Lesson 1.

UNDERSTANDING THE DOMAIN group whose members have developed

OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES organized patterns of relationships through
interaction with one another”
“man is a social animal.” –Greek
philosopher Aristotle
-“social” – refers to the interaction of
3 broad categories of the HUMAN individuals and groups as well as to the
KNOWLEDGE welfare of humans as members of society

 Natural sciences Science- pertains to “knowledge about or

 Social sciences
 Humanities
Natural sciences- aims to explain and
predict various phenomena in nature, such
as cellular composition, atomic particles,
weather conditions and earthquake
patterns.
Major disciplines under natural sciences:
study of the natural world based on facts
learned through experiments and
observation” (Merriam-Webster dictionary)
-refers to various methods or modes of
inquiry utilized in order to obtain that
knowledge
Different important characteristics of
science

 Biology  Empirical- A phenomenon should be

 Chemistry observable using the different
 Earth sciences senses
 Physics  Propositional- Things are explained
in the form of statements or
Social sciences- belong to those subjects generalizations
that relate to the foundation,  Logical- Employs the rules of logic in
establishment, and growth of human order to validate inferences
society.  Public- Ideas are communicated
from one scientist to another
Major disciplines under Social Sciences:
 Problem-solving- Presents rational
 Anthropology explanations about unexplained
 Sociology observations
 Psychology  Continuous- Knowledge is built upon
 Economics by previous and future research on
 Political Science the subject

Humanities- comprised the different The scientific method

branches of knowledge that tend to
humanize humans as they express
themselves in various forms
 Art
 Art history
 Literature
 Music
Applied professions- involves a practical
application of knowledge drawn out from
other branches
Society- commonly defined as “ people in
general thought of living together in
organized communities with shared laws,
traditions, and values” (Merriam-Webster
dictionary 2014)
- It is “an enduring and cooperating social
Scientific method as a means of obtaining
knowledge is employed in the empirical
sciences, namely, the natural sciences and
the social sciences.
 By way of scientific method, we
are able to generate knowledge
about the universe, earth,
humans, plants, animals and all
other life forms.
Hypothesis- a “shrewd guess or inference
that is formulated and provisionally
adopted to explain observed facts or
conditions and to guide in further
investigation”
-it guides the researcher in his or her search
for evidence by limiting the area of
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investigation and providing a unifying
concept
*Hypothesis must be tested through further
comparison with the data.
THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD
Topic- the researchers selects a particular
subject matter depending on his or her
interests; it could be purely accidental
sometimes
Problem- The researcher defines the nature
of the problem where a theory can be
developed along the way; this is the most
important phase of inquiry
Hypothesis- the researcher formulates a
general statement of the problem that
could give him or her an idea on what data
to gather or omit.
Methods of Inquiry/Data gathering- stage
of empirical research involving the use of
senses and/or precision instruments
Analysis- stage of classifying and organizing
data
Conclusion-a scientific theory after a
thorough analysis of data
*Natural sciences are sometimes called the
“hard sciences”.
*Social sciences are referred as the “soft
sciences”.
LESSON 2: THE DISCIPLINES OF THE SOCIAL
SCIENCES
Anthropology- is the study of humankind.
-derived from the Greek words anthropos
meaning “human” and logos meaning
“word” or “study of”
-This field of study is an amalgamation of a
branch of the natural sciences and the
social sciences
*Anthropologists attempt to find answers
on so many questions involving humans.
Nature of emergence: The rise of Western
imperialism in the 18th and 19th Centuries
prompted interest in the study of culture of
the colonies
Branches of Anthropology
 Physical or Biological anthropology-
is the study of human biology within the
milieu of evolution. It centers primarily on
human biological origins and the
variations in human species
Sub disciplines of Physical Anthropology
 Paleoanthropology- 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 or Social Anthropology- the
study of comparative analysis of pre-
literate societies, including all aspects of
human behavior.
Religion
Ritual
Myth
Technology Aspects of
Gender roles human
Kinship forms Culture
Economic and political structures
Music
Folklore
Ethnography- means to study and record the
different ways of life of human societies
-provides descriptive accounts which form
the basis for comparative studies of many
cultures
Sub disciplines of Cultural Anthropology
 Urban Anthropology- issues of inner
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
 Archeology- involves the study of earlier
cultures and ways of life by way of
retrieving and examining the material
remains of previous human societies.
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*Archeologists 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 anthropology or
Anthropological linguistics- is the
study of human speech and language
as well as the various changes that
have taken place over time.
 Historical linguistics- attempts to
explain how numerous languages
have changed in the past and their
possible links to one another.
Economics- is a discipline that concentrates
on how a particular society solves its
problem of scarcity of resources
-from the Greek words oikos meaning
“house” and nomos meaning “custom” or
“law”
-the term oikonomia literally translates as
“management of a household.”
*Economists seek to understand people’s
activities concerning production,
distribution and consumption of goods and
services.
*it is said that the ultimate goal of
economics is to develop better policies in
order to minimize problems and maximize
the benefits of everyday work.
NATURE OF EMERGENCE: Economics
became a separate discipline with the
publication of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of
Nations in 1776.
GOAL OF ECONOMICS
 Economic growth
 Economic freedom
 Equitable distribution of income
 Full employment
 Balance of trade
BRANCHES OF ECONOMICS
 Macroeconomics- analyzes how the
economy functions as a whole or its
basic subdivisions, such as the
government or business sectors
 Microeconomics- focuses on the
behavior of individual agents like
households, industries and firms.
Geography- is the study of the features of
the earth and the location of living things
on the planet
-term derived from the Greek word
geographia, from geo meaning “earth” and
graphe meaning “to describe”. A literal
translation would be “ to describe to earth”
*Geographers also deal with human
activities. They examine where and how
groups of people live and what adaptations
they usually undertake in order to subsist in
certain regions of the earth.
NATURE OF EMERGENCE: Geography
became an academic discipline in Europe
during the 18th and 19th centuries while
many geographic societies were founded in
the 19th century.
5 GEOGRAPHY THEMES
 RELATIONSHIPS
 LOCATION
 PLACE
 REGION
 MOVEMENT
BRANCHES OF GEOGRAPHY
 Physical geography- is geography from
the perspective of earth sciences and as
a branch of the natural sciences.
- it includes the study of soil,
landforms, water, vegetation,
minerals, and climate.
 Human geography- focuses on the
human aspect of geography that is
marked by a strong commitment to the
concept of culture.
- It is interested in determining
humankind’s role in changing the
environment
History- is a branch of knowledge that
attempts to ascertain, record, and explain
facts and events that happened in the past.
- Originated from the Greek word
historia meaning “inquiry”
- One of the oldest social sciences
tracing its origin in the myths and
traditions of early people
NATURE OF EMERGENCE: The Greeks were
the first writers of history and history is one
of the oldest of the social sciences
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BRANCHES OF HISTORY
 Social history
 Cultural history
 Political history
 Economic history
 Diplomatic history
 Military history
 History of religion
 History of Women
 Environmental history
Linguistics- is a field of knowledge involving
the scientific study of language as a
universal and recognizable aspect of human
behavior and capacity
*Liguists study changes that have taken
place on various languages over time as
well as their modern variations.
NATURE OF EMERGENCE: Modern
linguistics started to develop in the 18th
century with philology reaching its zenith in
the 19th century.
3 parts
1. Morphology- the study of language
form
2. Syntax- the study on how these
words are formed into phrases
3. Phon1879ology- the study of sounds
of language
Political science- include the study of
governments and the need for the
institution, its form, and its processes
*Political scientists deal with both theory
and practice of politics, including analysis
on public policies
NATURE OF EMERGENCE: Political science is
a relatively new field that was principally
worked on by American scholars in the 19th
and 20th centuries.
BRANCHES OF POLITICAL SCIENCE
 Comparative politics
 Policy studies and analysis
 Political theory
 Political economy
Sociology- is a field of study dealing with
the systematic study of patterns of human
interaction
-the term is derived from the Latin word
socius meaning “companion” and from the
Greek word logos meaning “word” or
“study of”
-it concentrates on the social influences and
processes occurring within groups of people
rather than those forces affecting an
individual.
*Sociologists attempt to unravel patterns in
group behavior and not on specific
expressions of individual being.
NATURE OF EMERGENCE: Sociology was
founded by Emile Durkheim during the late
19th century with the establishment of the
first sociology department in Europe
BRANCHES OF SOCIOLOGY
 General sociology- deals with the
properties and homogeneity
common to all social and cultural
phenomena
- Its 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 domination.
SEVEN AREAS OF SOCIOLOGY
 Social organization
 Social psychology
 Social change and Social
Disorganization
 Human ecology
 Population or Demography
 Sociological theory and Method
 Applied Sociology
Psychology- deals with the nature of human
behaviors, and both internal and external
factors that affect these behaviors
-from the Latin word psychologia combining
psych meaning “spirit” or “soul” and logia
for “study of” psychology literally means
“study of the soul.”
NATURE OF EMERGENCE: In 1879, Wilhelm
Wundt established the first psychological
laboratory in Leipzig(Germany) thereby
effectively making psychology as formal
field of study
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FOUR IMPORTANT GOALS

To..

 Describe
 Explain
 Predict
 Change

Behaviors.

BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY

 Abnormal psychology
 Behavioral psychology
 Biopsychology
 Cognitive psychology
 Comparative psychology
 Cross-cultural psychology
 Developmental psychology
 Educational psychology
 Experimental psychology
 Forensic psychology
 Health psychology
 Personality psychology
 Social psychology

Demography- is the science and statistical

study of human populations

-term came from the French word

demographie derived from Greek demos
meaning “people” and French graphie.

*By investigating the three demographic

processes of (1) birth, (2) migration, and (3)
aging (including death), demographers
attempt to comprehend the mechanisms
behind human population

NATURE OF EMERGENCE: The 19th century

saw the emergence of demography when it
separated from statistics as a field of study.

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