Social Science (BS)

Vision Statement

The Social Sciences cover the range of human experience, action, and processes from the individual to the global level. The Social Sciences are Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Government, Political Science, Psychology and Sociology. The Social Sciences focus on the larger operations of groups and social institutions, the cultural and physical environments of human societies, and human experiences through time and place.

Mission Statement

The Social Sciences Program integrates all the human sciences. These sciences explore the interrelationships of the individual, the group and community, social institutions, human biology, psychology, and culture, the social and physical environments, and human existence through time and location. Our mission is to provide solid foundations in skills and knowledge in the social sciences, and to prepare students for a diversity of careers in the global environment.

Program Description

The Social Science baccalaureate is a 120 credit (4-year) degree that is an integration of anthropology, economics, geography, history, government, and political science. This diversified and flexible major is designed for those interested in professional careers in civil service on the federal and state level, public service, secondary social studies education, pre-library services or pre-law. Students will be guided to develop critical reasoning skills, competence in quantitative and qualitative research, skills in oral and written communication, and social science applications.

No minor is required. For career planning, we do recommend students take a minor such as Criminal Justice or Education, or specialty courses such as law courses, history courses, applied language courses, or the MHRT-C State of Maine (social work) sequence.

Major Goals

Students will

1. Develop the capacity for critical reasoning; and become skilled at critically evaluating, analyzing, and synthesizing through research and writing, using multiple sources of information about the human experience.
2. Demonstrate critical reasoning by recognizing assumptions that underlie arguments; constructing valid arguments, and developing solutions to problems.
3. Demonstrate quantitative reasoning skills through identifying and solving quantitative problems in social sciences, managing data, recognizing and working with relationships among variables, and developing calculation skills appropriate to the social sciences.
4. Demonstrate knowledge competence in the disciplines of the social sciences through understanding of the historical development of the fields within social sciences, and through mastery of theories, phenomena, concepts, and research methodologies.
5. Apply knowledge competency through applying theory to explain phenomena and to analyze case studies; and applying research methodologies to problem solving and to the further development of critical reasoning.
6. Demonstrate multicultural and cross-cultural awareness of social, cultural, and human biological diversity.
7. Demonstrate effective oral, written, and technological communication in the human sciences and in their professional careers.