Defining Social Sciences as the study of society Culture Shared and collective actions, ideas, and values that

and collective actions, ideas, and values that are

demonstrated, exhibited, produced, and reproduced by a
The Humanities are the disciplines that help us understand and define particular group of people and communicated through
symbols including language.
cultures, human experiences including history, anthropology, literature, art
Social Structure Patterns of behavior and interaction, which have been
history, ethics, philosophy and jurisprudence.
institutionalized over time; result of human interaction with
one another and with the ”social world”and ”natural world”
Basically, social science refers to the systematic study of various aspects
Action Decisions, activities, and interactions made by human beings
of human society. in the context of their particular social world and conditioned
by their collective consciousness
It is a major category of academic disciplines, dealing with society and
the relationships among people within a society.

”Society,” on the other hand, is a contrast to the preceding imagery of

nature. Society is organized, deliberately structured and formalized, and How is society different from nature
bound by rules drafted and implemented by the people who themselves
“Nature" conjures an image of random and unstructured forces that
constitute society.
shape a given area.
Social Sciences- A science which deals with human behavior in its social
Natural science is a science that aims to explain the causes of change
and cultural aspects.
that occur on material bodies.

A major branch of science that deals with the description, prediction

What does Social Sciences Emphasize?
Two main branches of natural science:
Fundamental What does Social Sciences emphasize?
Concepts 1. Life Science or Biological Science

Individual Social Actors, and active, mindful, and conscious decision 2. Physical Science
makers.

Nature Environment; social structures that provide the physical and a) Physics
biological as well as the
b) Astronomy
social context of collective action or social phenomena
c) Chemistry
 d) Earth Science Industrial Revolution.

Things in Common
Humanities involved a more of a Social Science deal with more
 Both sciences employ the scientific model in order to gain information.
scientific approach. scientific approach.
 Both sciences use empirical and measured data evidence that can be
Deemed to be more philosophical Involves application of an empirical,
seen and discerned by the senses.
and concerned with heritage and rational, and objective
 Both sciences, theories can be tested to yield theoretical statements and question of what makes us human. methodology (such as the use of
general positions. Comprise application of an validity and reliability test) to
interpretative methodology. present facts.

Functions:

Humanities Social Science

How Social Sciences differs from Humanities? To better appreciate the meaning To analyzed, explain and possibly
and purpose of the human predict and produce new knowledge
Humanities- Refers to the study of the ways in which the human experience is
experience- both broadly in the of factual information.
processed and documented.
nature of the human condition, as
Encompasses the field of philosophy, literature, religion, art, music, history well as within each individual.
and language.
To reveal wisdom, to better explore To generate and produce new
Differences: and address the big questions and knowledge or factual information.

Humanities Social Science meet the challenges in human

condition.
Emerged in the 15th century Influence by and developed after
the French revolution and the
 Social Science is consist of branches pertaining to the study of human Demography-“demos” (people), “graphein” (description). It is the study
and social relationships. These disciplines include: of human population and dynamics which include components such as
population size (actual head count of people in a given place of location),
Anthropology, Economics Geography, History, Linguistics, Political Science,
population composition (age, sex, religion), population growth, population
Psychology, Sociology ,Demography
distribution.Demography, meanwhile, deals with population as a unit of
analysis. Demographic processes such as birth migration and aging are

Social Science Branches investigated because they impact on how society changes across a period of
time.
a. Anthropology
The Demographic Transition Model (DTM) is based on historical population
Anthropology- “anthropos” (human), “logos” (study of). Anthropology
trends of two demographic characteristics – birth rate and death rate – to
traces its roots to ancient Greek historical and philosophical writings about
suggest that a country’s total population growth rate cycles through stages as
human nature and the organization of human society
that country develops economically.
Anthropology deals with the nature of human beings, both from a
biological and cultural point of view. For anthropologists, culture is a key
factor that shapes human nature and that this culture is conditioned by both c. Economics

natural and social environments. Economics -“economy” (household management). Given the limited

Two fields of Anthropology: resources, economists study how these resources are allocated among the
people and how they affect the material condition of society. The Modern
1. Physical Anthropology- Study of the past and present evolution of the
Economics, which is still being studied today, is the result of the efforts of
human species and especially concerned with understanding the causes of
ancient or Pre-classical (384BC-1776), classical (1776-1871) , Neoclassical
present human diversity.
(1871-Today) and Islamic Economists.
2. Cultural Anthropology- the branch of anthropology concerned with the
Two major Fields of Economics
study of human societies and cultures and their development.
1. Microeconomics- part of economics concerned with single factors and the
effects of individual decisions.
b. Demography
2. Macroeconomics- part of economics concerned with large-scale or general places where they originate and then travel as people continually
economic factors, such as interest rates and national productivity. move across various areas.

2. Regional Geography- branch of geography that studies the world’s

regions.
d. Geography

Geography- “geo” (Earth), “graphein”(description). Geography, on one

hand, insists that it is the environment or the location of the people-a
condition that exists outside of people-that ultimately conditions the way
people will behave in society. The. proximity to certain geographic locations
determines the kind of society that will be formed or created over a period of e. History

time. History- “histoire” (recorded and documented events). History,

Some of the first truly geographical studies occurred more than four meanwhile, interprets that the past is part and parcel of the present as events

thousand years ago. The main purpose of these early investigations was to that happened in the past shape the way people make their decisions in the

map features and places observed as explorers traveled to new lands. At this present.

time, Chinese, Egyptian, and Phoenician civilizations were beginning to f. Linguistics

explore the places and spaces within and outside their homelands. The
Linguistics-“lingua” (tongue, language). Language, a product of human
earliest evidence of such explorations come from the archaeological
race’s biological and cultural heritage, is an invention by people yet they
discovery of a Babylonian clay tablet map that dates back to 2300 BC.
themselves are shaped by it’s heritage. It is the scientific study of languages
Fields of Geography and focuses on three aspect of language: language form, language meaning,

1. Systematic Geography and language in context.

a) Physical Geography- branch of geography dealing with natural Different speech communities may reflect subsets of the same language

features and processes. called dialects.

b) Cultural/ Human Geography- study of the many cultural aspects

found throughout the world and how they relate to the spaces and g. Political Science
 Political Science-“politika,” “polis” (affairs of the cities). Political Science 5. Cognitive
believes that it is politics or the political realm that captures human life. It is
6. Socio-cultural
the social science which deals with the political activities, political thoughts
and political behaviour. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of
politics which is commonly thought of as determining of the distribution of Major Area of Psychology
power and resources.
a. Biopsychology
From the late 1950s to mid 1980s, works in the history of political
b. Experimental
science stand out by their sheer rarity. Earlier political scientists were rather
(though not exceptionally) more historical in their disciplinary c. Developmental and Personal Psychology
self-understanding.
d. Health, clinical and counseling psychology

e. Cross-cultural Psychology

Wilhelm Wundt opened the first experimental laboratory in psychology

h. Psychology at the University of Leipzig, Germany. Credited with establishing psychology
as an academic discipline, Wundt's students include Emil Kraepelin, James
Psychology- “psyche” (mind), “logos” (study of). Psychology pushes the
McKeen Cattell, and G. Stanley Hall.
discussion further by asserting that what is going on within the individual
mind or the psyche-one’s feelings, joys, fears, worries, triumphs, and
struggles-does shape the way he or she views society and thus impacts on his
or her relationship With people and the environment.

School of Psychology:
i. Sociology
1. Structuralism
Sociology- “socius” (people together, associate), “logos” (study of).
2. Functionalism
Although sociology has its roots in the works of philosophers like Plato,
3. Psychodynamic
Aristotle, and Confucius, it is a relatively new academic discipline. It emerged
4. Behaviorism in the early nineteenth century in response to the challenges of modernity.
Sociology, a close relative of anthropology, deals with how people behave D. As a prelude to the rise of American-oriented institutions and the growth
and interact with one another as a member of a particular social group. It of SociaI Sciences within Philippine centers of higher institution, it is
focuses on structures that underlie society itself and theorizes about the important to mention the activities of the late 19th century Filipino
processes in which people are socialized in the world in which they live. It is intellectuals, better known as the Ilustrados.
important for sociologists and anthropologists to know who these people
E. Illustrados conducted detailed ethnological studies-an assessment of their
are-male or female, natives or foreigners, young or old, etc. --in order to
own country and people-in order to create a body of knowledge about
capture the nuanced nature of human relations.
Filipinos, a Filipiniana heritage, that would provide an alternative narrative
and analysis of the La Patria Filipino and her people.

Social Studies in Philippine Context F. Dr. Jose Rizal should be remembered not only as a martyr and a national
hero but also as one of the foremost scholars of Filipino pre-Hispanic culture,
A. late 19th century, during the era of revolutions and proliferation of liberal
history, and society. In 1890, he annotated the 1609 memoirs of Antonio de
ideas from Europe, Filipino intellectuals made use of Science and empirical
Morga-proving many positive and important aspects of Filipino society at the
methods in disproving the racist and colonial claims of Spanish colonizers,
time of the Spanish arrival in the Philippines in the 16th century. While in
especially the friars.
Dapitan as an exile, between 1892 and 1896, he conducted several studies in
B. These intellectuals, who would later on be known in Philippine history as the Filipino languages, collected specimens of natural history, and even
the ”brains” of the emerging young nation, would double as either conducted some surface explorations of the island-identifying stone
liberal-minded statesmen or anti-colonial revolutionaries. Whatever their implements that can be of archaeological significance for the country.
political dispositions were, their belief in science and empiricism took central Meanwhile, there were published and unpublished scholarly works by noted
role in their theses about the Philippines and the Filipinos. Filipino intellectuals in the 19th century that are worth mentioning as well.

C. Scientific data gathered from various sources such as archaeology, Their works contained valuable materials on the archaeological, prehistoric,

prehistory, linguistics, ethnology, and anthropology informed the ideas of ethnographic, historical, and cultural knowledge about the Philippines and

foremost Filipino thinkers such as lsabelo de los Reyes, Jose Rizal, Jose Burgos, the Filipinos: e.g., Vigan-born but Tondo-raised Jose Burgos (one of the

Pedro Paterno, and T. H. Pardo de Tavera about what the Philippines really martyr priests in the triumvirate GOMBURZA; he had about nine college

was prior to and at the time of the arrival of the Spaniards during the 16th degrees and could well be the first Filipino archaeologist), Vigan-born lsabelo

century. de los Reyes, doctor and scholar T. H. Pardo deTavera (who became the hrst
official Director of the Philippine National Library), and Pedro Paterno (more
than being remembered as the mediator between the Republica Filipino and
the Spanish government at the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, he was also an esteemed
Philippine scholar). These scholars could very well be the predecessors of
today's Filipino anthropologists, archaeologists, and prehistorians. It is a pity
that when the ancestry of Philippine archaeology is discussed,
foreigners-Spaniards and Americans-were usually mentioned. Rarely was the
importance of the works of the IIustrados given due credit.

Meanwhile, several Europeans, naturalists, and travelers had already

visited the Philippine islands long before the arrival of the Americans. Their
mission was to ”collect" specimens for their respective. museums and
institutions, aside of course from their unofficial role as travelers and
observers of native and colonized people. Most notable among them are the
following: the German Feodor Jagor who visited the country in 1860, the
Frenchman Alfred Marche who arrived in 1881 to collect specimens for the
Musée de l’Homme, and J. Montano and Paul Rey who conducted cave
explorations from 1878 to 1881. Unfortunately, some writers, probably
unaware of the publications and activities of the llustrados, believed that the
activities of Marche spurred the beginning of anthropological history In the
country. In a way, we can say that they conducted their respective activities
as broad ‘ researches that, in today’s standards, could be broken further into
specialized disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, prehistory, or
linguistics. We can say that both foreign and local scholars operated under
the era of scientism, meaning the dominant paradigm then was Science and
that the study of social phenomena needed empirical, methodical, and
tangible data either from the present or from the past.