2. COMPETENCY STATEMENT
DEMONSTRATE AN UNDERSTANDING OF SOCIAL SCIENCE
METHODOLOGIES IN ORDER TO EXPLAIN THE CONSEQUENCES OF
HUMAN BEHAVIOR
Key phrase: Social science methodologies
Clemson social science disciplines:
• Anthropology
• Applied Economics
• Economics
• Geography
• History
• Pan African Studies
3. Clemson social science
disciplines:
• Anthropology
• Applied Economics
• Economics
• Geography
• History
• Pan African Studies
• Political Science
• Psychology
• Sociology
So, courses in these
disciplines use
approaches to
understanding
behavior that
represent social
science
methodologies. For
example, historians
use public records,
diaries, newspaper
accounts, and other
records as sources of
data. Psychologists
use surveys,
experiments, etc.
KEY PHRASE: SOCIAL SCIENCE METHODOLOGIES
4. KEY PHRASE: EXPLAIN THE CONSEQUENCES OF
HUMAN BEHAVIOR
• Course activities should enable students to discuss aspects of human
behavior (not animal behavior or plant behavior)
• In keeping with social science methodologies, courses should address
• Theories and hypotheses
• Research techniques used to control bias in observations
• Use of empirical research to inform opinions
• Examples and applications showing how the discipline draws conclusions
from available data
Courses from different disciplines will emphasize different research
approaches and sources of data.
5. GREAT E-PORTFOLIO ARTIFACTS FOR SOCIAL SCIENCE
• Examine two research articles that arrive at different conclusions about
the same hypothesis. Why did the researchers find different results?
What does it mean about the hypothesis?
• Use theory and research from class to examine a newspaper/television
story about a social science topic. Given what you know about social
science methods, is the description in the story accurate? Are the
conclusions or inferences appropriate for the available data?
• Conduct an observation in a public place and use your observations to
form cultural rules for the “society” you have observed. What
conclusions are appropriate? What are the limitations of your
observations?
• Apply concepts and theories of social science to your life. In what ways
do the research findings fit with your experience, and in what ways are
they different? Why do research findings sometimes vary from your
experience?
6. SCORING RUBRIC
1- Only superficially addresses competency
(e.g., discusses nonverbal communication, but without reference to theory
or research)
2- Addresses competency at an introductory level
(e.g., "book report” on a history book without discussion of data sources or
potential bias)
3- Addresses competency at an intermediate level
(e.g., research report on study including literature review, method, data,
results, and discussion, but without thorough consideration of literature
or implications)
4- Addresses competency at an advanced level
(honors thesis, published study)
