• Identity – the distinctive characteristic that defines an individual or is shared those belonging to a

particular
- Can be influenced by other factors such as sexual orientation and gender and nationality

• Social Sciences – is a disciplines under which identity, culture, society and politics are studied collectively
- comprised of a wide array of academic disciplines that study the overall functions of a
society as well as the interactions among the individual members and institutions.

• Anthropology – a systematic study of the biological, cultural and social aspects of man
- derived from two Greek words “Anthropos” means man and “logos” means study or
inquiry.
- a significant branch of knowledge because it integrates elements from the biological
sciences and humanities to fully comprehend the complex human species, including their past
practices and social patterns across diverse cultures.

• Social Anthropology – studies how patterns and practices and cultural variations across different societies

• Cultural Anthropology – studies cultural variations develop across different societies and examines the
need to understand each culture in its own context

• Linguistic Anthropology – studies language and discourse and how they reflect and shape different
aspects of human society and culture

• Biological/Physical Anthropology – studies the origins of humans as well as the interplay between social
factors and the processes of human evolution, adaptation and variation over time.

• Archaeology – deals with prehistoric societies by studying their tools and environment

• Sociology – defined by Anthony Giddens as the study of human social life, groups and society
- an academic discipline that attempts to provide a deeper assessment of individual and group
behavior, as well as the phenomena, by examining the interplay between economic, political and social
factors.
– explains the bases of social order and social change

• Political Change – a systematic study of politics, which Andrew Heywood describes as “the activity
through which people make, preserve and amend the general rules under which they live.
- focuses on the fundamental values of equality, freedom and justice and its processes are linked
to the dynamics of conflict, resolution and cooperation

Various areas of interest in Political Science

• Public Administration – examines how the government functions and how decisions and policies
are made.
• Political economy – evaluates the interplay between economies, politics and law and its
implications to the various institutions within society
• Comparative politics – compares domestic politics and governance systems across different
sovereign states