DATAMEX INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY

DOOR C, ADM BLDG. AWAYAN POB. III CARCAR CITY CEBU

LEARNINGMODULE

DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE

SOCIAL SCIENCES

SUBJECT

QUARTER 2
WEEK 1-10

NAME OF STUDENT /GRADE LEVEL

MARK ANDRIS GEMPISAW

SUBJECT TEACHER
 UNIT 1: HOW IS SCIENCE, AND HOW
SCIENTIFIC IS SOCIAL?

What is scientific about social science?

"Social science, which is generally regarded as including psychology, sociology, anthropology,
economics and political science, consists of the disciplined and systematic study of society and its
institutions, and of how and why people behave as they do, both as individuals and in groups
within society. At a minimum it would appear that to be "scientific" entails a systematic and
disciplined method of acquiring knowledge, and that knowledge must be verifiable knowledge.

So, we enter a problem area at the outset for it may be argued (Gareau, 1987) that society, its
institutions and social relationships are not susceptible to scientific study, and that the methods
of the natural sciences should not be applied to social phenomena. That the terms "social" and
"scientific" may not sit comfortably together was illustrated by the decision of the British

Government in the early nineteen eighties to change the name of the Social Science Research
Council (which included mass communication research in its remit) to the Economic and Social
Research Council. The message seemed to be: if it's social it can't be scientific!" (J.D. Halloran,
Social Science, communication research and the Third World, Media Development  (1998) Vol. 2,
WACC).

The humanistic affinity of social science needs to be recognized, as do its overlaps with
philosophy, law, geography and literary criticism, but even amongst those who consider
themselves to be social scientists, we are likely to find many different approaches to the study of
the media and communications. As we shall see later, these may range from those who strive to
be scientific, adopting or adapting models from the natural sciences, to those who, in studying
the same subjects, rely more on imagination and insight unfettered, as they see it, by scientific
paraphernalia. Just to complicate matters, there are also those who attempt to blend the two
approaches.

Who and what should we include, then, in our overview of the social scientific contribution to
mass communication research? My approach is inclusive rather than exclusive, although
selections and preferences will become obvious in the course of the following discussion. The unit
does not set out to provide a comprehensive and balanced history of mass communication
research (this is the task of Module 1 as a whole). My main purpose is to draw attention to and
describe how social scientists have studied the media and the communication process, and to
examine the various factors - economic, political, cultural and disciplinary - which have facilitated
or impeded the development and maintenance of these different approaches.
Although our focus is on social science, social scientists are not the only scholars with a
contribution to make to a debate which certainly pre-dates the advent of social science. The
debate about the media and their influence and role in society has been carried on by literary
critics, social philosophers, moralists, artists and educators who, judging from their comments,
often feel that the social scientists are so preoccupied with research techniques and
methodological devices that their works lack immediate social relevance, tending to concentrate
only on the questions for which they have the `scientific' means at their disposal to answer
rather than the questions which are the most interesting and important. The social scientists in
turn query the usefulness of evidence produced without the benefit of scientific approaches and
criticize what they consider to be the undisciplined nature of the generalizations, interpretations
and speculations which abound in this field (McQuail, 2005, chapter 3).

SOCIAL SCIENCE as the Study of Society

. • Basically, social science refers to the systematic study of various aspects of human
society. • It is a major category of academic disciplines, dealing with society and the
relationships among people within a society. • Established in 19th century.
 
Natural Science • A major branch of science that deals with the description, prediction
and understanding of natural phenomena, basically based on observational and
empirical evidence.
 Two main branches of natural science: 1. LIFE SCIENCE OR BIOLOGICAL SCIENCE
2. PHYSICAL SCIENCE • Physics • Astronomy • Chemistry • Earth Science

SOCIAL SCIENCE vs. NATURAL SCIENCE

THINGS IN COMMON: • Both sciences employ the scientific model in order to gain
information. • Both sciences use empirical and measured data evidence that can be
seen and discerned by the senses. • Both sciences, theories can be tested to yield
theoretical statements and general positions.

DIFFERENCES:
Humanities • Refers to the study of the ways in which the human experience is
processed and documented. • Encompasses the field of philosophy, literature,
religion, art, music, history and language. SOCIAL SCIENCE vs. HUMANITIES

THINGS IN COMMON: • Both the humanities and social science are concerned with
human aspects like, law, politics, linguistics, economics and psychology. • Both the
humanities and social sciences are concerned with human lives and nature.

DIFFERENCES:
 GUESS THE PIC
ANTHROPOLOGY
ECONOMICS
GEOGRAPHY
HISTORY
LINGUISTICS
POLITICAL SCIENCE
PSYCHOLOGY
 SOCIOLOGY
 DEMOGRAPHY
 DISCIPLINES OF SOCIAL SCIENCES
. 

ANTHROPOLOGY • Derived from the Greek words anthropos meaning “human” and
logos meaning “word” or “study of”. Therefore, Anthropology is “the study of man” •
Anthropologists study humans and their societies in the past and present. Two fields: 1.
Physical Anthropology 2. Cultural Anthropology
 Physical Anthropology • The study of the past and present evolution of the human
species and is especially concerned with understanding the causes of present human
diversity.
. Cultural Anthropology • The branch of anthropology concerned with the study of
human societies and cultures and their development.
 ECONOMICS • Aims to study how to manage the limited resources to satisfy the
unlimited wants of individuals. It is also seen as the production, consumption, and
transfer of goods. • It is how people interact with the market to attain or accomplish their
certain goals. Two major fields: 1. Microeconomics 2. Macroeconomics
 Microeconomics • The part of economics concerned with single factors and the effects
of individual decisions.
 Macroeconomics • The part of economics concerned with large-scale or general
economic factors, such as interest rates and national productivity.
 GEOGRAPHY • Deals with studying the lands and features of the earth. Fields of
Geography: 1. Systematic Geography 1.1 Physical Geography 1.2 Cultural/Human
Geography 2. Regional Geography
 Physical Geography • The branch of geography dealing with natural features and
processes.
 Cultural/Human Geography • The study of the many cultural aspects found throughout
the world and how they relate to the spaces and places where they originate and then
travel as people continually move across various areas.
. Regional Geography • Branch of geography that studies the world's regions.
 HISTORY • Derived from the word "historia" meaning "to inquire or research". • History
mainly focuses on the evolution of mankind and the events that has taken place within
that evolution. • The study of the past and its records about events.
 "History is the bridge that connects the past with the present and future."
 Linguistics • The scientific study of languages and focuses on the three aspect of
language: language form, language meaning, and language in context.
 POLITICAL SCIENCE • A social science which deals with the system of governance
and the analysis of political activities, political thoughts and political behavior. It deals
extensively with the theory and practice of politics which is commonly thought of as
determining of the distribution of power and resources.
. PSYCHOLOGY • The scientific study of the mind and behavior. School of Psychology:
•Structuralism •Functionalism •Psychodynamic •Behaviorism •Cognitive •Socio-cultural
Major Area of Psychology: • Biopsychology • Experimental • Developmental and
personality psychology • Health, clinical and counseling psychology • Socio-industrial-
organizational consumer • Cross cultural psychology
 DEMOGRAPHY • The study of human population and dynamics which include
components such as population size (actual head count of people in a given place of
location), population composition (age, sex, religion), population growth, population
distribution.
ASSESSEMENT

1. What is the total population of Carcar City?

2. What are issues and problems in your place? How can you solve it?

3. Can you identify the science and the social in the depiction of the Arts and Sciences?

4. What can you say about some forms of expressions and commentaries about society
such as the ones observed in the following areas or situations. Give concrete examples.

-graffiti and vandalism

-advertisements

-political effigies

-installation arts

-cinema

-literature
UNIT II: PERSPECTIVES:HOW DO IDEAS OF
AND ABOUT SOCIETY SHAPE THE WAY WE
LOOK AT THE WORLD?
ASSESSMENT

1. What values among Filipinos are being promoted or identified in the commercial?

2. In what particular aspect of life do we find these values useful or contextualized?

3. How does the use of Filipino values enhance the message or marketing of a
commodity?
UNIT III:OUR
VERY
ASSESSMENT

1. CHECK OUT SOME VIDEO CLIPS FROM VICE GANDA’S LATE NIGHT TALK
SHOW GANDANG GABI VICE. ANLYZE THE WAY HE/SHE CONDUCTS HUMOR
AND WHY FILIPINOS PATRONIZE IT? EXAMINE ALSO THE METHOD OF
SARCASM IN HUMOR APPLICABLE IN PHILIPPINE CONTEXT.

2.HOW DO THE REALITIES OF SLUM PROVIDE AN ATMOSPHERE AND SPACE

FOR SOCIAL INTERACTION WARRANTING A COMMON EXPERIENCE AMONG
DWELLERS OR LOCAL RESIDENTS?

3.CHECK OUT SOME VIDEO CLIPS FROM THE POPULAR CBS TV SERIES, THE
SURVIVOR, ANALYZE HOW INDIVIDUAL GAME STRATEGIES AFFECT THE
OVERALL CHARACTERISTIC OF THE SHOW. DO RELECT, TOO ON THE
PROGRAM’S SLOGAN, WHICH IS DEPICTED IN THEIR LOGO OR INSIGNIA.
 UNIT
IV:SOC
IETY
AND
US
ASSESSMENT

1. WATCH THE VIDEO THE BEAUTIFUL BOXER-A STORY ABOUT A THAI

KICKBOXING CHAMPION WHO GAINED WORLDWIDE POPULARITY BECAUSE OF
HER UNIQUE STORY. CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING IDEAS AND QUESTIONS AS
GUIDE.

- DESCRIBE THE STRUGGLE OF THE PROTAGONIST WITHIN HIS INNER SELF.

- HOW WAS THE QUESTION AND ISSUE OF GENDER IDENTITY TACKLED?

- WHAT TRADITIONAL MEANING AND EXPECTATIONS OF MALE AND FEMALE

ROLES CAN BE GLEANED FROM THE MOVIE?

- WHY IS IDENTITY- THE QUESTION OF WHO AND WHAT YOU ARE AS A

PERSON- UNSTABLE AND MUTABLE?