ASEF Social Sciences Category encourages learners to engage in investigating the social issues by asking essential questions, recognizing patterns of behaviors, thinking critically, creating solutions, predicting outcomes and drawing conclusions to solve social problems.
The Category of Social Sciences aims to:
- Develop the ability of applying scientific method in investigations of social studies.
- Challenge students to think creatively.
- Encourage students to observe and to reveal what others know about social issues.
- Teach students to interpret cultural, social, political, geographical and economical motives of historical and current issues.
- Encourage students to practice their communication skills, thinking and problem-solving skills.
- Provide a platform for to students where they can improve their public speaking skills.
- Generate a public interest and awareness for global, economical and civil issues.
Preparing a project for social sciences category may seem a difficult task. Unlike natural sciences where one conducts experiments, social sciences projects require demonstrating knowledge of the world and other cultures. Yet, there are many ways to create original and interesting projects based on history and society with quantitative or qualitative approaches.
Rules for Social SciencesPhilosophy, Psychology, Sociology, History, Law, Linguistics, etc.
- A student may be involved in one project only in the social sciences category.
- Projects may be “individual” or “group” projects. A group project may be prepared and presented by 2 students.
- Contestants are required to upload into their Project Description Paper (abstract included) by deadline.
- Contestants are required to prepare a poster for ASEF finals to show the details of their project development. Preparing demonstrations and/or evidence of social experiments for ASEF finals would attract the attention of visitors and jurors.
- A log book and a research paper of the project are essential in ASEF finals.
- The video presentation should be between 3 to 5 minutes long.
- Contestants must cover their own expenses for their project materials, stand decorations, brochures, posters, etc.
- Scientific methods must be followed in the projects.
- Projects might be a part of a bigger study conducted by professional scientists but the contestant(s) can only present the portion of the study in which they are actively involved.
- Contestants must avoid any kind of misconduct or fraud such as falsifying data or records, piracy or plagiarism.
- The project may include official statistics of different national and/or international institutions such as UN, EU, NATO, WHO, etc.
- ASEF steering committee reserves the right of amendment of any ASEF rule.