From Herodotus, Aristotle, and Eratosthenes to Eric Hobsbawm, Condoleezza Rice, and Rabi Narayan Bastia, we have come a long way, with the world having undergone a paradigm shift, having heaved with itself massive advancement in all disciplines like Social Studies, Science, etc.
At the school level, the discipline of Social Studies entails a preliminary study of the basic features of its two major constituent units-History and Geography. These subjects, though they come under the umbrella of Social Studies, differ entirely in subject matter and significance.
History for instance, enables the students to fly back to their roots, to the advent of civilizations besides acquainting them with a myriad of cultures. Children’s propensity to make more pragmatic decisions by pondering on lessons from the past, is polished to near perfection. The reason behind the prevalent state of affairs dawns on them and they begin to develop opinions, placing themselves in the position of the leaders of the past.
Geography, in simple words, encompasses the study of the Earth. At the primary level, students need to absorb the various physical processes that occur on the planet, for e.g. – the moon changing its shape, change of seasons, etc. which transcend to the study of a variety of rocks, interpretation of the topographical sheet, evolution of India, its climate, etc. at the higher levels. The study culminates into a better understanding of spatial organization of society and global interdependence.
People’s view on these subjects has visibly transformed due to the accumulation of umpteen future prospects over the horizon. They have been apotheosized from the class to nugatory subjects to that of the refined ones.
A specialization in History, opens up the fields of Archaeology, Museology, Archival Studies, Civil Service, Journalism, and Writing Work in the development sector, etc.
On the other hand, career opportunities proffered by Geography comprise, Cartography, Climate Change Analysis, Climatology, Emergency Management Specialization, Geomorphology and GIS Specialization.
The discipline of Social Studies is thus, an exquisite blend of subjectivity and facts, which houses opportunities galore, and is an immaculate choice for the one, whose mind is inclined more towards world-issues, internationalism etc.