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Sociology and Anthropology w Family Planning
Sociology
Sociology
is the study of society. It is a social science (with which it is
informally synonymous) that uses various methods of empirical
investigation and critical analysis to develop and refine a body of
knowledge about human social activity, often with the goal of applying
such knowledge to the pursuit of social welfare. Subject matter ranges
from the micro level of agency and interaction to the macro level of
systems and social structures.
Sociology is both topically and
methodologically a very broad discipline. Its traditional focuses have
included social stratification (i.e., class relations), religion,
secularization, modernity, culture and deviance, and its approaches have
included both qualitative and quantitative research techniques. As much
of what humans do fits under the category of social structure and
agency, sociology has gradually expanded its focus to further subjects,
such as medical, military and penal institutions, the internet, and even
the role of social activity in the development of scientific knowledge.
The range of social scientific methods has also broadly expanded. The
linguistic and cultural turns of the mid-20th century led to
increasingly interpretative, hermeneutic, and philosophic approaches to
the analysis of society. Conversely, recent decades have seen the rise
of new mathematically and computationally rigorous techniques, such as
agent-based modelling and social network analysis.
Anthropology
Anthropology is
the scientific study and analysis of human beings and humanity.
Anthropologists seek to understand all the world's cultures, customs,
artifacts, knowledge, habits, history, etc. Anthropology emerged as a
distinct academic discipline in England and America in the late 19th and
early 20th century. Anthropology grew primarily out of natural history
initially, and has since come to depend upon archaeology, paleontology,
biology, psychology, the humanities, social science, and other areas.
Since WWII, anthropology has increasingly modeled itself after the
natural sciences, relying more on empirical evidence and less on
subjective analysis.
Family
Planning
The term family planning is sometimes used
interchangeably with the term birth control, although there are some
differences between the two terms. While birth control is something
anybody can use to prevent pregnancy, family planning is seen as
something monogamous couples use to temporarily delay pregnancy. In this
way, family planning is seen as a method to plan, rather than prevent,
children. Family planning is seen as the responsible choice for couples
who are not ready to have children in the present but may want to in the
future.