LESSON

GUIDE
IN
BPHUMDIS
MS. NERZELL B. RESPETO, LPT
SUBJECT FACILITATOR
 Discipline and Ideas in the Social Sciences
Lecture Notes

The Emergence of Social Sciences

Objectives:
 Define social science as the study of society
 Apply the concept scientific method when studying various human phenomena
 Distinguish the difference between the social sciences, the natural science and
the humanities
Aristotle
 Who wrote that “man is a rational animal”
 We are all born and raised in a society
 Man is a social being (Gadamer)
 We interact with one another and build relationship in the hope of pursuing
better life
 We may share a distinct culture, same political dynamics, or similar institutions
 As a rational animal, hence, we use our reason in order to satisfy our curiosity
and discover the “how and why” of so many things around us
The Human Knowledge
 In our contemporary times, the human knowledge has so many point of view to
use in order to see things
 There exist several classification of the human knowledge that has broad
categories such as social science, natural science and humanities
Natural Science
 In this source of knowledge this includes biology, chemistry, earth sciences,
physics
 Natural science actually explain and attempt to predict various phenomena in
nature such cellular composition, atomic particles, weather conditions and
earthquake patterns
Philosophy
 It is easier to do rather than to define (Fr. Roque Ferriols)
 It is an Active realization of truth (Indian Philosophy)
 This includes Metaphysics, Epistemology, Theodicy, Phenomenology
 In every branches, it studies everything through everything at the same time
 Metaphysics: Being
 Epistemology: Knowledge
 Theodicy: God
 Phenomenology: Experience and meaning
Humanities
 It is a branch of knowledge that tends to humanize human as they express
themselves in various forms
 This includes art and art history; literature, and music among others
Important Terms:
 Domain: a sphere of knowledge, influence or activity
 Discipline: a particular branch of learning or body of knowledge, such as
physics, sociology and history
 Empiricism: the view that all rationally acceptable beliefs or propositions are
justifiable or knowable only through experience or senses – Empirical
knowledge
Contemporary Sources of Knowledge
 These are the domains pertain to the applied professions that involves practical
application of the theories of knowledge to a actual or situational phenomena
which is applicable for a domain
 Examples: Business Administration, Communications, Technology Criminal
Justice, Education, Engineering, Law, Social Work, Nursing and Medicine
 Social Sciences and Natural Sciences which are based on empirical knowledge –
evident phenomena and can be tested for its accuracy
Society
 Defined as “people in general thought of living together in organized
communities with shared laws, traditions and values” (Merriam-Webster)
 A group of people may be regulated by the same set of norms with shared
values and tradition
 Interaction of people they may gain benefits which are impossible when they
work individually
 The term ‘social’ is closely related human society as it refers to the interaction
of individuals and groups as well as the welfare of humans as members of the
society
Science
 Pertains to “knowledge about or study of the natural world based on facts
learned through experiments and observation” in the strict sense – a body of
knowledge
 Refers to the different methods or modes of inquiry utilized in order t obtain
knowledge
 Often times the scientific study related with matter, rocks, plants,
constellations, motion that in cam be utilized systematically to study intricacies
of human experience, such as attitudes, behaviour, opinions, feeling, and
ideologies among others.

Important Characteristics of Science

 Empirical – a phenomenon should be observable using the different senses
 Propositional – things are explained in the form of statements of generalizations
 Logical – employs the rules of logic in order to validate inferences
 Public – ideas are communicated from one scientist to another
 Problem-solving – presents rational explanations about unexplained
observations
 Continuous – knowledge is built upon by previous and future research on the
subject

The Scientific Method

1. Topic - the researcher selects a particular subject matter depending on his or her
interest
2. Problem – the researcher defines the nature of the problem where a theory can be
develop along the way; this is the most important phase of inquiry
3. Hypothesis – the researcher formulates a general statement of the problem that
could give him or her idea on what data to gather or omit. An idea or theory that is not
proven but that leads to further discussion
4. Methods of Inquiry or Data Gathering – this is the stage of empirical research
involving the use of senses and/or precision instruments; phenomenon must be
carefully and accurately described and recorded
5. Analysis – the researcher may find patterns and relationships that could help in the
analysis of gathered data; this the stage of classifying and organizing data
6. Conclusion – the researcher formulates a scientific theory after a thorough analysis
of data; a theory can be changed or revised depending on the result of future research
projects

The Importance of Social Sciences

 The social sciences may help us to figure out the complexities of human
behaviour and relations as it attempts to solve the aforementioned societal
problems
 Social science is significant in the society as it may help researchers solve the
complexities of human behaviour in order to help alleviate problems and
improve human condition
Anthropology
 The rise of Western imperialism in 18th and 19th centuries prompted interest in
the study of ulture of the colonies
 Key Personalities: Franz Boas, Bronislaw Malinowski

Economics
 Became a separate discipline with the publication of Adams Smith’s The Wealth
of Nations in 1776
 Key personalities: Adams Smith, Karl Marx
Geography
 Became academic discipline in Europe during 18th and 19 centuries while many
geographic societies were founded in the 19th century
 Key personalities: Immanuel Kant, Alexader von Humboldt, Carl Ritter
History
 The Greeks were the first writers of history is one of the oldest of the social
sciences
 Key Personalities: Herodotus (the father of History),Thucydides, Leopold von
Ranke
Linguistics
 Modern linguistics started to develop in the 18 century with philology reaching
its zenith in the 19 century
 Key personalities: Ferdinand de Saussure, Jacques Derrida, Hans Georg-
Gadamer, Jurgen Habermas
Political Science
 As an academic discipline. Political Science is a relatively new field that was
principally worked on by American scholars in the 19th and 20th centuries
 Key personalities: Plato, Aristotle, Augustine of Hippo, Niccolo Machiavelli,
Thomas Hobbes, John Locke
Sociology
 As a formal academic field of study was founded by Emile Durkheim during late
19th century with establishment of the first sociology department in Europe
 Key Personalities: Auguste Comte, Karl Marx, Herbert Spencer, Emile Durkheim
Psychology
 In 1879, Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychological laboratory in Leipzig
(Germany) thereby effectively making Psychology a formal field of study
 Key personalities: Wilhelm Wundt, G. Stanley Hall, John Dewey, Sigmund Freud
Demography
 The 19th century saw the emergence of demography when it separated from
statistics as field of study
 Key personalities: Thomas Malthus, Adolphe Quetelet, William Farr

The Disciplines in the Social Sciences

Anthropology
• It is the study humankind
• Greek word anthropos – human and logos – word or study of
• It an amalgamation of natural science particularly in biology and social sciences
• Therefore, anthropology is partly natural science and partly a social science
• Ex. Knowing the origin of humankind
• Compared to other social sciences, anthropology is wider in scope both
geographically and historically
• Anthropologist excavate numerous places for fossils and other material remains
that once belongs in the past

Branches of Anthropology
• Physical Anthropology
• Cultural anthropology
• Archaeology

Physical Anthropology
• Biological anthropology is its other name
• It is the study of human biology within the milieu (A person’s social
environment) of evolution
• This centers primarily on the human biological origins and the variations in
human species
• The physical anthropologists also analyse human fossil remains
• They are now thousands specimen of human ancestors being house in museum
and research collections all over the world
• They also excavate and study these hardened remains as they try to formulate
theories on the origin of humans and subsequent variation

Sub disciplines of Physical Anthropology

• Paleanthropology – human evolution; earlier hominids
• Genetics – gene structure; patterns of inheritance of traits
• Primatology – non-human primates
• Osteology – skeletal remains
• Paleopathology – traces of disease and injury in human skeletal remains
• Forensic Anthropology – analysis and identification of human remains
Cultural Anthropology
• Involves the study and comparative analysis of literate societies, including all
aspects of human behaviour
• This includes religion, ritual, myth, technology, gender roles, kinship forms,
economic and political structures; music and folklore
• Ethnography: a means to study and record the different ways of human
societies and provides descriptive accounts which form the basis for
comparative studies of many cultures
Another Sub-Disciplines of Anthropology
• Urban Anthropology – issues of cities such as poverty, immigration and social
stratification
• Medical Anthropology – relationship between culture and health or diseases
• Economic Anthropology – distribution of goods and resources within and
between cultures

Archaeology
• Involves the study of earlier cultures and ways of life by the way of retrieving
and examining the material remains of previous human societies
• Archaeologist attempt to reconstruct the everyday life and customs of early
people, they also seek to explain the different cultural changes that happened
over time

Linguistic Archaeology
• Study of human speech and language as well as the various changes that have
taken over time
• This tries to comprehend different processes in human communication,
language use.

Economics
• Is a discipline that concentrates on how a particular society solves its problem
of scarcity of resources
• Greek word oikos – house and nomos – custom or law
• The term oikonomia literally translates as “management of a house hold”
• Goal: to develop better policies in order to minimize problems and maximize
the benefits of everyday work
Economist
• Economists seeks to understand people’s activities concerning production,
distribution and consumption of goods and services
• They analyse key concepts pertaining to supply and demand, savings and
investments, cost and price; economic fluctuations, finance, capital and wealth
• In essence, they ask What goods are produced?, How these goods are produced?
And For whom they are produced?
Goals of Economics
Economic Growth Price-level stability
Economic Freedom Work efficiency
Equitable distribution of income Economic efficiency
Full employment Economic security
Balance of trade
Macroeconomics
• Analyses how the economics functions as a whole or its basic subdivisions such
as the government or the business sectors
• Also study inflation and unemployment why some nations are well-off while
some others under huge dept.
• Includes total output, total employment, total income and general level of prices
Microeconomics
• Focuses on the behaviour of individual agents, like household, industries and
firms
• Economists evaluate how prices of goods and services are usually pegged and
what factors determine the value of land, labor and capital
• Experts measures price of specific product, number of workers employed by a
single firm or expenditures of a certain family

Geography
• It the of the features of the earth and and the location living things on the
planet
• Greek word geographia – to describe the earth (literal)
• Geo – earth; graphe; – to describe
• Also deals with different human activities aside from studying mountains, rivers
and plants

History
• Is a branch of knowledge that attempts to ascertain, record and explain facts
and events that happened in the past
• Greek word historia – inquiry
• One of the oldest Social Science tracing its origin in the myths and traditions of
early people that were passed from one generation to the other
• For the historians, it very ambitious to unfold and interpret human thoughts
and actions that are ever changing while relying on written accounts that may
have incompletely survive in the past
Social History
• Experiences of common people
• Sample work: Crime, Society and the State in the 19th Century Philippines (Greg
Bakoff, Atenoe de Manila University, 1996)
Cultural History
• Customs, arts, traditions
• Sample work: Balatik:Etnoastronomiya Kalangitan sa Kabihasnang Pilipino
(Dante L. Ambrosio, The University of the Philippines Press, 2010)
Political History
• Political ideas, events, movements, parties leaders
• Sample work: Illustrado Politics: Filipino Elite Responses to American Rule
(Micheal Cullinane, Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2003
Economic History
• Economic occurrences , way of living distribution of goods
• Sample work: The Tobacco Monopoly in the Philippines: Bureaucratic Enterprise
and Social Change 1766 – 1880 (Ed. C. de Hesus, Ateneo de Manila University
Press, 1980)
Diplomatic History
• International relations between states
• Sample work: The United States and the Philippines: A Study of Neocolonialism
(Stephen Rosskamm Shalom, New Day Publishers, 1986)
Military History
• Military affairs, strategies, doctrine, armed conflict
• Sample work: Filipino – American War 1899 – 1913 (Samuel K. Tan University of
the Philippines Press, 2002)
Other Branches of History
• History of Religion
• History of Women
• Environmental History

Linguistic
• Is a field of knowledge involving the scientific study of language as a universal
and recognizable aspect of human behaviour and capacity
• Linguists study changes that have taken place on various language over time as
well as their modern variations
• “man is a linguistic being” – Hans Georg Gadamer (Man and Language)
• “A good speaker do not borrow words from the other languages rather steals
words from other language” - Fr. Roque Ferriols, SJ (A Memoir of 6 Years, 1978)
General Linguistics
• Concepts and categories of language or languages; theory of language
Micro Linguistics
• Structure of language systems
• Phonetics – study of correct pronunciations of words
• Phonology – study of sounds of the language
• Morphology – study of language form
• Syntax – study of how words form into phrases
• Semantics – the study of meanings of words or terms
Macro Linguistics
• External view of language
• Stylistics - the study of the distinctive styles found in particular literary genres
and in the works of individual writers.
• Developmental Linguistics - the study of the development of linguistic ability in
an individual, particularly the acquisition of language in childhood
• Historical Linguistics - the study of language change
• Language Geography - the study of the spatial patterns of languages
• Psycholinguistics - the study of the cognitive processes and representations
underlying language use
• Sociolinguistics - the study of social patterns and norms of linguistic variability
• Clinical Linguistics - the application of linguistic theory to the area of Speech-
Language Pathology

Political Science
• It deals with both theory and practice of politics, including analysis on public
policies and laws
• Study of governments and need for the institution, its form and its processes
• Key concepts: state, politics, power and ideology as well as the effects of these
notions on individuals and groups
Country
• People or Nation
• Government
• Territory
• Sovereignty and Jurisdiction
• Independence
• Recognition from the other country
Democracy
• It is the government of the people, by the people and for the people

Sociology
• Is a field of study dealing with systematic study of patterns of human
interaction
• Patterns are affected, controlled or arrange by historical events, beliefs and
practices or various social influences on an individual , a family or larger group
of people
• Latin word socius – companion; Greek word logos – word of study of
• Concentrates on the social influences or processes occurring within the group of
people rather that those forces affecting an individual
• The science of society
• Interested in discovering repetitive and general patterns in human behaviour as
people interact with one another
General Sociology
• Deals with the properties and homogeneity common to all social and cultural
phenomena, including those characteristics found among groups and
institutions
• Concern may include the conditions, forms and forces of human association
Special Sociology
• Focuses on specific sociocultural phenomenon usually selected for further
study, including socialization, interaction, conflict and denomination
• Examples of the most developed sociologies as field of study include sociology
of population, sociology of law, sociology of religion and sociology of
knowledge
Social Organization
• Topics: social institutions, groups, inequality, mobility, stratification,
bureaucracy, ethnic groups, family, education, politics, religion
Social Change
• Topics: changes in culture and social relations and the disruptions occurring in
society; ecological changes, cultural change, modernization

Sociological Theory and Method

• Topic: principles and theories about the social environment
Applied Sociology
• Topics: resolution of social problems through research in social work,
counselling, criminology
Psychology
• Deals with the nature of human behaviours, both internal and external factors
that affects these behaviours
• Latin word psychologia combining psych – spirit or soul; and logia – study of
• Literal meaning study of soul
• Concentrates individuals and various forces that mold them
• Physical Sciences: it draws out knowledge on the physical structure of humans,
including nervous system and stages maturation
• Social Sciences: it obtains information about the social world such as motivation
emotions, behaviour and attitude
• Four Goals: to describe, explain, predict and change behaviours
• Key concepts: Cognition, perception, thought, personality and motivation
Branches of Psychology
• Abnormal Psychology
• Behavioural Psychology
• Biopsychology
• Cognitive Psychology
• Comparative Psychology
• Cross-Cultural Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology
• Experimental Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Heath Psychology
• Personality Psychology
• Social Psychology

Demography
• Is the science and statistical study of human population
• French word demographie derive from Greek word demos – people; and graphie
• Three Demographic processes: 1. Birth; 2. Migration; 3. Aging and Death
• To comprehend the mechanisms behind human population
• Categorized under the disciplines in the Social Science
• Also in Sociology – Topics: population dynamics, change, composition, quality