School of Communication, Information and Library Studies

ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES

Methods of Inquiry Syllabus:514

Gustav W. Friedrich

Disciplines = Branches of knowledge or of teaching which are . . .
Academic = liberal or classical rather than technical or vocational.

Academic Disciplines are often arranged in order of exactitude or predictability, from . . .

1. Fine Arts (e.g., Music, Art, Theater)
Goal = Aesthetic appreciation of the activity of creating inspiring things.
Method = Performing.

2. Humanities (e.g., Classics, English, History, Philosophy, Modern Languages)
Goal = Understanding the uniqueness of the human mind and spirit.
Method = Historical and Critical.

3. Social Sciences (e.g., Anthropology, Communication, Economics, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology)
Goal = Explain, predict, and control human behavior.
Method = Empirical (Descriptive and Experimental).

Two divisions:
*General (generalized study of human actions):
Anthropology: study of the origin, culture, and development of people.
Psychology: study of the individual's mental processes and behavior.
Sociology: study of human beings in interdependence.
*Concrete (study of human actions defined by their ends):
Communication: study of how, why, and with what effect people use symbols.
Economics: study of the production, distribution, and consumption of commodities.
Political Science: study of human behavior in government and politics.

4. Sciences (e.g., Life Sciences such as Botany, Biology, and Zoology; and Physical Sciences such as Chemistry, Physics, and Astronomy)
Goal = Explain, predict, and control nature.
Method = Empirical (Descriptive and Experimental).

Three divisions:
*In physical sciences, functions are non-purposive; they are automatic and
indifferent.
*In Botany, functions are purposive; they sustain life, but without awareness.
*In Biology, functions are purposive; they sustain life, and neural systems give awareness of present (sense of well being) and memory of past.

5. Mathematics
Goal = Understand abstract relationships.
Method = Theoretical and Logical.

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