Should History be considered Arts/Humanities, or Social Science?

answers1: It depends what school you go to, I graduated with a degree
in history, which fell under arts and humanities, but arts and
humanities fell under the school of science, so my diploma says a
bachelors of science in history.
answers2: It's always been social science most places, remember jr
high, social studies? Just a different name for the same thing. <br>
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If I were head of that University, History would be the top of the
food chain of its own department.
answers3: This is a good question. I was just reading about the
philosophy of history in Mark Gilderhus' History and Historians, in
particular the positivist vs. idealist viewpoints which pertain to
this issue. Basically there are two fundamental thought processes in
analyzing history. On the one hand, positivism would see history
studied through scientific and mathematical methods. One would examine
history to determine rational cause-effect relationships that could be
applied generally. To me this is unrealistic hogwash. You cannot use
math to determine the outcomes of human events. Human beings aren't
always rational. they're very complex individuals. The idealists would
study history by first examining the actions taken, then attempting to
empathize with the historical actors. To get inside their heads and
judge their actions this way. By analyzing the primary source
documents and drawing reasonable conclusions about past individuals
states of mind. This adds the crucial human element lacking in the
positivist equation and in my opinion makes history worth studying.
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So in my opinion i believe that history should be in the humanities
department and not lumped in with the social sciences.
answers4: This Site Might Help You. <br>
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RE: <br>
Should History be considered Arts/Humanities, or Social Science? <br>
When I began college, majoring in history at Michigan State
University, the History department fell in the college of arts and
letters (humanities), but by the time I graduated, the admin had
decided to move it to the college of social sciences. Is history a
social science, or an art and/or...
answers5: Although many universities organize their History Department
within the "School of Social Sciences," it's not really a great fit.
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The "Social Sciences" are the products of a specific time and place
during which the "scientific method" was applied to human behavior.
That is, Psychologists, Sociologists, Anthropologists and Political
Scientists were applying data to test hypotheses about human behavior.
And those tests should be replicatable by other researchers. <br>
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History isn't done that way. For one thing, history is as old as human
civilization, and isn't a product of the 19th Century. Second, it's
more "art" than it is "science." A good historian is, first, a good
storyteller. Although history should be based on empirical fact, it
isn't data-driven. <br>
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So although it may deal with similar subject matter, history is more
akin to literature and art than it is to the social sciences.
answers6: Is History A Social Science
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Because the folks at Y!A that categorized this site are idiots. You'll
find it under Arts & Humanities; probably because they considered it a
'human' thing.
answers8: I pondered that myself as it was part of social science in
secondary school but a humanities in university. I think the
distinction is that in secondary school, one is learning history,
meaning facts, dates, people involved, etc. In university, the
emphasis shifts to interpreting history, such as why a certain event
occurred and what did it effect afterwards. In other words, the social
sciences form the foundation upon which the humanities are built.
answers9: Hi, just wanted to mention, I enjoyed this discussion. quite
valuable replies
answers10: History is a compilation of facts, which can be broadly
interpreted. It's not a social science, because it doesn't have the
focus of, say, economics and politics. You can probably claim most
social sciences as small categories, which can be gathered under the
big umbrella of History.