chauvette & gillian 

What is Humanities & Social Science?

Humanities according to The British Academy for Humanities & Social Sciences, “Research stemming from a detailed understanding of human behaviour, economies, cultures and societies can dramatically redefine the crucial decisions we need to make. These decisions may involve the future direction of our economy, ways of broadening and strengthening education provision at all levels, or how we deal with the effects of climate or constitutional change… The humanities and social sciences teach us how people have created their world, and how they in turn are created by it.”

The humanities can be described as the study of how people process and document the human experience. For a long time human used philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history and language to understand and record our world. It is a different approach to the Natural Sciences for Humanities uses mostly experience as foundation for what we know now. Knowledge of these records of human experience gives us the opportunity to feel a sense of connection to those who have come before us, as well as to our contemporaries. 

​

According to Singapore Management University “Social Science, broadly speaking, provides an understanding of how the world works using social and behavioural explanations. In contrast to the natural sciences which focus primarily on natural phenomena, the subject of social science is society itself. Social scientists use empirical research methods and theories to investigate all sorts of interpersonal and intrapersonal behaviour, from why people fall in love to why people commit crimes. It is an exciting field of study that enables governments and organizations to gain insight into how people behave.  “

Social science is the study of society and the manner in which people behave and how it influences the world. Social science tells us about the world beyond our immediate experience like humanities, and can help explain how our own society works from the causes of unemployment or what helps the growth of economy, to why people kill themselves, or what makes them happy. It provides vital information for governments and policymakers, local authorities, non-governmental organisations and others that they can use to help solve problems in society

​

The HUMSS strand in general, focuses on improving a student’s reading, writing, and speaking skills because if you look closely, people who choose this strand dream of becoming members of the society who will be dealing with a lot of people and how they can help or understand people. Honing these skills are important for them to effectively communicate & understand the people they will be working with. For these reasons, half of the subjects involved in this strand focus on Language and Speech. One of the many pros of choosing HUMSS is students don’t have to deal with too much Mathematics and Science. While it is part of their curriculum, they are not too difficult since they do not belong to the specialization subjects of the said strand.

​

Being a HUMSS student gives you the direct chance to change the world. Since you will be analyzing closely how people behave and why, you will study cultures and religions and how people live, you will find solutions even to the biggest problems of the world. Being a HUMSS student is big responsibility just like with any other strand but the bonus is you get to see new places, meet new people, try new things and have lots of memories to hold. 

​