DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOCIAL SCIENCE AND SOCIAL STUDIES

Introduction: 

Social studies and social science can be easy to confuse. Though Social they are sounds like two similar concepts, and deal with some of the same subject matter. They are two different fields of study. However, there are some key differences which distinguish the two terms so that they cannot be used interchangeably. In this article, we are going to look at the difference between social science and social studies. 

What is Social Science? 

Social Science is a subject area that studies the society and the relationships among individuals within a society. Social Science is categorized into many branches such as Geography (study of the earth and its features, inhabitants, and phenomena), Anthropology (study of humans), History (study of past), Economics (study of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services), political science(study of theory and practice of politics and the description and analysis of political systems and political behavior.) etc. 

What is Social Studies? 

Social studies can be introduced as the study of both social sciences and humanities. According to U.S American National Council for the Social Studies, “Social studies, is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence.” However, social studies is most often used as a name of the course taught at schools. 

What are the difference between Social Science 

and Social studies? 

1. The main difference between social science and social studies is in their intended purposes. The social sciences are branches of study that analyze society and the social interactions of people within a society. Subjects that fall under the umbrella of social sciences are: anthropology, history, economics, geography, and many others that explore societal relations. 

Social studies is the systematic study of an integrated body of content drawn from the social sciences and the humanities. It enables students to develop their knowledge and understandings of the diverse and dynamic nature of society and of how interactions occur among cultures, societies, and environments. 

2. Social science is more streams oriented. It's the science of the society; the in depth knowledge and systematic study of each branch of social transaction. It is empirical and based on various scientific methods of deduction to arrive at a conclusion based on facts. 

Social studies is the integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote effective citizenry. Social studies are subjects most frequently taught to school students to help them understand how to be effective citizens of society. 

3. Social Science, as the name implies, deals with the science of society utilizing the gathering of data and analysis of that data. Whereas Social Studies normally deals with the observation of Society. Here students develop and apply skills as they investigate society, explore issues, make decisions, and work cooperatively with others. 

4. Social sciences are taught under higher studies curriculum whereas, social studies are subjects most frequently taught to school based students to help them understand how to be effective citizens of society. 

5. The core difference between social science and social studies exist in their purpose; in social science, you study the society and social life of human groups while in social studies, you study both social science and humanities in order to promote effective citizenry. 

6. Social Studies is the study of all phases of societies whereas Social Science is the inference of those studies with the intention of solving problems within a society, which may lead to the ultimate development of the society as a whole. 

7. Social science is the field of sciences concerned with the studies of the social life of human groups and individuals. Social studies is a term used to describe the broad study of various fields which involves past and current human behavior and interactions 

8. Another difference is that Social science is divided into many branches while social studies is divided into two main categories of humanities and social sciences. 

9. Social science dates back to the 18th century while social studies is a relatively new term. 

Conclusion: 

We can conclude therefore that even though social studies make use of social science disciplines, it has different orientation. The study of social studies should remain an integral part of the educational system at all levels. We conclude that if the social studies and social sciences did not permeate and cooperate with each other in the long run human beings and society would fail to develop smoothly.