of uncertainty.”

To what extent can we consider disciplines that do not offer certainty as scientific?

What would be the implications for these disciplines if they are not sciences?

It is important to understand that although the human sciences have the word ‘science’ in their name, it does not mean that they adhere to the scientific method of experimentation as their primary methodology of constructing knowledge. ‘Scientific’ in the context of the human sciences can be interpreted as having a data-driven and systematic approach to constructing knowledge which may or may not include experimentation.

It is important to note that competing and conflicting theories often coexist comfortably within disciplines belonging to the human sciences. This raises the concept of reliability. Reliability can be defined as the extent to which knowledge is trustworthy and the degree to which the result of a measurement, calculation or theory can be depended on consistently. For the result (measurement) to be reliable, we must be consistent in how we measure it. In order to test this consistency, it is necessary to repeat the process more than once. For example, if the temperature of a room does not change, we determine that a thermometer is reliable if it produces the same reading each time.

Humans are changing and growing continuously, and you may think differently each time depending on a variety of factors.

In the end, the primary concern of the human sciences is to improve the quality of life for all humans. You may not think that an economist would have anything to do with climate change: however, as Tim Jackson points out in his TED talk, humanity’s problems are economists’ problems. - The first 10 minutes are directly related.

What motivates the pursuit of knowledge in these disciplines; what practical purpose do these disciplines serve?

What general characteristics do these disciplines share?

How can we explain and interpret human emotions, behaviours, social structures and systems?

Can we trust the validity of knowledge generated in these disciplines?

Stage 4:

Essay Outline: develop a mini-essay plan based on both titles using the perspectives presented specifying examples and the links you have to both the essay title and the nature of the human sciences.

“Statistics conceal as much as they reveal.” Discuss this claim with reference to two areas of knowledge.

Possible link: The human sciences aim to study human behaviour and social interaction. Since this is not always quantifiable, to what extent are they necessary in the development of knowledge in this area of knowledge?

“Avoiding bias seems a commendable goal, but this fails to recognize the positive role that bias can play in the pursuit of knowledge.” Discuss this statement with reference to two areas of knowledge.

Possible link: One of the basic ideas behind positivism is that knowledge should be objective and free from bias, in other words, free from the attitudes and beliefs of the researcher. Interpretivism seems to go against this idea and needs the researcher to engage with the subjects. To what extent is bias a necessary element when conducting certain methodological practices in the human sciences?

One motivation for experts within the human sciences is to increase the quality of life for all humans. This could be achieved by discovering the best laws, the best education, the best economic system or the best way to help convicted felons get jobs after incarceration. Given the diversity of problems that the human sciences seek to address, the AOK is sub-divided into fields of study or disciplines.

A discipline or field of study can be a part of the AOK of human sciences if its methodologies of knowledge construction are said to be scientific.

These disciplines are included in this AOK because they aim to explain, predict, understand and evaluate behaviour, events, patterns and artefacts related to humans in a scientific manner:

TASK: A

In groups of no more than 3, decide on two disciplines that could be removed from this list and present a reasoned argument as to why this should be the case. Secondly, research and find two other areas of study that could be included on this list (but are absent); again present and justify your reasons by linking them to tangible evidence.

Be prepared to share out your reasoning for including, or discarding disciplines.

Answer the following question on a slide - Does the division of knowledge into discrete disciplines create greater understanding?

IMPORTANT NOTE!

In the context of human sciences, perspectives create disciplines. However, disciplines, once established, serve to create and shape perspectives. Thus the word perspective can be used interchangeably with discipline in the context of human sciences. Discipline is the more traditional term whereas perspective is more precise in that experts within a discipline cultivate and are educated in a certain perspective towards the problems and issues of their field of study.

Page updated

Report abuse