system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
What's the most efficient way to gain working knowledge of a discipline?

Aside from actually doing a degree in a field, how should I go about learning the important theories/methods etc. of a field? I'm thinking social sciences - anthropology, sociology, cultural studies etc.
gpt
Work your way in. Start with popular books, then more advanced books on more specific aspects, then technical texts, then review articles on specialized sub-topics, then individual research articles. 

That's probably faster than taking MOOCs.