The various disciplines that make up the Social Sciences (Political Science, Sociology), the Humanities (English, History, Languages, Philosophy), and those disciplines that cross these boundaries (Indigenous Learning, Music, Outdoor Recreation, Parks and Tourism,Visual Arts, Women's Studies) are all concerned with understanding social reality.
Socrates, the philosopher, said that the unexamined life is not worth living. When we look for answers to the big and unavoidable questions that confront us as individuals
Who am I?
What’s true?
What’s good?
What’s just?
and as societies
How did we get here?
Where should we be going?
What would a just society look like?
How should we organize our economies?
What should we teach our children?
we inevitably look to the Social Sciences and Humanities.
Without some understanding of how these questions have been examined in the past and how society has been addressing them in the present, we can't claim to be truly educated. That’s why these disciplines are at the core of every university degree. Students in all programs—e.g. Engineering, Commerce, Medicine, Nursing, Social Work, Education and others—are required to take courses in the Social Sciences and Humanities. They are essential. Students who major in Social Science and Humanities disciplines have the opportunity to concentrate their studies on those aspects of social reality that are most important to them.
There's a myth out there that students with a Bachelor of Arts in a Social Science or Humanities discipline are at a disadvantage in terms of employment. Not true. The intellectual skills you will develop in a Social Sciences and Humanities program—critical thinking, communication, cultural and historical understanding, judgment, adaptability—have a very long shelf life and are prized by employers. Graduates from our programs have been, and continue to be, just as successful in finding employment as graduates from more applied programs, and they typically advance rapidly once in a career.
Remember, this is your life, and your education needs to work for you now and throughout the rest of your life. This is not the time to sell yourself short. It's time to dream a dream worth dreaming, one which is good for you and for the social, cultural and political communities that you will join. Social Sciences and Humanities can provide you with an education that will allow you to realize that dream.
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