Anthropology

Sociology
BY DEFINITION BY DEFINITION

BY VIEWPOINTS BY VIEWPOINTS

BY WORK AREAS BY WORK AREAS

COMPARISON
BY FOCUS AREAS BY FOCUS AREAS
SOCIOLOGY
BY DEFINITION BY FOCUS AREAS
is the study of society, patterns of social relationships, Tends to be far more focused on current society
social interaction and culture of everyday life. and the social structures and interactions that
sociological thinking involves the relationships among people -- occur in modern society. Sociology seeks to
or more specifically, the associations between people and the further expand our understanding of how we
products of human interaction such as organizations, organize and interact today, and often how we can
technologies, economies, cities, culture, media and religion. leverage that better understanding for some
(American Heritage Science Society, 2013) benefit. (Glen,2013)
BY VIEWPOINTS
Social life overwhelmingly regulates the behaviour of humans,
largely because humans lack the instincts that guide most
animal behaviour. Humans therefore depend on social
institutions and organizations to inform their decisions and
actions.(Form ,et.al,1964)
BY WORK AREAS
sociologists investigate the structure of groups,
organizations and societies and how people interact within
these contexts. Since all human behavior is social, the
subject matter of sociology ranges from the intimate family
to the hostile mob, from organized crime to religious
traditions, from the divisions of race, gender and social
class to the shared beliefs of a common culture (United States Department of Labor: Bureau of Labor Statistics,2010)
ANTHROPOLOGY BY FOCUS AREAS
BY DEFINITION
Anthropology is the scientific study of humans and human
behavior and societies in the past and present.Social
anthropology studies patterns of behaviour and cultural Anthropology also tends to be backward looking and looks at
anthropology studies cultural meaning, including norms and many traditional and pre-industrial societies. Much of the study
values. Linguistic anthropology studies how language will focus on providing insights into aspects of human history
influences social life. Biological or physical anthropology and development that we may not fully understand yet but
(American Anthropological Association,2013) there are evidential clues available for students.(Glen,2013)
BY VIEWPOINTS
anthropological theory discusses ideas in a conversational style
accessible to undergraduates without oversimplifying the
issues. It is unique in focusing on five key concepts—evolution,
culture, structure, function, and relativism—placing these core
ideas in the forefront to address the contributions of major
theorists.
(Five Key Concepts in Anthropological Thinking by Richard J Perry, 2003)
BY WORK AREAS
Anthropologists are concerned with four concentration areas that include cultural
anthropology, archaeology, linguistic anthropology and biological anthropology.
Anthropologists often integrate the perspectives of several of these areas into their
research, teaching and professional lives. Anthropologists are interested in researching
issues such as the ritual of female genital mutilation in Sudan.
(American Anthropological Association)
COMPARISON
- Both are oriented for solving human problems.
- Involve the systematic study of social life and culture in
order to understand the causes and consequences of
human action
- Sociology and anthropology combine scientific and
humanistic perspectives in the study of society. Drawing
upon various theoretical perspectives, Combining
theoretical perspectives with empirical research allows
students an opportunity to develop new insights and a
different perspective on their own lives
- Both uses ethnographic method in research The
ethnographic method uses multiple data collection
techniques including participant observation,
interviews, focus groups, and textual analysis to construct a
holistic and contextual view of the
phenomena under study