Is it good policy to give financial aid to liberal arts majors?

[GhengisFarb™]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
There is more of a push though to incorporate Math into other Social Sciences such as Poli Sci, as researches in that field are trying to use math(especially statistics) to back up their claims.

WTF? Math for Social Sciences? Dang we might end up with an elected official who can add 2+2!

[Apocalypse]

Originally posted by GhengisFarb

WTF? Math for Social Sciences? Dang we might end up with an elected official who can 2+2!

Now if only there was english for engineers. Then we could have scientists who could write.

[Kuciwalker]

Originally posted by Apocalypse
So are Psychology (well, it's kinda quasi) and International Studies science and not arts? They have a lot of math too.

Psychology is a science.

[Spiffor]

Originally posted by GhengisFarb
WTF? Math for Social Sciences?

Yes. All my sociological work has been based on statistics. In my dissertation, only a few of my results could be somehow authoritative, because they were statistically relevant (I'd have more representative results if I had more people to question, but there are way too few demogamers )

The use of statistics to back social-science claims has been generalized in the US since the 60's or 70's, at least in my field (behavioural anaysis)

[Apocalypse]

Originally posted by Kuciwalker


Psychology is a science.

You can get a BA in it. Thus an arts degree.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
It's a social science, just like Political Science, Sociology, or Psychology. Economists just usually use more quantitatively rigorous methods when they conduct research.

There is more of a push though to incorporate Math into other Social Sciences such as Poli Sci, as researches in that field are trying to use math(especially statistics) to back up their claims.

Absolutely correct. Most social sciences incorporates math. But usually statistics rather than, say, calculus. How else are predictive studies done on politics or sociology (ie, which states will vote for which parties in the future... studies have been done in those areas)? History and Anthropology as well uses statistics to try to find out standards of living and amount of trade of people throughout time.

A lot of PhD work in social science involves statistical analysis. I don't think you can get away from it at all in sociology, for one (you have to know who is in the society before you can say anything about it).

[Shi Huangdi]

Originally posted by GhengisFarb

WTF? Math for Social Sciences? Dang we might end up with an elected official who can 2+2!

Don't worry, for poli sci that's just PHDs who need it, and I think even they can still avoid it if they want to. As an undergrad, if you have a good Poli Sci department they will have some courses that use math, but they aren't too popular. (For any political science majors reading this, if your department offers any such courses, I would definitely reccomend taking it. For the Poli Sci half of my degree, I took a course that used some calculus, that course what the most interesting one I took in getting my Poli Sci degree. It was well worth the additional difficulty.)

But as for elected officials, poli sci isn't really important for getting elected. In fact, knowing anything isn't really important if you want to be a politican. Success in the political world is more about charisma and being good at getting people to like you, and being good at networking. There are always low paid wonks who can fill you on the details when necessary.

[Shi Huangdi]

But usually statistics rather than, say, calculus.

As I understand it, in the Political Science world game theory is becoming pretty popular for analyzing and explaining the decision making process of the various powerbrokers in politics. The game theory people do use quite a bit of math.

[Imran Siddiqui]

But as for elected officials, poli sci isn't really important for getting elected.

But it is for the power behind the throne (such as Karl Rove) .

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Shi Huangdi
As I understand it, in the Political Science world game theory is becoming pretty popular for analyzing and explaining the decision making process of the various powerbrokers in politics. The game theory people do use quite a bit of math.

But game theory usually doesn't come into play in, say, history as much, though they use stats in history. We are talking general terms, not just poly sci.

Interestingly philosophy is also making good use of game theory, in order to try to find out human attitudes towards morality.

[GePap]

I was looking at the sociology PhD program in UChicago, and they want people coming in with a significant background in mathematics.

There is a growth in using game theory in PolSci, so calculus is invading it. I don;t think it adds much to the discipline really, but its making major inroads.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by GePap
There is a growth in using game theory in PolSci, so calculus is invading it. I don;t think it adds much to the discipline really, but its making major inroads.

Well the Prisoner's Dilemma may be a great tool to see the effect of cooperation or non-cooperation may be on a certain issue and if it is likely cooperation will occur. I'm sure game theory is being used right now to try to find answers to the nuclear proliferation issues (whether they will or not... different question).

[GePap]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui


Well the Prisoner's Dilemma may be a great tool to see the effect of cooperation or non-cooperation may be on a certain issue and if it is likely cooperation will occur. I'm sure game theory is being used right now to try to find answers to the nuclear proliferation issues (whether they will or not... different question).

Its goes further than just the prisoner's dilema.

One of my professors had a rather good class on ehtnic violence and how it spreads, and it also included some of the rationale for why irregular forces could last long in an insurgency, essentially in the different balance of terror between rebels and the military. Anyways, he had a paper on the Algerian civil war in which he was trying to come up with a formula to explain the workings of, well, I forget what exactly, but he was tyring to use calculus to understand the way violence was used in Algeria..

[Imran Siddiqui]

Its goes further than just the prisoner's dilema.

Well it was just one example of how it "adds much to the discipline". I didn't mean to be all inclusive. Apologies if it came out that way.

[GePap]

As a constructivist, I don't buy all the mathematics in PolSci thought. Certainly in socieology, and one should bring in psychology and sociological annalysis in Poli Sci, but all the game theory in my mind is missing the point.