Module

G11-HUMSS-DIS-MELC 2

EMERGENCE OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES

2
Week
3-4
I What I Need to Know?

At the end of the module, you should be able to:

1. Explain the major events and its contribution that led to the emergence
of the Social Science disciplines.
2. Appreciate the Social Science disciplines in daily life.
3. Use graphic organizer to show deeper understanding,

D What I Know?

Task 1: K-W-H-L Chart

Direction: Supply answer to complete the chart based on the topic given.

Topic: Society

K W H L
What do I know? What do I want to How I will learn? What I have
know? learned?

D What is It?

TOPIC 1: History of the Emergence of Social Sciences

The history of the Social Sciences has origin in the common stock of Western
philosophy and shares various precursors, but began most intentionally in the early
19th century with the positivist philosophy of science. Since the mid-20th century, the
term "social science" has come to refer more generally, not just to sociology, but to all
those disciplines which analyze society and culture; from anthropology to linguistics to
media studies.

The idea that society may be studied in a standardized and objective manner,
with scholarly rules and methodology, is comparatively recent. While there is an

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evidence of early sociology in medieval Islam, and while philosophers such as Confucius
had long since theorized on topics such as social roles, the scientific analysis of "Man" is
peculiar to the intellectual break away from the Age of Enlightenment and toward the
discourses of Modernity. Social sciences came forth from the moral philosophy of the
time and was influenced by the Age of Revolutions, such as the Industrial revolution
and the French revolution. The beginnings of the social sciences in the 18th century are
reflected in the grand encyclopedia of Diderot, with articles from Rousseau and other
pioneers.

Around the start of the 20th century, Enlightenment philosophy was challenged
in various quarters. After the use of classical theories since the end of the scientific
revolution, various fields substituted mathematics studies for experimental studies and
examining equations to build a theoretical structure. The development of social science
subfields became very quantitative in methodology. Conversely, the interdisciplinary
and cross-disciplinary nature of scientific inquiry into human behavior and social and
environmental factors affecting it made many of the natural sciences interested in some
aspects of social science methodology. Examples of boundary blurring include emerging
disciplines like social studies of medicine, sociobiology, neuropsychology, and bio
economics and the history and sociology of science. Increasingly, quantitative and
qualitative methods are being integrated in the study of human action and its
implications and consequences. In the first half of the 20th century, statistics became a
free-standing discipline of applied mathematics. Statistical methods were used
confidently.

In the contemporary period, there continues to be little movement toward

consensus on what methodology might have the power and refinement to connect a
proposed "grand theory" with the various midrange theories that, with considerable
success, continue to provide usable frameworks for massive, growing data banks.

TOPIC 2: Social Science Disciplines

Multidisciplinary approach
- a method that puts together separate disciplinary perspectives side by side,
adding breadth of knowledge, information, and methods; disciplines retain their
separate perspectives and elements.

Interdisciplinary approach
- method that integrates disciplinary
elements and perspectives to create a
holistic view or common understanding of a
complex issue or problem

Social Science
- the systematic study of various aspects of
human society

1. Economics studies the allocation of scarce

resources and the production and exchange of
goods and services in society.
Economics has different subfields:
o Environmental economics- studies the allocation of natural resources
o Labor economics-focuses on the study of the decision- making and behaviors of
employees and the relationships between employers and their employees.
o Business economics- examines the behavior of companies and firms by
studying the factors that result in profit maximization, price setting, production
goals, and the role of incentives.
o Monetary economics- on the other hand, studies the nation’s production,
inflation, income, interest rates, and monetary policies.

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2. Anthropology is the scientific study of humans and their cultures in the past and
present time.
Anthropologists are trained in the different areas:
o Cultural anthropology studies the development of human culture based on
ethnologic, linguistic, social, and psychological data analysis. It explains how
people in other societies live and affects their environments to their respective
lives.
o Physical anthropology studies human biological nature, particularly its
beginning , evolution, and variation in prehistory
o Archeology studies human life in the past through the examination of things
left behind by the people.

3. History is systematic study of human past events in order to understand the

meaning, dynamics, and relationship of the cause and effects of events in the
development of societies.
History has several subfields:
o Political history studies history of political institutions
o Economic history studies the development of economic institutions and other
economic factors.
o Social history studies the history of ordinary lives of people like women,
children, ethnic groups, and the different sectors of society from historical point
of view.
o Environmental history looks into the history of the interaction of humans with
the environment
o History of medicine and public health examines the history of public health
and human medicine
o Business history studies the history of the development of businesses,
companies, and industries
o Biography studies the history of great persons in history

4. Political Science primarily studies human behavior in relation to political systems,

governments, laws, and international relations.
Political has several fields of study:
o Domestic politics studies public opinion, elections, national and local
governments.
o Comparative politics studies politics within countries and analyzes the
similarities and differences between among countries
o International Relation focuses on the study of political relationship and
interaction between and among countries
o Public administration studies national and local governance and bureaucracy
o Public law examines legal systems, civil rights , and criminal justice

5. Psychology studies how the human mind works in consonance with the body to
produce thoughts that lead to individual actions.
Psychology subfields:
o Experimental psychology studies of humans and animals examines how and
why learning takes place
o Developmental psychology studies the ways people change and behave as they
go through their life
o Personality psychology studies human nature and differences among people
o Environmental psychology studies the effects of surroundings on a person’s
attitude and behavior

6. Sociology a systematic study of people’s behavior in groups

Sociology subfields:
o Applied sociology focuses on the use and proper application of sociological
theories, methods and skills to examine data, solve problems and communicate
research to the public.

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 o Urban sociology studies societal life interactions in urban areas through the
application of sociological methods like statistical analysis and ethnographies
o Cultural sociology analyzes the development of social institutions, norms and
practices.
o Rural sociology studies the social life of people in rural areas
o Medical sociology examines the societal aspects of health and medicine of
people
o Sociology of education analyzes how social forces and institutions like politics,
economic systems, and culture affects school and educational systems.
o Political sociology examines how social structure affects and influences
politics.
o Military sociology is a sociological study of the military organization, the
different civilian and military relationships, war experiences, and the use and
control of force

7. Geography is the study of interaction between people and their environments.

Geography subfields:
o Physical geography studies the natural features of the earth , including land,
water , and atmosphere
o Human geography studies how people create cultures in their natural
environments.

8. Linguistics is the study of language and its structure, including the study of
grammar, syntax, and phonetics.
General Linguistics is a study of the phenomena, historical changes, and functions
of language regardless of any particular language.
Major subfields
o Micro Linguistics
o Phonetics is the study of the physical properties of sounds of human
language
o Phonology is the study of sounds as discrete, abstract elements in the
speaker’s mind that distinguish meaning.
o Morphology is the study of internal structure of words and how they
can modified.
o Syntax is the study of how words combine to form grammatical
sentences.
o Semantics is the meaning of words and fixed word combinations and
how these combine to form the meanings of sentences.
o Pragmatics is the study of how utterance are used (literally, figurative,
or otherwise) in communication acts.
o Macro Linguistics
o Psycholinguistics is the study of the cognitive process and
representations underlying language use
o Sociolinguistics is the study of social patterns and norms of linguistics
variability.
o Neurolinguistics is the study of brain networks that underlie grammar
and communication.
o Discourse Analysis is the analysis of language use in text (spoken,
written, or signed).
o Linguistics is concerned with human language as a universal and
recognizable part of human behavior and of the human abilities.
o Applied Linguistics is the branch of linguistics that is most concerned
with application of concepts in everyday life, including language-
teaching.

9. Demography according to the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research

(2016) demography is the scientific study of human populations across time.
Major subfield:

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 o Population studies or social demography analyze demographic data to define,
explain, and foresee social phenomena. It also studies social – status
composition and population distribution.

E What’s More?

Task 2: ANSWER ME THRICE!

Direction: Answer the following based on understanding.

1. What are the events that led to the rise of social sciences and its disciplines?
2. Why do you think it is important to study the different disciplines of social
sciences?
3. How do social sciences help you achieve your dream? Explain.

E What can I Engage In?

Task 3: CHOOSE ONCE!

Direction: Using the Big Question Map, choose one from disciplines of social sciences
that gives you a big interest to study. Try to ask question that related to this, then plan
and investigate on how to solve the issues.

Social Science Discipline: ____________________________________________________________

What?
(The Question)

?
When? Who?

When? Why?

How?

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 A What I have Learned?

Task 4: REFLECTION SHOW!

I have learned that _________________________________________________________________

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I have realized that _________________________________________________________________

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I will apply _________________________________________________________________________

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A What I can Do?

Task 5: I Am a Social Scientist

Direction: Select one from the social science disciplines that is close to your heart and
the importance of this to your future career. Then write an essay on how a social
scientist like you be part of the community in trying to solve the present conditions of
society.

Example: “I am a Psychologist”

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