INTEXT QUESTIONS 0.1
- List the main subjects that build up the knowledge area of Social Science.
- Do you think studying History is necessary and important? Give two reasons for
your stance. - Give one difference between History and Archaeology.
- List five sources which can help us to study our past.
- Find out at least four archaeological sites in India other than those mentioned
in the text.
0.2.2 Geography
The study of History and Archaeology remains incomplete without knowing
something about the Geography of the area being studied. Geography is the study
of the earth’s landscapes, people, places and environment. In simple terms, it is
knowing about the world in which we live. Geography is unique in bridging the social
sciences (human geography) with the natural sciences (physical geography
Geography plays an important role in shaping the life and history of any society. It
helps us to recognise the differences in cultures, political systems, economies,
landscapes and environments across the world. It also helps us to establish links
among them. Geography provides an ideal framework for relating to other fields of
knowledge, too. If we know the geography of a country, we can understand what
happened in history. In this lesson, you will read that early humans made bows,
arrows and other small tools. It is from studying Geography that you get to know
why. After ice age, changes in environment must have taken place. As a result, many
dense forests might have become grasslands. Can you imagine what must have
happened? Yes, it led to a growing population of grass eating animals like the deer,
goat, sheep and the antelope. You also know that these animals can run fast. So
hunting them was not easy with heavy weapons. These light stone weapons, which
the early humans had invented, helped them in their survival.
Do you know that the Indo-Ganga Plain is the most fertile land in India? This is
because big rivers like the Ganga brings an abundant supply of fresh water for drinking
and irrigation. That is why this land became the place for establishing big empires
like those of the Mauryas, the Guptas and the Mughals. Availability of iron in
abundance further helped in expansion of these empires. Can you guess why? You
will learn more about this in lesson-4.
ACTIVITY 0.1
Major cities such as Agra, Nasik, Patna and Kolkata are developed on the banks
of big rivers. You will be surprised to find that history has been virtually created on
them. Provide three reasons for the growth of these cities as major centres of trade
and administration
0.2.3 Political Science
Government is a word with which you are familiar. You often hear or read about
it in the newspapers or on the television. Have you ever thought about what a
government is? Do you know the role it plays in our lives and the important things
it does for the people. The government of a country makes laws and everyone living
in the country has to obey these laws. In democracy, it is the people who give power
to the government when they elect them. In this way people help the Parliament of
that country to make laws. While in a monarchy, it is the monarch or king/queen
who has the powers to take decisions and enforce them. Social Science also deals
with how we are governed. It also helps us to understand the role of people like
us in the running of natio
Political Science is a social science concerned with the theory and practice
of politics and the analysis of political systems and political behavior. It tells us how
the government is elected. Political scientists study the relationship between the
political events and the conditions. They try to understand general principles about
the way the world of politics works. It includes studies on governments, public
policies, political processes, systems and political behaviour. If you decide to study
Political Science in senior secondary you will learn more about political theory,
political philosophy and political economy, which are the important branches of this
subject.
0.2.4 Sociology
Sociology is yet another very important part of Social Science. It is the study of human
behavior in societal context. Sociology focuses on the study of human groups.
Sociology comes from the Latin word ‘sociologie’. It literally means the study of
companion. Sociology seeks to understand the structure of a society and how it
works. It also seeks to define and understand the different factors that have shaped
our society. This includes race, class, gender, culture, religion, belief systems and
government. Sociology also studies the way individual and group behaviours impact
on the running of our society.
0.2.5 Economics
Living in a society also means that we must know how to organize our lives. We
must know how to economise our income, time and resources because all of them
are limited. You must also learn to organise your time in such a way so that you can
manage to do things you want. Similarly, when we make a budget for our home,
we make the best use of the resources which are available to us. We can avoid many
problems in this way. We call this study Economics. It is much more than making
a budget. It is the scientific study of the ways in which humans make choices about
production, consumption and wealth. This becomes very important when we are
faced with limited means. It is the social science of striking a balance between needs
and available resources. Studying this subject will be more interesting if you apply
the learning to real life situations. One such activity could be to make your household
budget or time table.