Social Science Courses You Can Study
Social science enthusiasts, where are you at? Here are 8 social science courses you can take in college.
Updated 18 Sep 2020
Have you ever been pulled in by the beauty of human behaviour, culture and history? Are you fascinated by how society works and behaves, such as why K-pop has taken the world by storm or why people vote the way they do?
Say no more — you must be a social sciences lover!
In essence, social science is the study of society and how people behave. This field of study helps us understand the world beyond our own experience and can influence our lives dramatically, even without us being aware.
If this fascinates you, here’s a list of social science courses you can study in Malaysia.
#1. Psychology
Why do people work for free? What makes people happy? Why do we dream?
These are some of the questions psychology seeks to answer. More than just talking about feelings, problems and trauma, psychology encompasses a wide range of human thought and behaviour. Examples include understanding human motivation, how the human brain can influence thoughts, behaviour and emotions, and how learning and memory works.
For those who have good social perceptiveness to recognise why people react the way they do and are fascinated by the human mind, this one’s for you!
#2. Economics
Contrary to what you may think, economics isn’t just about money. To put it simply, economics is about the allocation of scarce resources. Money is certainly one, but resources could include goods, services and time too.
More importantly, economics is also about decision-making and choices. For instance, if you are passionate about a social cause, should you allocate some time to volunteer or do you give money instead? Economics seeks to answer why some people choose one over the other.
If you’re curious about how society works and want to view it from an analytical and mathematical perspective, then economics would be a great choice.
#3. Sociology
In groups, humans can be unpredictable. And there are many reasons for this — some are explainable, others remain a mystery. Sociology seeks to understand why people behave the way they do and how they interact with each other in social structures, groups and organisations.
At a micro level, sociology investigates individual interactions, such as how people converse with each other. On a larger scale, sociology explores trends amongst large groups and societies, such as how people interact on social media.
If you are someone who doesn’t typically follow the crowd but find their behaviour fascinating, sociology may be right for you.
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This course is often offered together with anthropology, an area that also studies human behaviour but more at the individual level.
#4. Linguistics
Isn’t it wondrous how humans have managed to evolve from using gestures to creating specific sounds with the mouth to communicate with others?
If this fascinates you, you’ll want to explore linguistics. Known as the science of language, this field explores the various aspects of the human language such as sounds (phonetics), structure of words (morphology) and structure of sentences (syntax). You’ll also gain a deeper understanding on how language has changed over time and how it’s used in different cultures.
For those who love language and want to explore its technical side, linguistics will be a joy to study.
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Start now#5. Education
Did you know that the global poverty rate can be reduced by more than 50% if all adults completed secondary school?
Inspire the next generation to lead a better life by pursuing an education degree. You will learn a number of teaching-learning methods and how to deliver a curriculum effectively to students. There are also plenty of specialisations for you to choose from, such as early childhood education, teaching English as a second language (TESL) or special needs education.
If you want to be part of shaping the future of young minds, studying education is the way to go.
#6. Law
What is right or wrong? Every country in the world is governed by law — it is what holds society together to ensure everyone can live freely and peacefully.
By studying law, you will be doing your part to uphold the legal system. Gain a keen understanding of legal principles and procedures and apply that knowledge to perform legal analysis and help clients with legal issues.
For those with a deep sense of justice and good critical thinking skills, law is the course for you.
#7. History
Understanding the history of your country is not just about being patriotic — it’s also crucial in getting to know the people and societies who lived before you and analysing the problems that occured in the past.
Expand your knowledge and understanding of the past by pursuing a degree in history. This field of study will have you reflecting on the diversity of the human past and exploring historical interpretations and theories of civilisations and movements.
If you want to prevent history from repeating itself and love learning about exciting historical events that have greatly impacted the world, history is the course for you.
#8. Geography
Why do different countries have a different architecture in their buildings and different cuisines? The answers you seek may lie in geography.
More than just recognising what country borders another country, geography examines the natural environment we live in and how human culture and activities are influenced by it. The study often combines physical geography (e.g. climates, landscapes, natural processes such as earthquakes) as well as human geography (e.g. farming, globalisation, tourism).
If you’re fascinated by the natural environment and the social processes of our planet, then you’ll want to take it further by pursuing a degree in geography.
The exciting thing about college is that you can really delve into your passion? Here are some interesting art degrees you can study!
Sandra Towonsing
A dudette learning the ropes, hoping to achieve the best she can!
