The ideas which have come to shape our world and the manner in which we conduct our lives within the political, economic and social setting are by virtue of the profound literary work of social scientists. The hard to grasp conceptions of: ‘Democracy’, ‘Rule of Law’, ‘Inequality’ and why we adhere to such a system of governance have been conceptually developed only by social scientists, and subsequently affect every individual in society.
Ever since childhood I have been infatuated with questions relating to the nature of our social order, such as: why we should obey laws, why there is financial inequality in society and why nation-states go to war. These rudimentary but complex questions have perpetuated my passion to research disciplines which attempt to make sense of it all.
When starting my A-levels at Sixth From, engaging in subjects such as: Politics, Sociology and Economics provided me with a basic platform to comprehend the central tenets of our political system. It then allowed me to pursue academic development in the area of Social Science at university, where I found development in critical analysis to be an existential priority of the institutions.
Whilst at university, I was initially dumbfounded by the wide variety of discourse relating to politics and social science more generally. In the last three years as an undergraduate I have been exposed to a plethora of literature, ranging from international relations and political philosophy to European politics and the welfare state.
Throughout my undergraduate years I believe my skills in critical analysis and evaluation evolved to such a degree that I now have full confidence in my ability to generate informed and argumentative pieces of work, which are academically worthy. This fundamental self-belief lead me to write a 10,000 word dissertation, exploring the factors that best explained the political violence in the post-Saddam period in Iraq; without question this was the most rewarding aspect of my university education.
The most important reason I would give to anyone remotely interested in Politics or Social Science to go and study it at university, is the core skills you develop on the way. Quite unique to the study of Social Science, is that one develops an ability to analyse information, critically evaluate it and come to a reasoned conclusion in consequence.
This is a particular skill which is transferable beyond belief, and can be used to obtain highly regarded jobs in a variety of professions. Not only does this discipline make you more ‘mobile’ in the professional jobs market, but it gives you an advantage over other competing job applicants.
By Benham S, social science tutor
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