The social sciences are a vital part of today's culture and touch on all areas of life, and Europe has a long history with them. Today two out of the top five universities in the world for the social sciences are European. Many European universities specialise in the social sciences – as seen through places like the London School of Economics and Political Science or the Sciences Po, Paris. Even those that don't specialise in social sciences, however, excel at them, including places like the University of Amsterdam, founded in the 1600s, or the University of Copenhagen, the oldest university in Denmark. Europe has long led the progress of these sciences, seen through Germany bringing out the emergence of experimental psychology, or the Swiss' influence on structural linguistics. This history of innovative thought makes Europe the perfect place for studying these subjects today. Social sciences: a definition What exactly are the social sciences? A good definition is given by the European Science foundation – the social sciences are those subjects which examine and explain human beings. This includes a variety of ways – from understanding how minds work, to how societies as a whole function. The major social sciences are Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Geography, History, Law, Linguistics, Politics, Psychology and Sociology.