subject: Academic Disciplines In The Structure Of Higher Education. [print this page] According to the Oxford English Dictionary, academic discipline is a brunch of learning or scholarly instructions. Academic disciplines define the framework for students program of college and university study.
As a matter of fact, the number of disciplines is great. They are divided into several general braches: Humanities, Social sciences, Natural sciences, Formal sciences, Professions and Applied sciences.
Let us consider each branch:
1.Humanities. These disciplines study the human condition. The main methods they use are analytic and critical. Among humanities are: literature, ancient and modern languages, law, history, philosophy, religion, arts. Humanists are the scholars who study humanities. Those who want to study humanities should have the skill of creative and critical thinking. The circle of fields of knowledge is very wide. Humanities deal with different cultures, world of art and history. Today, the main direction of work is the exploration and understanding of human experience.
2.Social sciences. Social sciences include such disciplines as anthropology, archaeology, economics, geography, history, linguistics, political science, psychology. Their task is to explore the aspects of human society, its development and all the processes that influence it.
3.Natural sciences. These sciences include such disciplines as Astronomy, Biology, Chemistry, Earth science and Physics. Their task is to explore natural phenomena and all processes that undergo our planet.
4.Formal sciences. This branch of knowledge deals with formal systems like logic, mathematics, systems theory, computer science, information theory, decision theory and statistics. These sciences use symbols and theoretical rules.
5.Professional and Applied sciences. Professional sciences connected with a certain profession. They are: Agriculture, Architecture and design, Business, Divinity, Education, Engineering, Environmental studies and Forestry, Health sciences and others. In their turn, these are divided into disciplines that are more specific in order to learn ones profession.
