SSC 101

Notes by Comrade Ola

(Faculty Of Law,Class Governor)
Compiled by Adeyemi
(Faculty Of Law,SSC 101 Course Rep)

Course Title: Human and His Social Environments.

*SSC 101 LECTURE*

*14/11/2023*

*You & Your Mental Health*

Your mental health must be guided jealously
*What is mental health?*
Metal Health according to W.H.O, it's a state of mental well being that enables people to cope
with the stress of life, realise their abilities, learn well and work well and contribute to their
societies. Mental health is necessary and it's a right for every individual. Mental Health is not a
direct opposite of mental illness. Mental health exists on a complex continum which is
experienced differently from one person to another. It varies in degrees of difficulties and
distress and potentially very different in social and clinical outcomes.

*Mental Health Conditions or Mental Disorders* : it's a broader term covering mental disorders,
psycosocial disabilities, and other mental state associated with significant distress as described
by the international classification of diseases.
*Anxiety Disorders* : in 2019, it was said that over three hundred million people have it. 1 out of
8 persons will experience one form of disorder or the other. Mental Health is a respecter of no
one.

*Characteristics of Anxiety Disorder*

Excessive Worries
Depression: Depression is typically manifest as sadness, irritable etc.
Bypolar disorder
Eating disorder
Anti Social behaviour

*SSC 101 CLASS*

*Date: 20/11/2023*

*BEING HUMAN*

In today's SSC 101 lecture on "Being Human," the lecturer just discussed rather than giving
notes and he delved into the paradox of human strength and sophistication. Despite being
among the weaker mammals, humans stand out as the most advanced. The lecturer explored
philosophical arguments surrounding the concept that humans are purposefully designed
creations.

A significant focus was placed on human contributions through inventions, which have
significantly eased our lives. The discussion touched upon the evolutionary journey of humanity
throughout history, highlighting the transformative shifts from one era to another. Moreover, the
lecturer underscored the vital role of human interaction and its profound importance in shaping
our existence.

And he ended the class by telling us to research on what makes humans unique among other
mammals and the biological differences why we can not see another version on human.

*SSC 101 CLASS*

*04/12/23*

*Lanre Ikuteyijo*

*WHAT IS SOCIOLOGY?*

In exploring Sociology, profound lessons emerge:

1. *Diversity of Human Society:* Our social structure molds human identity. Illustrated by two
students – one from the East with a Christian background, the other from the West with a
Muslim background. Their unique identities are products of their birthplaces.
2. *Non-Judgmental Perspective:* Sociology imparts the crucial lesson of refraining from
judgment based on factors such as color, attire, race, language, or physical abilities.
3. *Embracing Diversity:* A core tenet of Sociology is fostering understanding and appreciation
for the richness of diverse backgrounds.

*What Is Sociological Imagination?*

Coined by C. Wright Mills in 1959, sociological imagination is the capacity to discern social
patterns influencing both individuals and groups. Mills advocates using Sociology to unveil how
societal context shapes our lives. Understanding a person's experiences necessitates delving
into their social and historical context.
In essence, sociological imagination emphasizes comprehending individuals and their behaviors
through the lens of their social background.

*Tools/Instruments of Sociologists*

Sociology, centered on human society, employs specific tools for understanding human
behavior:
- *Observation:* Systematically paying attention to social phenomena for deeper
comprehension.
- *Reasoning:* Posing essential questions following careful observation.
- *Logical Analysis:* Unveiling the reasons behind the nature of societal phenomena.

*SSC 101 CLASS*

*ANTHROPOLOGY*

*12/12/23*

Anthropology, a discipline integral to reasoning, finds its etymological roots in the Greek words
"anthropos," signifying human, and "logos," denoting reasoning or study. The inception of
anthropology, explored through historical analysis, unfolded as Edward Tylor Burnett traversed
the globe, gathering diverse objects and recognizing their recurring presence in societies.

The seminal work "Origin of Species" is credited to Charles Orwell. Within the human context,
we identify ourselves as "homo sapiens sapiens." Anthropology, extending its purview across
space and time, delves into understanding human life, behavior, and society. It serves as an
interdisciplinary study, encompassing various disciplines to comprehensively explore the human
experience.

*Key Aspects of Anthropology:*

1. *Biological Anthropology:* Also known as physical anthropology, this field centers on the
biological processes and attributes that set homo sapiens apart from other species.

2. *Archaeology:* Focused on the physical remnants of past cultures, archaeology examines

historical conditions and contemporary cultural landscapes.

3. *Linguistic Anthropology:* Emphasizing the unique human capacity for communication

through articulate speech and diverse languages, this branch explores the intricacies of human
language.

4. *Social Anthropology:* Also termed cultural anthropology, social anthropologists are social
scientists who concentrate on the socio-cultural dimensions of human life. They explore the
dynamics that shape human societies and cultures.

*SSC 101 CLASS*

*13/12/2023.*
5.Applied anthropology: it is the practical aspect, these are people who adopt and apply
anthropological theories or methods to solve issues or problems.

Anthropologists work with many other disciplines.

*Ethnocentrism*: is when you believe your cultures and beliefs is superior to other cultures or
beliefs.
*Xenocentrism*: It is when you believe others cultures and beliefs are superior and higher to
your cultures.

*Methods used in Anthropology*

The methods differs;
In biology anthropology:
-Scientific research which includes laboratory work
-Data analysis
For Archaeologists:
- Excavation: to recover fossils/artifacts.
- Geophysical survey.
- Geotechnical survey.
- Carbon dating.
For social anthropologists:
- Ethnography
- Participant observation
- Case study
- Genealogy
- Survey
- interview
- play
- Games
- Discussions.
For Linguistic anthropology: They use part of social scientists.

*Prominent people in Anthropology*.

*Edward Burnett Tylor*: He lived between 1832 and 1917, part of his contributions to the
development is that he gave us the evolutionary idea through which he offered an explanation of
the evolution, he published a book titled 'Early history of mankind and the development of
mankind' in 1865, he published a more prominent one in 1871 titled 'Primitive culture ' , he gave
what people give as the most important definition of culture, he defined culture as a complex
home which includes knowledge, beliefs, heart, morals, love, customs and any other capabilities
acquired by man as a member of the society.
*Lewis Morgan*: He lived between 1818 and 1881, he did what we called ethnography of
Iroquois, he understudied the culture and one of the contributions was the study of family and
kinship. He gave classificatory decent system and descriptive decent system. He also
contributed to the development of culture, be gave us the revolutionary definition of society, he
said the earliest stage of society is Savagery, at this time, the people were wanderers,
scavengers e.t.c. they have three stages; lower savagery, middle savagery and higher savagery,
the barbaric stage which also have 3 stages, lower babaric, middle babaric and higher babric
and the last stage is civilization.

*James George Frazer*: He lived between 1854 and 1941, he was influenced by the book
published by Tylor in 1871, his research focused on magic and religioon, he also authorized the
book titled 'the Golden bough', he taught many iconic universities including Liverpool.

*Bronisnaw Malinowski*: He lived between 1884 and 1942, he is considered the father of
modern anthropology, he began what some regarded as scientific ethnography. He carried out
his fieldwork among the Tropriand Islander and he also gave us the idea of functionalist theory.

*Franz Boaz*: He lived between 1858 and 1942, he is considered the father of American
anthropology, his most significant contribution is cultural relativism.

*Margaret Mead*: She lived between 1901 and 1978, her work focused more on gender, she
contributed to the understating of how culture shape the idea of gender( gender identity) she
studied the people of Samoa and she authorized a book titled ' Coming of age in Samoa '.

*Ruth Benedict*: She was also an American anthropologist who lived between 1887 and 1948,
her major contribution to the discipline is culture and personality.

*Questions considered with Anthropology*

1. What is culture?
2. What does it mean to be a person?
3. How and why are we the same?
4. How and why are we different from one another?
5. To what extent can we know?
6. Issues of race, ethnicity, gender, inequalities
7. Colonization and decolonization.
8. Health disparities
9. Environmental change.

Credits:Ige Favour (Philosophy, Assistant Class Governor)

*SSC 101*
*18/12/23*

*Deviance & Social Control*

Ok any human society, there are norms and values that are held in high esteem by the
members of society. These members are expected to obey what these norms and values say.
Norms and values are the building blocks of any society. Norms means rules and regulations
that guide members of the society. One of the ways to destroy any society is to adulterate the
values and norms. For instance, in Yoruba culture, hard work is encouraged but to destroy
Yoruba society is to encourage other means to wealth besides hard work. Any society must
endure should therefore cherish their norms.

*DEVIANCE*

Deviance means to deviate, violate established rules and regulations in the society. It can be
defined as any behaviour or activities that breaks the generally shared social norms of the
society. It ranges from simple act that violate social norms to serious criminal act that are clearly
illegal. When deviance is called delinquency ( when a child violate the norms in the society ).
Crimes are defined as violation if coded laws.

*How do we measure deviance?*

They are two:

The statistical measure : this measure of deviance is the measure that conceives deviance as a
kind of departure from a statistical average. By this concept, we are talking what most people do
as a representative of the norms.

Absolute measure: it can be measure in absolute term when we use objective , absolute and
identifiable behaviours to measure deviance.

While laymen believe that deviance is not good, Sociologists believe it's normal. Emile
Durkheim believes that deviance performs some functions in the society. He believes a normal
society must have deviant acts. Durkheim is of the view that acts of deviance reinforces social
cohesion. Durkheim also argued that deviance allows to draw the line between actions that are
allowed and the disallowed actions in our society. Hence, we can not say deviance is always
negative, sometimes, it's positive too. Prominent people in history become prominent because
of deviance.

*SSC 101 CLASS*

*19/12/23*
As taught in the last class, somebody who deviates is called deviant. Deviance is any infraction
of deviation from the laid down rules and regulations in society. Durkheim argues that deviance
is positive and helps to achieve the functionalists' aims in the society. He himself is a
functionalist.

To every norm, there are sanctions and these sanctions to the norms. And a sanction is any
form of reaction from other members of society meant to ensure a person or group complies
with a given norm. Mindless conformity is when one does something because the public or
majority are doing it. Sanctions can be negative or positive. While negative sanctions come in
form of punishment in order to deter people from doing the same thing, positive sanction is
otherwise known as reinforcement, when an action is rewarded which shows the action is
wanted in the society. The basic essence of section is to achieve conformity.

Sanction can be formal or inform. Formal sanction are always applied by the official or formal
agencies of government. On the other hand, informal is when you are sanctioned by unofficial
person like your dad or friend or someone. In modern societies, formal sanctions are
coordinated by by formal justice system. Police are considered to be the gate keepers of formal
justice system.

Not all acts of deviance are criminal but all criminal acts.

*THEORIES OF DEVIANCE*

The functionalists explanation

Interactionists explanation
Conflicts explanation.

May God give everyone of us a profound understanding.

ADEYEMI.