Isabela State University: Republic of The Philippines Cauayan City, Isabela

Republic of the Philippines
ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY

Cauayan City, Isabela
COURSE GUIDE
PS GE ELEC 2: SOCIAL SCIENCE & PHILOSOPHY, THE ENTREPRENEURIAL MIND
2nd Semester, AY 2022
Inclusive Week
and Dates Topic Activities FTLM
Week Date
1 mm/dd Orientation: Brainstorming MDL/Online
VMGO, ISU Quality Policies and and Discussion Distance
Objectives, Institutional Outcomes, Goals Learning (ODL)
of the College/Program and Course via Videocon/
Syllabus Google
classroom
2-3 mm/dd Chapter One: Understanding the Activity Sheets
Society in the Perspective of Social (See Module)
Science MDL/Online
1. Meaning of Social Science Textual Reading Distance
2. Theorizing Society Through Social Learning (ODL)
Science Discipline Discussion via Videocon/
3. Laying the Foundations of Social Google
Science: Fieldwork Homework classroom
4. Setting Socio-political Agenda in the
Social Sciences
Chapter Two: Major Sociological Activity Sheets MDL/Online
Theories and Perspectives: Building a (See Module) Distance
Social World Learning (ODL)
a. Social Theory and paradigm Textual Reading via Videocon/
b. Five major Sociological Framework and Google
Theories Discussion classroom
- Functionalist Theoretical Perspective
- Marxist Theoretical Perspective
- Feminist Theoretical Perspective
- Social Action Theoretical Perspective
- Post-Modernist Theoretical Perspective
c. Other Social Theories
4-5 mm/dd Chapter Two: 21st Century: The New Activity Sheets MDL/Online
World Shaping a New Being (See Module) Distance
a. The 21st Century Culture Learning (ODL)
b. Striking Characteristics of the 21st Textual Reading via Videocon/
century World Google
c. Creating a Borderless Community Discussion classroom
d. Social network and Its Drawbacks
- Advantages and Disadvantages of
Social Networking
- List of the Pros of Social
Networking
- List of the Cons of Social
Networking
- Reflection s on the Pros and Cons
of Social Networking
6-7 mm/dd Chapter Three: Understanding Activity Sheets MDL/Online

Society in the Light of Philosophy (See Module) Distance
a. What is Philosophy Textual Reading Learning (ODL)
b. Purpose of Philosophy via VideoCon/
c. Person and Philosophy Discussion Google
d. The Rational Nature of the Human classroom
Person Prepare for
e. The Human Person, Virtue and Society Preliminary
- The nature of human Society examination
- The human Virtues and the Ideal
Human Society Join discussion
- Human Conduct in Society forum
8 mm/dd Take Prelim Exam Face-to-Face

Chapter Four: Philosophical Activity Sheets MDL/Online
Dimensions of Man (See Module) Distance
1. Man as a Material Person Textual Reading Learning
2. Man as a Sexual Being (ODL) via
3. Man as a Sentient Being Discussion VideoCon/
4. Man as a Rational Being Google
5. Man as a Spiritual Being classroom
9-12 mm/dd Chapter Five: Other Qualities of Man Activity Sheets MDL/Online
1. Man as a Moral Person (See Module) Distance
2. Man as a Social Being Textual Learning
3. Man as a Political Being Reading (ODL) via
4. Man as a Lover and Friend Discussion Videocon/
5. Man Exists-Towards-Death Prepare for Google
midterm classroom
examination
Join discussion
forum
13 mm/dd Take Midterm Exam Face-to-Face
Chapter Six: Nature of Activity Sheets MDL/Online
Entrepreneurship (See Module) Distance
a. Entrepreneurship contemporary Learning (ODL)
views with their process and Textual Reading via VideoCon/
approach Google
b. Definition of Entrepreneur and Discussion classroom
Entrepreneurship
c. Entrepreneurial skills
d. Socio Economic benefits from
entrepreneurship
e. Qualities, attributes and
characteristics of an Entrepreneur
14-15 Mm/dd Chapter Seven: Man as Activity Sheets MDL/Online
Entrepreneurial Being (See Module) Distance
a. Meaning of Entrepreneurship Learning (ODL)
b. Difference Between Textual Reading via VideoCon/
Entrepreneurial Thinker and Google
Entrepreneur Discussion classroom
c. Learning the Entrepreneurial
Thinking
d. Making the leap to
Entrepreneurship
16-17 Chapter Eight: Becoming a Activity Sheets MDL/Online
Successful Entrepreneur (See Module) Distance
1. Examining Personal Motivations: Why Learning (ODL)
Am I Commercializing? Textual Reading via VideoCon/
2. Evaluating Capabilities and Resources: Google
is it the Right Timing? Discussion classroom
3. Connecting the dots: Personal
Inventories Impact Entrepreneurial
Decisions
4. Lesson Summary: Entrepreneurial
Thinking is Critical Thinking
5. Ways to become a Successful
Entrepreneur
18 mm/dd Take Final Exam Face-to-Face
REFERENCES:
Aguas, Jove Jim S.(2017). Philosophy: . Toward an Understanding and Appreciation of
the Human Person. Quezon City: Abiva Publishing House
Babor, Eddie R. (2007). The Human Person Not Real, But Existing (Second Edition).
Quezon City: C&E Publishing, Inc.
Berengueres, J. 2013. The Brown Book of Design Thinking. A Workshop Based
Approach. University of UAE.
Bernardo, Juanito Phillip V. Jr. Introduction to Philosophy of the Human person.
Manila Philippines: JFS Publishing Services.
Design Thinking. The Guide Book. Royal Civil Service Commission (Bhutan) in
collaboration with Singapore Polytechnic.
Manginduyos, Gladys P. (2017). Trends, Networks, and Critical Thinking in the 21 st
century. Manila: Rex Book Store.
Tatel, Carlos Pena, Jr. (2016). Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences. Manila: Rex
Boo
Suggested Readings:
https://innovationforsocialchange.org/en/social-innovation/
https://iupe.files.wordpress.com/2015/11/tepsie-research_report_final_web.pdf
https://www.ideou.com/blogs/inspiration/what-is-design-thinking
Website/Videos/Film Clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUJ11id6oFo
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=827249224305892
Prepared by: Reviewed by: Approved by:
GABRIEL L. LUNA SHEILA ANTONETTE D. BACUD GABRIEL L. LUNA, Ph.D.

Professor Program Chair Dean, SAS
MODULE ON GE ELEC 2: SOCIAL SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY (THE

ENTREPRENEURIAL MIND)
Course Description:
The course on Social Science and Philosophy: The Entrepreneurial Mind aims to
provide adequate understanding on the role of philosophy to provide the different
guiding philosophical principles and perspectives in analysing the social problems and
challenges faced by the social institutions and the society as a whole. Therefore, the
course hopes to guide the students, and help in scaffolding them to survive the never-
ending challenges of the ever-changing world. In this sense, the society should be
introduced with and helped to become a problem solver, an innovator and
entrepreneurial thinker, thus, making the Political Science students possessed an
entrepreneurial mind.
For the College Students, to be able to understand how Social Science is

connected with Philosophy, it is hoped that the Module introduces them to engage into
the entrepreneurial activities. Hence, the Module has been written and divided into
different parts that correspond to the logical arrangement of topics presented in nine
chapters.
Chapter One introduces to students their Understanding of the Society using the
lens or perspective of Social Science. The Second chapter explains the Major
Sociological Theories and Perspectives: Building a Social World. Chapter 3 presents
Social Science Reloaded and how it is attuned to the Filipinos. The fourth chapter
illustrates 21st Century, as the new world that shapes a new being. Chapter 5 assists the
students in their understanding of the society in the light of Philosophy, and Chapter 9,
Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur. Furthermore, Chapter 6 introduces the students
to explore the meaning of the Dimensions of Man; Chapter 7, Other Qualities of Man;
Chapter 8 explains the Transcendental Character of Human Existence, and Chapter 9,
Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur.
GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE MODULE

After completing the course, the Bachelor of Arts major in Political Science
students should be able to demonstrate the following skills:
a. Increase knowledge in understanding the society in the perspective of Social
Science;
b. Discuss and synthesize the major sociological theories and perspectives as tool
for building a Social World;
c. Explain how Social Science is characterized and identified as Filipinos;
d. Discuss how the 21st Century as a new World shape and influence the people’s
life and become a New Being;
e. Develop appreciation and define concepts related to understanding the Society
in the light of Philosophy;
f. Gather insights regarding the different dimensions of Man;
g. Discuss the meaning and nature of Entrepreneurship;
h. Make a Reflection on other qualities of Man in a form of Portfolio assessment;
i. Formulate philosophical principles on man as regards the transcendental
character of human existence;
j. Discuss the meaning and nature of Entrepreneurship; and
k. Strategize on how to survive the challenges of life and engage in the
entrepreneurship activities.
Chapter One: UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIETY IN THE PERSPECTIVE OF
SOCIAL SCIENCE
1. Introduction
This chapter introduces the basic concepts of Social Science. It presents the
theory of Society through Social Science Discipline. It uncovers the consciousness of
the students in understanding the concrete meaning of the society in the perspective of
Social Science which lays the foundations of Social Science that is revealed in the
Fieldwork, within the society, industry or in any form of a community, be it organized
in the social institution, civic organization, political institution, religious institution, or
in any form of a society.
2. Learning Outcomes
At the end of this chapter, the student is expected to:
a. Define and explain the concept of Social Science ;
b. Discuss the Theories of Society in the light of Social Science Discipline;
c. Explain the how Social Science works and operates in the society as it
lays the foundations as its Fieldwork; and
d. Formulate a socio-political agenda in the Social Sciences as framework for
the society.
3. Learning Content
Topics for Chapter 1
Topic 1: Meaning of Social Science
Topic 2: Theorizing Society through Social Science Discipline
Topic 3: Laying the Foundations of Social Science: Fieldwork
Topic 4: Setting Socio-political Agenda in the Social Sciences
4. Teaching and Learning Activities

a. Activity Sheets: These are questions or activities in the module. Students place
their answers or perform the specific activity or activities to be submitted
for checking and recording.
b. Textual Reading: It is just what it says it is – read a given article from a journal
or part of a book but this involves analysis or scrutiny of the text, looking
at what you read in detail rather than superficially. All kinds of
information can be gleaned from a text – from its literal meaning to the
subtext, symbolism, assumptions, and values it reveals.
c. Discussion: It is the action or process of talking about something in order to
reach a decision or to exchange ideas on a face-to-face or online platform.
It may also refer to a detailed treatment of a particular topic in speech or
writing.
d. Video Clip/Power Point Presentation: No explanation needed! Just download
the links provided in the module and do your homework.
5. Recommended learning materials and resources for supplementary reading
Book Store
6. Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) adopted

Modular Distance Learning (MDL) – Module
Online Distance Learning (ODL) – VideoCon/Google Classroom,
Email, Messenger, Zoom
7. Assessment Task
a. Reflection Paper: A reflection paper is a chance for students to add their
thoughts and analysis to what they have read and experienced. It is meant to
illustrate their understanding of the material and how it affects their ideas and
possible practice in the future. For proper guidance in writing a reflection
paper, they may download on this site:
https://www.iirp.edu/pdf/IIRP-Reflection-Tip_Sheet.pdf
b. Reaction Paper: Reaction or response papers are designed so that students will
consider carefully what they think or feel about something they have read or
seen. For proper guidance in writing a reaction paper, they may download on
this site:
http://web.mnstate.edu/robertsb/313/Reaction%20paper%201.pdf
c. Module Exercises: These are exercises or quizzes provided in the module

where students complete the task as a form of self-assessment. These exercises
may be in the form of true/false, identification, multiple choice, modified
true/false, fill in the blank, matching type and essay. It may also include
preparing a power point presentation or others as may be instructed by their
professor.
d. Home work: A homework assignment is a set of tasks assigned to students by

their professor to be completed outside the classroom.
e. Situation Analysis: This is basically the process of critically evaluating the

internal and external conditions that affect those who are involved in a certain
situation. Students will identify the current opportunities and challenges of
those involved. A good research is involved. This in turn helps with devising a
strategy to move forward from their current situation to your desired
outcome.
Situation analysis helps students define the nature and scope of a problem;
identify the current strategies and activities in place to overcome the problem;
understand the opinions and experiences of stakeholders; helps give a
comprehensive view of the current situation of those involved whether
directly or indirectly; helps detect the gaps between the current state and
desired state; provides information necessary to create a plan to get to reach
the goals; helps identify the best courses of action to take; helps make sure that
efforts and actions are not repeated and wasted unnecessarily.
MODULE CONTENT
Unit I. Understanding the Society in the Perspective of Social Science
Nominal Duration: 1.5 hours
Learning Outcomes:
Upon completion of this topic, the student is expected to:
1. define and explain the concept of Social Science ;
2. discuss the Theories of Society in the light of Social Science Discipline;
3. explain the how Social Science works and operates in the society as it lays the
foundations as its Fieldwork; and
4. formulate a socio-political agenda in the Social Sciences as framework for the
society.
A. MEANING OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

The term “Social Science” is a body of knowledge characterized by an objective
to understand what society is and what does it do to people living inside it. This is a
group of rather independent disciplines , with its own respective philosophies ,
intellectual, histories , an research methodologies – but are fundamentally bound
together because they deal with after all with some entity that is called – a society.
Hence, the word “social” situates the whole discipline in people and their social
context. Whenever there are people and matters or issues that affect them, Social
Science comes to the fore.
WHAT IS THE”SCIENCE” AND THE “SOCIAL” BEHIND THE STUDY OF

SOCIETY?
Establishing the framework of Social Science
Inside the box below are the academic disciplines under the rubric of Social
Science.” Imagine the disciplines under it in the form of a diagram , say a kinship tree
or a genealogical tree or a web of interconnected subject matters based on its recorded
history or how it was developed . To be able to complete this, conduct a cursory
background or history of each and every social science discipline. Search for its pioneer
and the socio-cultural and political context within which it was developed. Do this as
your homework. The following are your guide questions:
1. How would the diagram look like? What various forms of connections and
interactions can you draw up?
2. Method wise, where do they converge and where do they diverge?
3. What kind of model of society is created by each and every discipline based on
what it does and studies?
Anthropology
Demography
Economics
Geography
History
Linguistics
Political Science
Psychology
Sociology
Social Science is an academic discipline concerned with society and the
relationships among individuals within a society, which often rely primarily on
empirical approaches. It includes anthropology, economics, political science,
psychology and sociology.
a) Anthropology – is a social science concerned with the study of human beings
and their ancestors through time and space and in relation to physical
character, environmental and social relations, and culture
- In Theology, it deals with the origin, nature, and destiny of human beings
- the study of human beings and their ancestors through time and space and
in relation to physical character, environmental and social relations, and
culture.
b) Economics is a social science concerned with the production, distribution, and
consumption of goods and services. It studies how individuals, businesses,
governments, and nations make choices about how to allocate resources.
c) Political Science is a social science subject that involves the study of political

institutions, government systems, and political behavior. These scientists use
qualitative and quantitative research to understand political trends and decision-
making
d) Demography is a social science focused on the study of demographics, the social

characteristics and statistics of a human population. This study of the size, age
structures, and economics of different populations can be used for a variety of
purposes
e) Geography is a social science that deals with the study of places and the
relationships between people and their environments. Geographers explore both
the physical properties of Earth's surface and the human societies spread across
it.
f) History is a Social Science that advances the study of the past that combine
empirical research with theoretical work, undertake comparisons across time and
distance, or contribute to the development of a society.
g) Linguistics - is a social science that is concerned with the systematic study of

human language, lies at the crossroads of the humanities and the social sciences.
Much of its appeal derives from the special combination of intuition and rigor
that the analysis of language demands.
h) Psychology is a social science which deals with the human mind and behavior,
bridging the divide between social science and natural science. Psychology
majors study human development, social behaviors, and emotions.
i) Sociology is a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and

the processes that preserve and change them. It does this by examining the
dynamics of constituent parts of societies such as institutions, communities,
populations, and gender, racial, or age groups.
3. SOCIAL SCIENCES DEFINED:

Social Sciences are a group of academic disciplines dedicated to examining
society. This branch of science studies how people interact with each other,
behave, develop as a culture, and influence the world.
Major Social Sciences include:

Anthropology, Archaeology, Economics, Geography, History, Law, Linguistics,
Politics, Psychology and Sociology.
Philosophy of Social Science

philosophy of social science, branch of philosophy that examines the concepts,
methods, and logic of the social sciences. The philosophy of social science is
consequently a met theoretical endeavor—a theory about theories of social life.
It is a branch of philosophy that examines the concepts, methods, and logic of

the social sciences. The philosophy of social science is consequently a meta-theoretical
endeavor—a theory about theories of social life. To achieve their end, philosophers of
social science investigate both the practice of the social sciences and the nature of the
entities that the social sciences study—namely, human beings themselves. The
philosophy of social science can be broadly descriptive (unearthing the
fundamental conceptual tools in social science and relating them to the tools employed
in other human endeavors), prescriptive (recommending that a certain approach be
adopted by the social sciences so that they can accomplish what the recommender
thinks social science ought to accomplish), or some combination of the two.
Historically, many philosophers of social science have taken the basic question of
their discipline to be whether the social sciences can be “scientific” in the same way that
the natural sciences are. The approach that answers this question affirmatively is
called naturalism, whereas that which answers it negatively is known as humanism,
though a number of theories attempt to combine these two approaches. Given this
framework, the term philosophy of social science is arguably misleading, because it
suggests that the discipline is concerned with the social sciences insofar as they are
sciences or scientific; thus the term seems to imply naturalism.
B. THEORIZING SOCIETY THROUGH SOCIAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINE
Meaning of Society
In common parlance, the word ‘society’ is used in several of meaning, for
example, a group of women is called a women society. The word is also used for some
specific institutions like Brahmo Samaj (society) or Arya Samaj.
Society is neither an agglomeration of men, women and children nor their

coming together to achieve an object with an eye on their eventual disagreement. In
sociology, the term society refers not to a group of people but to the complex pattern of
the norms of interaction that arise among them.
Maclver and Page defines a Society as “a system of usage and procedures,

authority and mutual aid, of many groupings and divisions, of controls of human
behavior and of liberties. Society involves the whole gamut of relations. It is structural
and functional arrangement. From structural point of view it concerns role, status,
norms, values, institutions.
Functionally, society may be defined as a complex of groups in reciprocal

relationships interacting upon one another, enabling each person to achieve the
fulfillment of life. Further society may be viewed dynamically. Society may be viewed
as the process of stimulus response relationship which result in interaction,
communication and consensus.
The stimulus-response relationship is at the core of organised living. In order to

carry out on their life-activities, men must make successful responses not only to the
nature but to fellowmen and to the culture of their group. Social interaction is that
dynamic force which modifies the attitudes and behavior of the participants.
It takes place through communication. In communication one person infers from

the behaviour of another the idea or feeling of the other person. He then reacts not to
the behaviour as such but to the inferred meaning of it, and the other person likewise
reacts to his response.
This gives rise to common understanding and common definition of the

situation, in short, consensus. Society consists in mutual interaction and inters relation
of individuals and of the structure formed by their relations. Therefore, society refers
not to a group of people but to the complex pattern of norms of interaction that arise
among them. Society is process rather than a thing, motion rather than structure. The
important aspect of society is the system of relationships by which the members of the
society maintain themselves.
According to Ginsberg, “A society is a collection of individuals united by certain
relations or modes of behaviour which mark them off from others, who don not enter
into those relations or who differ from them in behaviour”
NATURE OF SOCIETY
1. Society is abstract:
Society may be visualised as the behaviour of human beings and the consequent
problems of relationships and adjustments that arise. According to Renter, “Society is
an abstract term that connotes the complex of interrelations that exist between and
among the members of the group. In this way, society exists wherever there are good or
bad, proper or improper relationships between human beings. These social
relationships are not evident, they do not have any concrete from, and hence, society is
abstract.
2. Society is not a group of people

Some sociologists have viewed society as a group of people. Wright writes,
“Though society is real thing, it means in essence a state or condition, a relationship and
is therefore necessarily an abstraction”.
3. Society is organization of relationships

Society is the total complex of human relationships. It includes whole range of
human relations.
4. Physical element in social relationship

According to Maclver and Giddings and some other sociologists, social
relationships invariably possess a psychical element, which takes the form of
awareness of another’s presence, common objective or common interest etc.
There is neither any society nor any social relationship, without this realization.
Society exists only where social beings behave towards one another in a manner
determined by recognition of each other. Only those relationships which are so
determined are social. Social relationship differ from relations between other objects,
only by virtue of this psychic element. They have in them an element of emotion and
feeling, urges, sympathy and sentiments.
C. LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE: FIELDWORK

To lay the foundations of Social Science through fieldwork, below are the
methods which can be applied by Social Science:
1. Sensory perception – lays the foundations of Social Science through fieldwork

which is being characterized by the given facts or data set. Everything that the
people do as outcome of their interaction `with other people within a given social
context is considered a social fact. These facts from the beginning be able to
reveal themselves through the sensory faculties of the one doing the observation.
2. Method of Ethnography - is a special methodology in the social sciences that
aims to describe what constitutes a particular phenomenon, event, actors,
interactions, relationships,, ideas, symbols and objects. The simple practice of
ethnography is food, which will teach people so many things about an aspect of
human life and human society – from the micro perspective - which is a
formidable ` intellectual project in itself. This mode of inquiry is related to an
inductive type of reasoning which means understanding the general context
through an examination of the specific situation.
3. Some Ethnographic Techniques:

e. Participant Observations - actual and physical participation of the researcher
in group activities.
f. In-depth interviews – formal and detailed interviews of key informants
g. Focus Group Discussion – facilitating a discussion with a number of key
informants guidd by the researcher’s agenda
h. Life History method - in depth examination of the social phenomenon from
the lens of the personal life story of the key informants ; and
i. Ocular Inspection – familiarization of the location and physical context of the
subject area.
D. SETTING SOCIO-POLITICAL AGENDA IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
a) Setting:
In the late 19th century during the era of revolutions and proliferation of liberal idea from Europe,
Filipino intellectuals made use of science and empirical methods in disproving the racist and
colonial claims of Spanish colonizers, especially the friars.
b) Socio-Political Agenda:
Scientific Data gathered from various sources such as archaeology, prehistory,
linguistics, ethnology , and anthropology informed the ideas of foremost Filipino
thinkers like Isabelo Delos Reyes, Jose Rizal, Jose Burgos, Pedro Paterno, and T.H.
Pardo de Tavera about what the Philippines really was prior to and at the time of
the arrival of the Spaniards during the 16 th Century . All of their independent yet
related, studies contributed to the formation of an idea about the glorious Philippine
past which was lost and forgotten through the three centuries of Spanish
domination.
c) Solution:
- Jose Rizal as national hero proved many positive and important aspects of
Filipino society at the time of the Spanish arrival in the Philippines in the 16 th
century.
- While in Dapitan as an exile, between 1892 and 1896, he conducted several

studies in the Filipino languages, collected specimens of natural history and even
conducted some surface explorations of the island – identifying stone
implements that could be of archeological significance for the country
- There were published and unpublished scholarly works by noted Filipino

intellectuals in the 19th century that contained valuable materials on the
archeological, prehistoric, ethnographic, historical and cultural knowledge about
the Philippines and the Filipinos. For example, Vigan born but Tondo – raised
Jose Burgos (one of the martyr priests GOMBURZA
- Several Europeans, naturalists and travelers had already visited the Philippine
islands long before the arrival of the Americans. However, both foreign and local
scholars operated under the era of scientism, meaning, th 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.
Unit Two: MAJOR SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES AND PERSPECTIVES:

BUILDING A SOCIAL WORLD
1. Introduction
This chapter discusses the establishment of a Social World brought about by the
principles founded upon by the sociological theories as framework of founding a
society. The information presents the basic concepts regarding social theory and
paradigm or sociological frameworks that can be adopted to organize and put into
social order the people in the society that brings about development.
a. define and explain the concept of Social Science ;
b. discuss the Theories of Society in the light of Social Science Discipline;
c. explain the how Social Science works and operates in the society as it lays the
foundations as its Fieldwork; and
d. Formulate a socio-political agenda in the Social Sciences as framework for the
society.
3. Learning Content
Topic 1: Meaning of Social Science
Topic 2: Theorizing Society through Social Science Discipline
Topic 3: Laying the Foundations of Social Science: Fieldwork
Topic 4: Setting Socio-political Agenda in the Social Sciences
writing.

Book Store

7. Assessment Task
this site:

professor.


outcome.
A. SOCIAL THEORY AND PARADIGM
Sociologists study social events, interactions, and patterns, and they develop a
theory in an attempt to explain why things work as they do. In sociology, a theory is a
way to explain different aspects of social interactions and to create a testable
proposition, called a hypothesis, about society (Allan 2006).
Theories vary in scope depending on the scale of the issues that they are meant to
explain. Macro-level theories relate to large-scale issues and large groups of people,
while micro-level theories look at very specific relationships between individuals or
small groups. Grand theories attempt to explain large-scale relationships and answer
fundamental questions such as why societies form and why they change. Sociological
theory is constantly evolving and should never be considered complete. Classic
sociological theories are still considered important and current, but new sociological
theories build upon the work of their predecessors and add to them (Calhoun 2002).
In sociology, a few theories provide broad perspectives that help explain many different
aspects of social life, and these are called paradigms. Paradigms are philosophical and
theoretical frameworks used within a discipline to formulate theories, generalizations,
and the experiments performed in support of them. Three paradigms have come to
dominate sociological thinking, because they provide useful explanations: structural
functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism.
B. FIVE (5) MAJOR SOCIOLOGICAL FRAMEWORKS AND THEORIES
1. FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE OR FUNCTIONALISM

The functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, is one of the
major theoretical perspectives in sociology. It has its origins in the works of Emile
Durkheim, who was especially interested in how social order is possible or how
society remains relatively stable. As such, it is a theory that focuses on the macro-level
of social structure, rather than the micro-level of everyday life. Notable theorists
include Herbert Spencer, Talcott Parsons, and Robert K. Merton.
Characteristics of Functionalism
a) Functionalism posits that society is more than the sum of its parts; rather, each
aspect of it works for the stability of the whole. Durkheim envisioned society as
an organism since each component plays a necessary role but can't function
alone. When one part experiences a crisis, others must adapt to fill the void in
some way.
b) In functionalist theory, the different parts of society are primarily composed of

social institutions, each designed to fill different needs. Family, government,
economy, media, education, and religion are important to understanding this
theory and the core institutions that define sociology. According to
functionalism, an institution only exists because it serves a vital role in the
functioning of society. If it no longer serves a role, an institution will die away.
When new needs evolve or emerge, new institutions will be created to meet
them.
c) In many societies, the government provides education for the children of the
family, which in turn pays taxes the state depends on to keep running. The
family relies on the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so they
can raise and support their own families. In the process, the children become
law-abiding, taxpaying citizens who support the state. From the functionalist
perspective, if all goes well, the parts of society produce order, stability, and
productivity. If all does not go well, the parts of society must adapt to produce
new forms of order, stability, and productivity.
d) Functionalism emphasizes the consensus and order that exist in society,

focusing on social stability and shared public values. From this perspective,
disorganization in the system, such as deviant behavior, leads to change because
societal components must adjust to achieve stability. When one part of the
system is dysfunctional, it affects all other parts and creates social problems,
prompting social change.
2. MARXIST THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE
Marxist theory recognizes a tension between the demands of capitalist
accumulation and the requirements of social reproduction. Accumulation of
profit requires some displacement of costs outside the economic accounting
of capitalism: to parts of the natural world that have not been valorized, to
future generations, and to particular places. In geographic terms, this tension is
manifested in capital's search for increased profit through (1) spatial divisions of
labor that make use of low-cost locations for low-value-added activities and (2)
continuous redeployment to more profitable (typically lower-cost) locations.
The resultant spatial and temporal unevenness of economic development is
problematic for people and social institutions that are attached to particular
places.
Modern economic models place an emphasis on imperfect competition.

Most relevant to CC is the presence of increasing returns to production scale and
economic agglomeration. Paul Krugman modeled economic location and trade
based on increasing returns and path dependence, and concluded that as
transportation costs fall, local specialization increases in centers that have
developed requisite institutions, infrastructure, and supporting services. Places
lacking these external economies have lower returns to investment, despite their
lower costs. This pattern of CC can be disturbed only by major technological
(and perhaps other environmental) changes that reduce the value of scale in
existing centers.
3. FEMINIST THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE
Feminist theory is a major branch within sociology that shifts its
assumptions, analytic lens, and topical focus away from the male viewpoint and
experience toward that of women. In doing so, feminist theory shines a light on
social problems, trends, and issues that are otherwise overlooked or
misidentified by the historically dominant male perspective within social theory.
Feminist theory - or feminism, is a support of equality for women and men.

Although all feminists strive for gender equality. The Feminist theorists recognize
that gender stratification intersects with other forms of inequality – social class
inequality, racism, and heterosexist. In addition, the Feminist theory explores both
inequality in gender relations and the constitution of gender. It is best understood
as both an intellectual.
Many people incorrectly believe that feminist theory focuses exclusively

on girls and women and that it has an inherent goal of promoting the superiority of
women over men.
In reality, feminist theory has always been about viewing the social world
in a way that illuminates the forces that create and support inequality, oppression,
and injustice, and in doing so, promotes the pursuit of equality and justice.
That said, since the experiences and perspectives of women and girls were
historically excluded for years from social theory and social science, much feminist
theory has focused on their interactions and experiences within society to ensure
that half the world's population is not left out of how we see and understand social
forces, relations, and problems.
While most feminist theorists throughout history have been women,
people of all genders can be found working in the discipline today. By shifting the
focus of social theory away from the perspectives and experiences of men, feminist
theorists have created social theories that are more inclusive and creative than those
that assume the social actor to always be a man.
Part of what makes feminist theory creative and inclusive is that it often
considers how systems of power and oppression interact, which is to say it does not
just focus on gendered power and oppression, but on how this might intersect with
the systemic racism, a hierarchical class system, sexuality, nationality, and
(dis)ability, among other things.
As to Gender Differences, Some feminist theory provides an analytic
framework for understanding how women's location in and experience of social
situations differ from men's.
For example, cultural feminists look at the different values associated with
womanhood and femininity as a reason for why men and women experience the
social world differently. Other feminist theorists believe that the different roles
assigned to women and men within institutions better explain gender differences,
including the sexual division of labor in the household.
The Existential and phenomenological feminists focus on how women
have been marginalized and defined as “other” in patriarchal societies. Some
feminist theorists focus specifically on how masculinity is developed through
socialization, and how its development interacts with the process of developing
femininity in girls.
For advocates of Gender Inequality, the Feminist theories that focus on
gender inequality recognize that women's location in and experience of social
situations are not only different but also unequal to men's.
Liberal feminists argue that women have the same capacity as men for
moral reasoning and agency, but that patriarchy, particularly the sexist division of
labor, has historically denied women the opportunity to express and practice this
reasoning.
These dynamics serve to shove women into the private sphere of the
household and to exclude them from full participation in public life. Liberal
feminists point out that gender inequality exists for women in a heterosexual
marriage and that women do not benefit from being married.
Indeed, these feminist theorists claim, married women have higher levels
of stress than unmarried women and married men. Therefore, the sexual division of
labor in both the public and private spheres needs to be altered for women to
achieve equality in marriage.
Theories of gender oppression go further than theories of gender
difference and gender inequality by arguing that not only are women different from
or unequal to men, but that they are actively oppressed, subordinated, and even
abused by men.
Power is the key variable in the two main theories of gender oppression:
psychoanalytic feminism and radical feminism.
Psychoanalytic feminists attempt to explain power relations between men
and women by reformulating Sigmund Freud's theories of human emotions,
childhood development, and the workings of the subconscious and unconscious.
They believe that conscious calculation cannot fully explain the production and
reproduction of patriarchy.
4. SOCIAL ACTION THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

The Social Action Theory was developed by the German sociologist Max
Weber, who with this theory pursued to highlight the importance of human
behavior as it relates to cause and effect (instrumentally rational) in the social
sphere.
According to Max Weber, human beings adapt their actions according to
social contexts and how these actions affect the behavior of others. For Max Weber,
social action explains the behaviors, effects and consequences of human behavior
and how this behavior can influence the behavior of other people and become a
social movement, where it is no longer an isolated behavior, but part of a whole
(society). Weber relied on existing research to argue that sociology is fundamental
for scientific research.
According to Max Weber, social action can trigger means and ends for social
actors and social interaction who want to achieve something specific. For example,
a company organizes activities for each individual and assigns a different role to
each employee, but each action performed by employees is connected to each other
in order to keep the organization going.
The responsibilities and rules that employees take on, help the social action
to be organized and these individuals interact with each other in the organization in
order to deliver the results that the organizational hierarchy wants. The essence of
the theory can be summarized into a statement that actions of others develop one’s
own behavior.
5. POST-MODERN THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

Postmodernism values the subjective and multiple opinions of individuals and
communities rather than predetermined rules for action. It assigns value to
multiple meanings rather than the single, authoritative voice of the expert
researcher.
- Introduced the series of articles on Research Paradigms by listing all the different
paradigms, also called philosophical perspectives, philosophical epochs or,
sometimes also called the “isms”. This articles deals with Postmodernism.
- The Postmodernism gradually became popular from the 1950s onwards. It

brought with it a questioning of the premodernism and modernism. Instead of
relying on one approach to knowing, postmodernists support a pluralistic
epistemology which utilises multiple ways of knowing. This can include
elements of premodernism and modernism along with many other ways of
knowing, for example intuition, relational and spiritual. Postmodern approaches
seek to deconstruct previous authority sources of power, for example the church
and government. Because power is distrusted.
- Postmodernists try to set up a less hierarchical approach in which authority

sources are more diffuse.
- Postmodernism is applied mainly in the artistic and social sciences. It consists of

a loose alliance of intellectual perspectives which collectively pose a challenging
critique of the fundamental premises on which modernism, specifically the
scientific research method, is based. It is a broad term that encompasses many
different approaches, most of them valuing uncertainty, disorder, indeterminacy
and regression rather than progress. Even proponents of postmodernism do not
always agree on what it really means. There are progressive and conservative
postmodernists. Some postmodernists seek reaction while others seek resistance.
Then there are those who strive for reform and others who like to disrupt the
status quo.
- Postmodernism is more than just a philosophical movement. Postmodernism is

open to notions of discontinuity and rupture. It rejects the notion that science can
be viewed as objective. Science, according to postmodernists, is not universal
and will, therefore, not help us overcome conflict. Science is also, according to
them, not the paradigm of all true knowledge.
- Postmodernists reject the idea of a fixed, universal and eternal foundation to

reality. They argue that because reality is in part culturally dependent and
culture changes over time and varies from community to community, we can
logically assume that reality is not the same for everybody. Knowledge is
fundamentally fragmented and unstable. Narratives of truth and knowledge are
deconstructed. Convention is challenged, research styles are mixed, ambiguity is
tolerated, diversity is emphasized, innovation and change are embraced, and
multiple realities are focused on.
- Postmodernism rejects the possibility that we can have objective knowledge.

Postmodernism values the subjective and multiple opinions of individuals and
communities rather than predetermined rules for action. It assigns value to
multiple meanings rather than the single, authoritative voice of the expert
researcher. This is because what we call knowledge has to be made with the
linguistic and other meaning-making resources of a particular culture, and
different cultures can see the world in different ways. Language is fluid and
arbitrary and rooted in power or knowledge relations. Meaning is, therefore, also
fluid and “messy”. Following on from this reasoning, postmodernists caution
that we should be careful with generalizations, even when it comes to words
such as “many”, “most” or “often”.
- Postmodernism rejects the emphasis on rational discovery through the scientific

method. Postmodernism replaces rational discovery through scientific research
with respect for difference and a celebration of the local and at the expense of
the universal. It accepts that reality is socially constructed, but claims that it does
not exist objectively in the external environment, simply to be copied in our
thoughts. Reality is a human creation.
C. OTHER SOCIAL THEORIES

Some social theorists emphasize the subjective nature of research. These writers
espouse social theory perspectives that include various types of the following:
a) Critical theory is the examination and critique of society and culture, drawing from
knowledge across social sciences and humanities disciplines.
b) Dialectical materialism is the philosophy of Karl Marx, which he formulated by
taking the dialectic of Hegel and joining it to the materialism of Feuerbach.
c) Feminist theory is the extension of feminism into theoretical, or philosophical
discourse; it aims to understand the nature of gender inequality.
d) Marxist theories, such as revolutionary theory and class theory, cover work in
philosophy that is strongly influenced by Karl Marx's materialist approach to theory
or is written by Marxists.
e) Phronetic social science is a theory and methodology for doing social science
focusing on ethics and political power, based on a contemporary interpretation of
Aristotelian phronesis.
f) Post-colonial theory is a reaction to the cultural legacy of colonialism.
g) Postmodernism refers to a point of departure for works of literature, drama,
architecture, cinema, and design, as well as in marketing and business and in the
interpretation of history, law, culture and religion in the late 20th century.
h) Rational choice theory is a framework for understanding and often formally
modelling social and economic behaviour.
i) Social constructionism considers how social phenomena develop in social contexts.
j) Structuralism is an approach to the human sciences that attempts to analyse a
specific field (for instance, mythology) as a complex system of interrelated parts.
k) Structural functionalism is a sociological paradigm that addresses what social
functions various elements of the social system perform in regard to the entire
system.
l) Other fringe social theorists delve into the alternative nature of research. These
writers share social theory perspectives that include various types of the
following:
 Anti-intellectualism describes a sentiment of critique towards, or evaluation of,

intellectuals and intellectual pursuits.
 Anti-science is a position critical of science and the scientific method.
m) Symbolic Interaction Perspective

Symbolic interactionism is an approach used to analyze human interactions by
focusing on the meanings that individuals assign to things in the world around
them, including words and objects. It is a sociological theory that develops from
practical considerations and alludes to particular effects of communication and
interaction in people to make images and normal implications, for deduction and
correspondence with others.
n) Conflict Theory – This theory examines any social phenomenon through the lens
that there is a natural human instinct towards conflict. Conflict theory looks at
society as a competition for limited resources. ... Social institutions like
government.
o) Functionalist Perspective - The functionalism as a structural systems theory
focuses on the needs of the social system as a whole; it is a consensus theory. The
primary concepts within Functionalism are collective conscience, value consensus,
social order, education, family, crime and deviance and the media.
Unit 3: TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, THE NEW WORLD SHAPING A NEW BEING
2. Introduction
This chapter introduces the basic concepts of Social Science. It presents the
theory of Society through Social Science Discipline. It uncovers the consciousness of
the students in understanding the concrete meaning of the society in the perspective of
Social Science which lays the foundations of Social Science that is revealed in the
Fieldwork, within the society, industry or in any form of a community, be it organized
in the social institution, civic organization, political institution, religious institution, or
in any form of a society.
a. discuss the 21st Century Culture;
b. identify the striking characteristics of the 21st century World;
c. explain how the Borderless Community was created; and
d. Identify advantages and drawbacks of social networking.
3. Learning Content
Topic 1: the 21st Century Culture
Topic 2: Striking Characteristics of the 21st Century World
Topic 3: Creation of the Borderless Community
Topic 4: Advantages and Drawbacks of Social Networking

writing.

Book Store

7. Assessment Task
this site:

professor.


outcome.
A. THE 21ST CENTURY CULTURE

a) How is life in the 21st century? Who is a 21 st century Learner? How can he
survive in the 21st century workplace?
b) Our society is a modern and fast-paced, globally networked, technologically –

oriented, and overwhelming with varied changes and development. It requires
learners who think critically, make judicious decisions, and act with prudence.
c) Utilizing the emerging ways of doing things, learners today use various forms of
technology for different situations to address predicaments, analyze issues and
problems, and come up with wise decisions. Their expanded experiences are
keys to their learning and success.
 Twenty-first century learners are given choices and options to survive the workplace
and thrive in the modern world.
 What are the defining characteristics of the 21 st century culture? How has culture shifted
during the 21st century? What are the drivers/forces that caused this significant shift in
culture?
 The 21st century dawned amazing achievements, surprising milestones, innovation and
change in modes of thinking. It has unveiled enormous challenges as well - the demands
in meeting the possibilities of fulfillment and triumph. All these unfold in the global age.
 One of the significant changes is the Internet. Specifically the speed of the internet has
significantly affected the way people choose or decide. Greene (2014) mentioned in the
research that growing internet access in the Philippines poses opportunities and
challenges for many kinds of companies. It has provided an increasingly fertile channel
for connecting with consumers, while entirely new markets are opening in a range of
internet sectors, including online retail, gaming, photo sharing, cloud services, music and
more.”
 One promising potential of the 21st century is leading learners to become learned and
responsible citizens in the context of today’s global society.
 Success in the 21st century requires everyone to understand how to learn independently.
 It develops fair mindedness along with the interpersonal communication skills both
written and oral, for the interconnected and complex world.
Howard Gardner in his book, Five Minds for the Future featured the following:
1. In the age of Info Whelm, students are bombarded by information 24/7. Shrewd triage
becomes an imperative. Those who develop a synthesizing mind will rise to the top.
2. Synthesizing is not a one-time process. New information must be acquired, proved,
evaluated, followed up with, or sidelined. There is constant reflection and tinkering.
3. Good synthesizers always keep on an eye on a big picture while securing an arranging
the smaller details in useful ways, one must know what works for oneself and for those
who make use of their synthesis. Students must be helped so that they will learn to make
used of the information and media in meaningful ways.
B. STRIKING CHARACTERISTICS OF THE 21 ST CENTURY WORLD

Point 1:
Increased the human capacity for slaughter, the development of
biotechnologies and information technologies that transformed many aspects of
life, and
Point 2:
Emergence of profound intellectual debates about the possibility of planning a
better future.
Situation:
A brief survey of civilization theories, which had fallen out of fashion by the
beginning of the present century, reveals that they raise questions that deserve fresh
consideration. Beginning in the year 2000, a conference on the societal implication of
nanotechnology and four conferences on converging technologies launched a
concentrated effort to understand how the components of modern science, technology,
and society already interact and could cooperate more beneficially.
Reality:
On that basis, the second decade of the twenty-first century launched a
comprehensive exploration effort, communicated through a substantial book-length
report titled Convergence of Knowledge, Technology and Society and this Handbook of
Science and Technology Convergence. In the context of sophisticated ethical analysis and
social science, we may have reached the point at which the governance institutions of
society require redesign.
C. CREATING A BORDERLESS COMMUNITY
Points To Ponder:
 Collaboration is a skill to survive in the 21st century world.
 It Is imperative to discover roles in an independent connection.
 The 21st century world brings enormous challenges in the way people see their connections
to others
As the world progresses further into the 21st century, the people of the world
come closer to each other, all thanks to the advancements in technology and science.
The world has become a small village. People today are focusing on becoming global
citizens. As they take a horseback ride into the future, it seems that the borders of the
countries grow increasingly redundant. Globalization has made it possible for people
from various countries to try products and live lifestyles of people living a thousand
miles away. However, myriad national and international laws, rules and regulations
can never really allow for a truly globalized world.
It feels good, almost ostentatious, to imagine a world governed by one single law,
where there is no disparity based on the geographic location, but it sounds too good
to be true, the stuff of Utopian dreams. Of course, for the foreseeable future, there are
going to be international borders, and with international borders come different laws.
This is where the problem begins.
Every country has a different set of rules that govern how the citizens should live.
To make matters worse, almost all countries have regional or state borders (the federal
system), with their own specific rules. While these rules are made keeping in mind the
specific demography, it is, obviously, a pain to execute all these rules efficiently, not to
mention the tremendous amount of state money that goes into maintaining the law
and order. Some states, for example, have legalized the use of recreational cannabis,
meaning they don’t have to spend a single penny tracking down illegal suppliers, but
for states who haven’t yet legalized it, millions of dollars go into curbing the sales of
cannabis, which is a huge sum of money down the drain which could rather be used
for providing shelter to the homeless or improving the education quality.
At an international level, these borders seem to do more harm than good.

Traditionally, governments have used borders to isolate their citizens, and these
borders restrict free trade, communication and travel. Enforcing borders reduces the
citizens to prisoners confined to their own governments. The solution seems to be a
fairly simple, yet a straightforward idea. A Borderless World - a world where there
are no international or state borders, and is governed by one set of rules.
In his white paper, “Borderless: A Governance Platform and Charity for a Global
Society” Christopher Franko has promulgated a concept of a voluntary, borderless
society as a true alternative for a Westphalian sovereignty. Franko believes that a
borderless governance platform will “substantially lower the operational costs required to
run a nation state, allowing for a smarter allocation of scarce resources while at the same time
introducing competition into the age-old governance monopolies”. Franko believes that the
system will change the way, as a civilization, understand citizenship and what it
means to be connected. This system will be made possible with the help of a block
chain technology, which was first created for Bitcoin. Along with block chains, this
software will also make use of smart contracts (computer programs that enable, verify
or enforce the negotiation or performance of a contract, making a contractual clause
unnecessary and Decentralized Autonomous Organization.
The creation of a borderless world starts with a voluntary civilization. Humanity

can only be free when the impositions that come with the borders are removed. Hence
a voluntary civilization is a must for true freedom and empowerment. In order to
achieve something like this, all humans need access to life-sustaining resources. If one
doesn’t have true access to these resources, then he is implicitly controlled by the
person who controls the resources. When access to life-sustaining resources are
restricted, it creates an impediment to a civilization’s progress. Civil unrest and war
are symptoms of misallocated resources, because those without resources are going to
fight to acquire them while those that have resources are fighting to protect them.
All the negative aspects of society today stem from an illusion of scarcity and
from the elite minority controlling the common majority — like puppets on a string —
by restricting access to crucial resources. As history has taught us, it is truly
impossible to have a voluntary society without ending scarcity and without sharing
resources. So, if we value freedom, peace and progress, then it is in our best interest to
allocate resources more wisely and end artificial scarcity. To curb the misallocation of
resources and to create a voluntary civilization is the mission of Borderless Charity.
The Borderless Charity is a legal entity that uses voluntary donations from
Borderless Tech and gives it to people in need. It is designed to provide emerging
markets with access to a borderless infrastructure. The Borderless Charity can help
curb problems like hunger, housing, healthcare and education, which are plaguing
every country of the world. Borderless Charity initiatives are designed to provide or
partner with non-profits to provide access to life sustaining and empowering
resources. Each borderless governance service will have a completely voluntary
donation associated with the service. Donations are optional, because everyone
should have access to these services regardless of economic standing. In order to
incentivize the donation for services, those who donate will earn “amity”.
Amity is a special attribute that citizens can earn by donating to the Borderless
Charity. The more Amity a citizen has, the greater influence that citizen has over the
distribution of the charity’s funding. The fees collected from the services will be
pooled into a Charity DAO where Borderless Citizens will be able to directly vote on
how these fees get spent. Users who have paid for their services will have a greater
say in how the funds are distributed. The DAO will use a curator/contractor model.
Curators are like board members who whitelist contractors. Contractors are actors
looking to provide a service for the DAO.
So, how is the Borderless governance platform better than the current
government models? Or rather, why is it better to discard the current system and
move to a new one, where there are no more imaginary lines separating people? By
abstracting governance services away from governments, the costs incurred by the
government to run can be lowered. This frees up vital resources governments can use
to better serve the people they look after and provide them better services. As
Prometheus liberated mankind by giving them fire, so will Borderless Technology
liberate mankind by creating frictionless citizenry.
A. SOCIAL NETWORK AND ITS DRAWBACKS

Main Ideas to Remember:
 Social networks provide enormous help to humanity.
 Social networks have challenged the way people live
 The world faces many challenges in the 21 st century due to the drawbacks, which
social networks bring.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Social Networking

Social networking created changes to the way we communicate with one another. It
alters our idea of what it means to start a business. We can get our fix of current events
through this medium, share our favorite websites with one another, and capture
moments using pictures and video to share with family and friends.
There are many positives to consider when looking at the latest form of social
networking, but it can also be a world filled with many negatives. You can use websites
like Facebook to launch a new business idea, sell products or services, and extend the
reach of your brand. These platforms can also become an inescapable place where peer
pressure can push people toward choices they would never make without its influence.
We look at brands like Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram for social networking today,
but this communications tool has been everywhere since the early 2000s. Six Degrees
earns recognition as being the first official site, founded in 1997 by Andrew Weinreich,
with a peak of 1 million members. People were going into AOL chat rooms before then.
Friendster then emerged in 2002, a year before LinkedIn, to set the stage for what we
see today.
The pros and cons of social networking are often more about your priorities when using
it and the pages and people with whom you choose to interact. How can you take
advantage of these critical viewpoints today?
LIST OF THE PROS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING
1. Social networking gives you a chance to connect with people around the world.
One of the most obvious advantages of using social networking is the opportunity these
websites provide you to reach people from anywhere in the world. As long as there is a
connection to the Internet and a profile created, you can become “friends” or a
“follower” of someone and check-in with them at any point in time.
Some people use Facebook to stay in touch with family, talk to old high school friends,
and share their political feelings. Twitter is a micro-blogging platform that is used for
comedy, current events, and general observation. You can even connect with people
from places you’ve never seen or heard of before.
2. This technology gives us access to easy, instant communication tools.

Social networking gives us the chance to stay connected with one another wherever we
happen to go. You don’t need to have access to a landline to call someone with this
technology today. Sending a letter through the traditional mail seems like an eternity.
Forget about answering machines or voicemail – just leave a comment on someone’s
page and they’ll get a notification about it immediately.
When we stay connected to social networking, then all we need to do is pick up our
smartphone, boot up the computer, or open the laptop to start communicating with
someone. You can even use an app that connects to your profile to take advantage of
these benefits no matter where you are in the world.
3. Information happens in real-time blocks on social networks.

Before the Internet came around, we all had to wait for the daily newspaper or the news
broadcasts on television to know what was going on in the world that day. Even when
cable news came around to give us 24/7 access to stories, we had to sit, watch, and wait
for the stories we wanted to see. Thanks to social networking, one simple search is all
that is necessary to access the current events notifications that we want to see.
You can even go a step further and set alerts through your social networking profile so
that you receive notifications when a specific page has new information to review. This
process allows you to customize your news feed, allowing the information discovery
experience to follow the exact path you want.
4. Social networking creates brand exposure for businesses.

Any type of professional organization can use their social networking presence to
connect with their current and future customers. Most platforms allow businesses to sell
their products, either directly on the social media site or through a link to the
Company’s sales page. This process makes it easier to expand the reach of a company
through the use of these one-to-one connections that are possible.
There are numerous small businesses and entrepreneurs who have thriving companies
today which survive almost entirely on what they can create through a social network.
Some of the brands would be unable to operate without it.
6. Being on a social network is a lot of fun.

The average person in the United States spends between 35 to 45 minutes every day on
their favorite social networks. Some might call this behavior an addiction, but it
wouldn’t be that way if people weren’t having fun checking in with others or staying
up-to-date on the latest news and information. Humans are naturally social creatures,
so it feels satisfying to have likes, hearts, or comments left on a posit. You can create
friendly conversations in the comfort of home while seeing what everyone is doing
without needing to ask them.
7. Social networks are a useful law enforcement tool.

73% of law enforcement officials in the United States say that they believe social
networking sites help them to solve crimes with more speed. 85% of the police
departments in the U.S. use social media to investigate local offenses. It is a tool that
helps officers track down and arrest those who brag about their crimes online. This
advantage has led to numerous prosecutions, including hate crimes, and identified
multiple people in videos where inappropriate actions occur so that the proper
charges can be brought against them.
8. This tool can help students perform better at school.

About 3 out of every 5 students say that they use social media to discuss
educational topics if they have access to the Internet. Half of students say that they talk
about their school assignments with their friends thanks to the tools offered by these
platforms. George Middle School, which is located in Portland, OR, introduce social
networking programs to engage their students and found a 50% increase in grades.
There were also declines of chronic absences and an increase in the voluntary extra-
credit.
9. Social networking helps people to connect with others.

About 1 in 4 teens say that their experiences on social media have helped them to feel
less shy when interacting with others in real life. Almost 30% of the young people in
that group say that these encounters help them to feel more outgoing, while 1 in 5 say
that their confidence got a boost.
Some kids, teens, and young adults are not as socially adept as others, which is where
the anonymity of social networking can help. This online resource gives them an
opportunity to feel more comfortable, become vocal, and practice interactions with
other people in a way that creates a safety net for them.
9. The elderly can feel more connected to society because of social media.
The Pew Research Center conducted a study in 2015 to see how senior citizens felt
about the use of social media. For those in the 65 and older age demographic, which is
one of the fastest growing groups on social networks, they felt happier because of the
online contacts that were available to them because of this technology. They could talk
to their family, see pictures and video of their grandchildren, or access the bulletin from
their church. Only 2% of senior citizens were using social networking in 2008. That
figure climbed to 35% by 2015 because of this unique advantage.
LIST OF THE CONS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING
1. Social networking exposes us to a lot of information.

When social networks first started, the platforms became a place of meaningful
connection. You would share videos, photographs, and letters with the essential people
in your life. Now that there are millions (and sometimes billions) of people on a
platform, there can be a lot of white noise that drowns out these conversations.
Between the political arguments, posted selfies, shared links, and brand videos that
enter the average news feed every day, it becomes pretty overwhelming to have all of
this information at a glance.
Most people tend to create bloated news feeds with a collected group of friends and
followers that contains irrelevant content. It becomes a challenge to stay connected with
people because you might lose their conversations in the blizzard of data that social
networks have become.
2. There are privacy issues to consider with social networks.

Because there is so much data sharing happening with the modern social network,
the amount of privacy that we have for the average person is shrinking a little bit every
day. The user agreements that you agree to follow when signing up for this service
might even create a license which allows the platform to use your content without
attribution – including your pictures.
You might become a target if you share your current location over social media. Your
employer can choose to fire you if they disagree with something that you shared over
your network. If you share too much with the public, there could be problems that
develop which will never resolve as the information releases.
3. Cyberbullying and peer pressure are significant issues.

If you struggle to fit in with your group of peers, then you might feel some
pressure to behave or communicate in specific ways to feel accepted. This disadvantage
tends to impact teens and young adults the most, but it can also influence anyone. It is
not unusual for the negative behaviors to be worse online than at school or work
because bullies feel like they can be anonymous when sitting behind a screen or using a
smartphone.
In extreme cases of this disadvantage, the bullying and negative comments that occur
over social networking can lead to anxiety, depression-like symptoms, and high levels
of stress. Cyberbullying makes teens and young adults twice as likely to attempt suicide
or attempt to harm themselves in other ways. “Prevention of cyberbullying should be
included in school anti-bullying policies, alongside broader concepts such as digital
citizenship, online peer support for victims, and how an electronic bystander might
appropriately intervene,” Professor Ann John, of Swansea University Medical School,
told The Telegraph. “Suicide prevention and intervention is essential within any
comprehensive anti-bullying program and should incorporate a whole-school approach
to include awareness raising and training for staff and pupils.”
 Some people substitute online interactions for their offline relationships.

Our constant connections with one another create a change in how we approach our
relationships. You can pull up the social profile of a friend with a simple tap or click.
Then you can message that person, leave a comment, or like one of their posts. We
often substitute these actions for the face-to-face conversations we used to have,
which reduces the number of social skills that we can use outside of the digital realm.
Because of this disadvantage, some critics of social networking would say that our
activities promote anti-social behavior more than it encourages new connections.
 Social networking can become a severe distraction for some people.

When someone becomes distracted by the information available through social
media, it can take them up to 25 minutes to become focused on their original task. Do
you check your phone when you wake up in the morning? How often do you scroll
through Facebook or Instagram? The time spent on these platforms, along with the
time it takes to recover from the distraction, can cost you up to 70 hours of productive
time per month.
There are some ways that you can limit this disadvantage. Start by turning off
notifications on your phone and in your browser. Talk with people instead of pulling
out a device to chat on an app. Then give yourself specific times during the day where
you check on your profile and news feed instead of going to it multiple times per day.
 It can disrupt your sleep cycle.
When you expose your brain to electronics, then it can change the emphasis of your
mind from wanting to go to sleep to staying engaged with social media. The blue light
spectrum from some devices can be stimulating as well, but the danger with this
disadvantage is that you’ll start to think more about what other people are doing or
the information on your profile instead of trying to get some rest.
7. Using social networking all of the time can lead to a sedentary lifestyle.
Because social networking typically happens on a mobile device or a computer, it can
promote the habit of sitting down in a single spot for too long during the day. Some
people check their feeds when they exercise, but it happens more often when there are
quiet moments that feel boring. If you’re using social media for 70 minutes every day in
a seated position, then this habit can start to create changes that lead you toward a
sedentary lifestyle.
10. Social networking can spread false or unreliable information quickly.

When traditional media reporters were polled about their use of social media, over
78% of them said that they used their platforms to check for breaking news. The
problem with this habit is that there tends to be a lack of fact verification before the
sharing process happens. People tend to want news that conforms to their beliefs
instead of the data being a direct observation of current events. News items that
contain inaccuracies spread six times faster on Twitter than articles that contain the
truth. Fake news items receive more shares and retweets than true stories. It is up to
each of us to verify the information that we share to avoid this disadvantage.
9. Students who use social networking too often have lower grades.
About one-third of students say that they are on social media while studying or doing
their homework in ways that are not educationally productive. This activity reduces the
quality of their work, which often leads to lower grades. Non-users of social networking
averaged a GPA of 3.82 in the United States, while those who continued to use
Facebook and similar sites had an average GPA of 3.06.
Students who use social media sites while studying score up to 20% lower on their tests
compared to non-users. For young adults in college or at a university, their grades drop
0.12 points for every 90 minutes they spend on networking sites each day. Four hours of
screen time is enough for a student to drop a full grade.
10. Social media creates more time wasting opportunities throughout the day.
Internet users between the ages of 16-64 said that they spend about 1.7 hours every day
on their various social media sites. That accounts for about 30% of the total amount of
time that they spend online each day. One-third of those who were surveyed said that
their networking activities were the biggest waste of time in their day, ranking it above
watching television, playing fantasy sports, and shopping.
11. The use of social networking is correlated with brain and personality disorders.
Research from the University of Pittsburgh finds that the use of social networking sites
creates a significant increase in depression and depression-like symptoms for adults
between the ages of 19-32. The addictive qualities of these platforms can lead to an
enhancement or increase in narcissistic behaviors and personality traits. It may lead to
hyperactivity behaviors, resistance to authority figures, and general inattention as well.
12. It can be more difficult to find a job with your social media presence.
Not only can you lose a job because of what you decide to share on social networks, but
you can also find it more challenging to be offered a position in the first place. Job
recruiters and human resource managers say that references to illegal drugs, sexualized
content, poor grammar and spelling, and profanity all have a significantly negative
impact on their perspective of a potential recruit. Firearms and alcohol are potential red
flags on a profile as well.
Up to 55% of recruiters today say that they consider hiring an applicant based on what
they can see of their social media activities.
VERDICT ON THE PROS AND CONS OF SOCIAL NETWORKING

Social networking gives us an opportunity to quickly disseminate essential information
to the general public. The Department of Veterans Affairs uses this tool as a way to help
prevent suicide attempts in veterans’ groups after they return from active combat. The
World Health Organization used it to combat the spread of false information after the
2011 nuclear disaster in Japan where people were encouraging the ingestion of salt to
fight off the effects of radiation.
We can use social media to disarm social stigmas. It helps us to stay connected with
each other, learn about current events, and share the good things about our lives.
The pros and cons of social networking also show us that it can be used to spread hate
and bully others. There are about 10,000 tweets every day which contain racial slurs. It
can create echo chambers where followers reinforce extreme propaganda within their
group, which can lead to radicalization over time. It can also lead to social isolation. - --
 That’s why we must make healthy choices when using this technology. And so, we
must make healthy choices when using this technology. Social networking can be
used for good just as easily as it can be used to harm others.
Author Biography
Keith Miller has over 25 years of experience as a CEO and serial entrepreneur. As an
entrepreneur, he has founded several multi-million dollar companies. As a writer, eith's
work has been mentioned in CIO Magazine, Workable, BizTech, and The Charlotte
Observer. If you have any questions about the content of this blog post, then
please send our content editing team a message here.
 Information and Communications Technology
 Global Networks: Globalization
 The Societal World of Netizens in the Social Media

Isabela State University: Republic of The Philippines Cauayan City, Isabela

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Republic of the Philippines

ISABELA STATE UNIVERSITY

6-7 mm/dd Chapter Three: Understanding Activity Sheets MDL/Online

8 mm/dd Take Prelim Exam Face-to-Face

Prepared by: Reviewed by: Approved by:

GABRIEL L. LUNA SHEILA ANTONETTE D. BACUD GABRIEL L. LUNA, Ph.D.

MODULE ON GE ELEC 2: SOCIAL SCIENCE AND PHILOSOPHY (THE

For the College Students, to be able to understand how Social Science is

GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE MODULE

4. Teaching and Learning Activities

6. Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) adopted

c. Module Exercises: These are exercises or quizzes provided in the module

d. Home work: A homework assignment is a set of tasks assigned to students by

e. Situation Analysis: This is basically the process of critically evaluating the

Unit I. Understanding the Society in the Perspective of Social Science

Nominal Duration: 1.5 hours

A. MEANING OF SOCIAL SCIENCE

WHAT IS THE”SCIENCE” AND THE “SOCIAL” BEHIND THE STUDY OF

c) Political Science is a social science subject that involves the study of political

d) Demography is a social science focused on the study of demographics, the social

g) Linguistics - is a social science that is concerned with the systematic study of

i) Sociology is a social science that studies human societies, their interactions, and

3. SOCIAL SCIENCES DEFINED:

Major Social Sciences include:

Philosophy of Social Science

It is a branch of philosophy that examines the concepts, methods, and logic of

B. THEORIZING SOCIETY THROUGH SOCIAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINE

Society is neither an agglomeration of men, women and children nor their

Maclver and Page defines a Society as “a system of usage and procedures,

Functionally, society may be defined as a complex of groups in reciprocal

The stimulus-response relationship is at the core of organised living. In order to

It takes place through communication. In communication one person infers from

This gives rise to common understanding and common definition of the

2. Society is not a group of people

3. Society is organization of relationships

4. Physical element in social relationship

C. LAYING THE FOUNDATIONS OF SOCIAL SCIENCE: FIELDWORK

1. Sensory perception – lays the foundations of Social Science through fieldwork

3. Some Ethnographic Techniques:

D. SETTING SOCIO-POLITICAL AGENDA IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

- While in Dapitan as an exile, between 1892 and 1896, he conducted several

- There were published and unpublished scholarly works by noted Filipino

Unit Two: MAJOR SOCIOLOGICAL THEORIES AND PERSPECTIVES:

5. Recommended learning materials and resources for supplementary reading

6. Flexible Teaching Learning Modality (FTLM) adopted

c. Module Exercises: These are exercises or quizzes provided in the module

d. Home work: A homework assignment is a set of tasks assigned to students by

e. Situation Analysis: This is basically the process of critically evaluating the

B. FIVE (5) MAJOR SOCIOLOGICAL FRAMEWORKS AND THEORIES

1. FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE OR FUNCTIONALISM

b) In functionalist theory, the different parts of society are primarily composed of

d) Functionalism emphasizes the consensus and order that exist in society,

Modern economic models place an emphasis on imperfect competition.

Feminist theory - or feminism, is a support of equality for women and men.

Many people incorrectly believe that feminist theory focuses exclusively

4. SOCIAL ACTION THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

5. POST-MODERN THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

- The Postmodernism gradually became popular from the 1950s onwards. It

- Postmodernists try to set up a less hierarchical approach in which authority

- Postmodernism is applied mainly in the artistic and social sciences. It consists of

- Postmodernism is more than just a philosophical movement. Postmodernism is

- Postmodernists reject the idea of a fixed, universal and eternal foundation to

- Postmodernism rejects the possibility that we can have objective knowledge.