analyzing an issue or event in diversity through the lenses of the sciences and social sciences
For this fourth milestone, you will analyze your issue or event in diversity through the lenses of the natural and applied sciences and the social sciences. Like Milestone Two, this task provides you with an opportunity to dive deeper into your analysis of the issue or event through these two lenses.
Review the module resources.
- Policing Diversity in the Digital Age: Maintaining Order in Virtual Communities
- Size as Diversity Absent from Multicultural Textbooks
- The Sage Handbook of Aging, Work and Society, Chapter 3
- Video: Dreams From Endangered Cultures (21:58)
Diversity is often taught as a social science discipline, because the research that supports this topic is often derived from social scientists and their empirical research methodology. As you review this module’s resources, consider:
- Why is diversity often researched within this lens?
- How does this lens augment your understanding of diversity?
The Natural and Applied Sciences
The natural and applied sciences study the physical world to help us better understand ourselves and
our place in nature, and nature’s role in shaping us. The Natural Sciences include fields such as biology,
chemistry, and physics, while the Applied Sciences includes STEM-related fields such as mathematics
and technology. Together these fields explore the questions and curiosities humans have been asking
for ages, and scientists often develop questions and use a scientific process – the Scientific Method – to
describe, predict, and observe the natural world. This method of developing and researching hypotheses
can also be applied to the other lenses as a way to organize the questions one might ask to gain a
deeper understanding of our world and experiences.
View this brief video for more on the natural sciences: The Scientific Method (4:05). IDS-100: What is
Science? (2:01) IDS-100: Neil deGrasse Tyson Describes Scientific Thinking (2:52)
The Social Sciences
As people are social beings, social science is the study of society and the relationships between people.
Subjects included in this lens are psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science, economics, and
geography. This study of human behavior and interaction can sometimes “overlap†with the humanities
lens, which also studies different cultures. Studying society, culture, and human relationships will lead us
to an understanding of how people live and how to improve our lives. Social scientists use a variety of
methods to arrive at conclusions within this lens, such as interviews, participant-observation, and
primary and secondary sources. The social sciences can also intersect with the other lenses. For
instance, like the history lens, social scientists may look at the past to gain an understanding of the social
relationships that took place. How do we interact? How do we work together? Asking questions similar
to these has given us the opportunity to evaluate causes and effects related to people in our society.
Consider how the social science lens helps us interact with the world around us and uses cultural
artifacts to make changes in our lives to promote better living or promote interactions we normally
would not have with others. View this brief video for more on social science: An Animated Introduction
to Social Science (4:35).What is Social Science? Part 1 (2:50) What is Social Science? Part 2 (2:37)