PURPOSIVE COMMUNICATION

Week 1

 What is Language? It is derived from the Latin Lingua which means tongue and the French
langue, language is the “entire complex of phenomena associated with human vocal and
auditory communication of emotions and ideas.” Language is called a social phenomenon,
because it has relevance only in a social setting.
 What is Communication? Communication is an effective exchange of ideas, opinion and
formation between two or more persons in an authentic situation. The word effective is
highlighted because communication takes place if it is understood, relayed and shared.
 The sender (speaker) of the speech (message) must be understood by the recipient (listener).
The sender is likened to an encoder, the speech to a code and to the recipient, the decoder, this
is the usual process in communication.

Week 2 : Formal & Informal Language

 We use formal language that are serious or that involved people we don’t know well. Informal
language is more commonly used in situations that are more relaxed and involve people we
know well.
 Formal language is more common when we write; informal language is more common when we
speak. However, there are times where writing can be very informal, for example, when writing
postcards or letters to friends, emails or text messages. There are also examples where spoken
English can be very formal, for example, in a speech or a lecture.

Week 3: Context Clues, Root Words, Common Prefixes, Meaning in Dictionary, Vocabulary

 Vocabulary is commonly defined as “all the words known and used by a particular person.”
Knowing a word, however, is not as simple as merely being able to recognize or use it. There are
several aspects of word knowledge that are used to measure word knowledge.
 Words can be defined in various ways, and estimates of vocabulary size differ depending on the
definition used. The most common definition of a lemma (the uninflected or dictionary form;
this includes walk, but not walks, walked or walking). Most of the time lemmas do not include
proper nouns (names of people, places, companies, etc). Another definition often used in
research of vocabulary size is that of word family. These are all the words that can be derived
from a ground word (e.g. the words effortless, effortlessly, effortful, effortfully are all part of the
word family effort). Estimates of vocabulary size range from as high as 200 thousand to as low as
10 thousand, depending on the definition used.

Types of Vocabulary

 Reading Vocabulary – A literate person’s vocabulary is all the words he or she can
recognize when reading. This is generally the largest type of vocabulary simply because
a reader tends to be exposed to more words by reading than by listening.
  Listening Vocabulary – A person’s listening vocabulary is all the words he or she can
recognize when listening to speech. People may still understand words they were not
exposed to before using cues such as tone, gestures, the topic of discussion, and the
social context of the conversation.
 Speaking Vocabulary – A person’s speaking vocabulary is all the words he or she uses in
speech. It is likely to be a subset of the listening vocabulary. Due to the spontaneous
nature of speech, words are often misused. The misuse – though slight and
unintentional – may be compensated by facial expressions, tone of voice.
 Writing Vocabulary – Words are used in various forms of writing from formal essays to
social media feeds. Many written words do not commonly appear in speech. Writers
generally use a limited set of words when communicating. For example, if there are a
number of synonyms, a writer may have preference as to which of them to use, and
they are unlikely to use technical vocabulary relating to a subject in whom he has no
knowledge or interest.

Week 4: English Idioms

 An idiom is a phrase, saying, or a group of words that has a metaphorical (not literal) meaning,
which has become accepted in common usage. An idiom’s symbolic sense is quite different from
the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made. There are a large number of
idioms and they are used very commonly in all languages. There are estimated to be at least
25,000 idiomatic expressions in the English language. Idioms in fact, evolve the language; they
are the building blocks of a language and civilization. They also have great intensity to make a
language interesting and dynamic. Idioms bring a spectacular illustration to everyday speech.
They provide interesting insights into the use of words, languages, and the thought processes of
their speakers. They have a sense of mystery and fun about them. So what makes idioms
difficult? The answer is their “meaning”. Idioms are not easy to understand – especially for non-
native speakers, because their meanings are usually metaphorical. This characteristic of idioms
makes them strange and difficult to understand for English learners.

Week 5: Structural Analysis of Words: Root Word, Prefix, Suffix

 Academicians claim that there are 490,000 words in the English Language. Scholars say
that 200,000 words are essential for an educated person. A senior high school student may
know from 10,000 to 15,000 words. In college, the texts and materials used will require a
vocabulary of some 100,000 words.
 A wide range of vocabulary is indeed your one effective weapon in meeting with
confidence the challenges of your course. Dr. Rudolf Flesh & A.H. Lass recommend five easy
steps to build up your vocabulary:
 Read. You can’t make friends if you don’t meet anybody. In the same way, you can’t build up
a vocabulary if you never meet any new words. Keep on reading and keep on meeting
unfamiliar words.
 Look up unfamiliar words in the dictionary. Read everything the dictionary says about the
word. Determine its pronunciation, its derivation, what it means and what other words are
 connected with it. Be sure you find the meaning that its exactly into the sentence in which you
found the word.
 Say the word. Get used to the way it is pronounced. Pronounce the word the way the
dictionary says you should, and say it aloud often.
 Use the word. You can never say the word is yours unless you use it. Get the word off in
speaking as if It had always been yours.
 Keep in touch with your vocabulary. As we have said, knowing words is like knowing people.
If you don’t keep in touch with them, you lose them and even forget their names. So keep up
with your latest word acquaintances. Keep on using them and watch how fast your vocabulary
grow.
 Root word is a base word by which affixes are added. Affixes are classified into two: prefix and
suffix.
 Prefix is a word segment added before the root word to make another word of different
function and meaning.
 Suffix is a word segment added after the root word to form a new word with different meaning.

READINGS IN PHILIPPINE HISTORY

Week 1

 Most often, history has always been defined as the study of the past. Students of the general
education are often dismayed and do not appreciate the subject much because of the wrong
connotation that they have, like students are required to memorize names, dates, places, and
events from time immemorial.
 This low appreciation of history by the students may be due to superficial understanding of the
students when it comes to the relevance of history to their chosen field of specialization and to
their life. Although, the popular definition of history as the study of the past is not wrong, it
does not give justice to the complexity of the subject matter and its importance to human
civilization (Candelaria and Alporha, 2018).
 The word history is derived from the Greek word 'historia' meaning ’inquiry or research.’ One of
the great philosopher, Aristotle regarded history as a "systematic account of a set of natural
phenomena, whether or not chronological ordering was a factor in the account." The term
"history" has now come to be applied to accounts of events that are narrated in a chronological
order, and deal with the past of mankind.
 Learning by inquiry about the past of mankind was later developed into a discipline by the Greek
historians Thucydides and Herodotus (who is popularly known as the Father of History).
Although the term 'History' was then adapted to classical Latin where it acquired a new
definition. Historia became known as the account of the past of a person or of a group of people
through written documents and historical evidences.
 Traditional historians lived with the mantra of "no document, no history." It means that unless a
written document can prove a certain historical event, then it cannot be considered as a
historical fact (Candelaria and Alporha, 2018).
  Moreover, E. H. Carn defined history as an "unending dialogue between the present and the
past."
 Jawaharlal Nehru observed that man’s growth from barbarism to civilization is supposed to be
the theme of history."
 Will Durant called history "a narrative of what civilized men have thought or done in the past
time."
 Another importance of history is that it enables one to grasp one’s relationship with one’s past.
For example if one wonders why the Philippine flag has red, white, and blue, with a sun and
three star or why Brunei or Japan follows monarchy, one has to turn to history for an answer.
 History is indeed, as Allen Nerins puts it, "a bridge connecting the past with the present and
pointing the road to the future."
 Albeit, studying history should not confined us by just using written records but by also utilizing
other aspect like oral tradition wherein information are passed from one person or group of
persons to the others orally. Restricting historical evidence as exclusively written is also
discrimination against other social classes who were not recorded in paper. Nobilities,
monarchs, the elite, and even the middle class would have their birth, education, marriage, and
death as matters of government and historical record. But how about the peasant families or
indigenous groups who were not given much thought about being registered to government
records? Does the absence of written documents about them mean that they were people of no
history or past? Did they even exist? Those questions were answered through the book of
Candelaria and Alporha entitled Unraveling the Past. They wrote:
This loophole was recognized by historians who started using other kinds of historical
sources, which may not be in written form but were just as valid. A few of these
examples are oral traditions in forms of epics and songs, artifacts, architecture, and
memory. History thus became more inclusive and started collaborating with other
disciplines as its auxiliary disciplines. With the aid of archaeologists, historians can use
artifacts from a bygone era to study ancient civilizations that were formerly ignored in
history because of lack of documents. Linguists can also be helpful in tracing historical
evolutions, past connections among different groups, and flow of cultural influence by
studying language and the changes that it has undergone. Even scientists like biologists
and biochemists can help with the study of the past through analyzing genetic and DNA
patterns of human societies.

Week 2: Historical Sources: External And Internal Criticism, Primary Sources

 Historical Sources- The most important research tool for the historian is the historical sources.
In general, the historical sources can be classified between primary and secondary sources.
 Primary source provides direct or firsthand evidence about an event, object, person, or work of
art. Primary sources include historical and legal documents, eyewitness accounts, results of
experiments, statistical data, pieces of creative writing, audio and video recordings, speeches,
and art objects. Interviews, surveys, fieldwork, and Internet communications via email, blogs,
listservs, and newsgroups are also primary sources. In the natural and social sciences, primary
sources are often empirical studies—research where an experiment was performed or a direct
 observation was made. The results of empirical studies are typically found in scholarly articles or
papers delivered at conferences. Whereas, the Secondary sources describe, discuss, interpret,
comment upon, analyze, evaluate, summarize, and process primary sources.
 Secondary source materials can be articles in newspapers or popular magazines, book or movie
reviews, or articles found in scholarly journals that discuss or evaluate someone else's original
research.
 External and Internal Criticism- Both primary and secondary sources are useful in writing and
learning history. However, historians and students should be critical in scrutinizing these
historical sources to avoid deception and to come up with the historical truth. The historian and
students should be able to conduct an external and internal criticism of the source, especially
the primary sources which can age in centuries.
 External criticism refers to the genuineness of the documents a researcher uses in a historical
study. Examples of the things that will be examined when conducting external criticism of a
document include the quality of the paper, the type of the ink, and the language and words used
in the material, amoncenturies
 On the other hand, internal criticism refers to the accuracy of the contents of a document. It
looks at the content of the source and examines the circumstance of its production. Internal
criticism looks at the truthfulness and factuality of the evidence by looking at the author of the
source, its context, the agenda behind its creation, the knowledge which informed it, and its
intended purpose, among others. For example, Japanese reports and declarations during the
period of the war should not be taken as a historical fact hastily. Internal criticism entails that
the historian acknowledge and analyze how such reports can be manipulated to be used as war
propaganda.
 Validating historical sources is important because the use of unverified, falsified, and Untruthful
historical sources can lead to equally false conclusions. Without thorough criticisms of historical
evidences, historical deceptions and lies will be highly probable.
 According to Candelaria and Alporha (2018), the most scandalous cases of deception in
Philippine history is the hoax Code of Kalantiaw. The code was a set of rules contained in an
epic, Maragtas, which was allegedly written by a certain Datu Kalantiaw. The document was
sold to the National Library and was regarded as an important precolonial document until 1968,
when American historian William Henry Scott debunked the authenticity of the code due to
anachronism and lack of evidence to prove that the code existed in the pre-colonial Philippine
society.
 Ferdinand Marcos also claimed that he was a decorated World War II soldier who led a guerrilla
unit called Ang Maharlika. This was widely believed by students of history and Marcos had war
medals to show. This claim, ' however, was disproven when historians counterchecked Marcos's
claims with the war records of the United States. These cases prove how deceptions can
propagate without rigorous historical research.
 The Importance of Primary Sources in History- Documents like diaries, letters, drawings, and
memoirs written by those who participated in or witnessed the events of the past tell us
something that even the best-written article or book cannot convey.
 The use of primary sources exposes students to important historical concepts. First, students
become aware that all written history reflects an author's interpretation of past events.
Therefore, as students read a historical account, they can recognize its subjective nature.
 Second, through primary sources the students directly touch the lives of people in the past.
 Further, as students use primary sources, they develop important analytical skills. As mentioned
above, to many students, history is seen as a series of facts, dates, and events usually packaged
as a textbook. The use of primary sources can change this view.
 As students use primary sources they begin to view their textbook as only one historical
interpretation and its author as an interpreter of evidence, not as a purveyor of truth. For
example, as students read personal letters of Rizal to his friends and fellow propagandists and
expatriates, or as they read and analyzed the literary works written by Rizal, they weigh the
significance of these sources against such generalizations as that provided by the textbook
authors. Students begin to understand that such generalizations represent an interpretation of
past events, but not necessarily the only interpretation. They become aware that the text has a
point of view that does not make it incorrect but that does render it subject to question.
 Primary sources force students to realize that any account of an event, no matter how
impartially presented it appears to be, is essentially subjective. As students read eyewitness
accounts of events like People Power I or videos of the Impeachment trial of ousted President
Estrada or letters to congressmen expressing concern about issues on voting every election and
then attempt to summarize their findings, they become aware of the subjective nature of their
conclusions. The disagreements among students in interpreting these documents are not unlike
those among historians.
 Through primary sources students confront two essential facts in studying history. First, the
record of historical events reflects the personal, social, political, or economic points of view of
the participants. Second, students bring to the sources their own biases, created by their own
personal situations and the social environments in which they live. As students use these
sources, they realize that history exists through interpretation--and tentative interpretation at
that. Primary sources fascinate students because they are real and they are personal; history is
humanized through them. Using original sources, students touch the lives of the people about
whom history is written. They participate in human emotions and in the values and attitudes of
the past. By reading a series of public opinion surveys from World War II, for example, students
confront the language of the person interviewed and his or her fears about shortages, as well as
the interviewer's reactions recorded after the interview. These human expressions provide
history with color and excitement and link students directly to its cast of characters.
 Interpreting historical sources helps students to analyze and evaluate contemporary sources--
newspaper reports, television and radio programs, and advertising. By using primary sources,
students learn to recognize how a point of view and a bias affect evidence, what contradictions
and other limitations exist within a given source, and to what extent sources are reliable.
Essential among these skills is the ability to understand and make appropriate use of many
sources of information. Development of these skills is important not only to historical research
but also to a citizenship where people are able to evaluate the information needed to maintain a
free society.
 Perhaps best of all, by using primary sources, students will participate in the process of history.
They will debate with teachers and classmates about the interpretation of the sources. They will
challenge others' conclusions and seek out evidence to support their own. The classroom will
become a lively arena in which students test and apply important analytical skills. To introduce
your students to primary sources, you might begin with materials that they themselves
 possess, such as birth certificates, social security cards, passports, or drivers' licenses. What do
these sources tell us about the individuals and the society in which they live? How might these
sources be used by historians? Consider how school, employment, medical, and family records
could be used to develop generalizations about twentieth-century student life. Beyond personal
records, there are a variety of other sources available. Where can you locate documentation on
your neighborhood or community? Your sources can be both governmental and private:
Philippine Statistics Authority census figures, newspapers, local government files, personal
diaries, and interviews with longtime residents. In most cities and towns, local historical groups,
preservation societies, and museums serve as excellent starting points for classes locating
documentary materials about local communities. On the local level, historical societies, archives,
and museums are valuable depositories for useful primary materials. Many of these agencies
offer specific programs for high school students, and many would welcome suggestions for joint
projects.

Week 3: Spiritual Beliefs of the Early Filipinos

 Fray Juan de Plasencia recounted that: In all the villages, or in other parts of the Filipinas
Islands, there are no temples consecrated to the performing of sacrifices, the adoration of their
idols, or the general practice of idolatry.
 It is true that they have the name simbahan, which means a temple or place of adoration; but
this is because, formerly, when they wished to celebrate a festival, which they called pandot, or
“worship,” they celebrated it in the large house of a chief.
 There they constructed, for the purpose of sheltering the assembled people, a temporary shed
on each side of the house, with a roof, called sibi, to protect the people from the wet when it
rained.
 They so constructed the house that it might contain many people—dividing it, after the fashion
of ships, into three compartments. On the posts of the house they set small lamps, called
sorihile; in the center of the house they placed one large lamp, adorned with leaves of the white
palm, wrought into many designs.
 They also brought together many drums, large and small, which they beat successively while the
feast lasted, which was usually four days. During this time the whole barangay, or family, united
and joined in the worship which they call nagaanitos. The house, for the above-mentioned
period of time, was called a temple.
 Among their many idols there was one called. Badhala, whom they especially worshiped. The
title seems to signify “all powerful,” or “maker of all things.”
 They also worshiped the sun, which, on account of its beauty, is almost universally respected
and honored by heathens. They worshiped, too, the moon, especially when it was new, at which
time they held great rejoicings, adoring it and bidding it welcome. Some of them also adored the
stars, although they did not know them by their names, as the Spaniards and other nations
know the planets—with the one exception of the morning star, which they called Tala.
 The “seven little goats” [the Pleiades]—as we call them—and, consequently, the change of
seasons, which they call Mapolon; and Balatic, which is our Greater Bear. They possessed many
idols called lic-ha, which were images with different shapes; and at times they worshiped any
 little trifle, in which They adored, as did the Romans, some particular dead man who was brave
in war and endowed with special faculties, to whom they commended themselves for protection
in their tribulations.
 Dian masalanta, who was the patron of lovers and of generation.
 The idols called Lacapati and Idianale were the patrons of the cultivated lands and of
husbandry.
 They paid reverence to water-lizards called by them buaya, or crocodiles, from fear of being
harmed by them. They were even in the habit of offering these animals a portion of what they
carried in their boats, by throwing it into the water, or placing it upon the bank.
 if they left their house and met on the way a serpent or rat, or a bird called Tigmamanuguin
which was singing in the tree, or if they chanced upon anyone who sneezed, they returned at
once to their house, considering the incident as an augury that some evil might befall them if
they should continue their journey—especially when the above-mentioned bird sang. This song
had two different forms: in the one case it was considered as an evil omen; in the other, as a
good omen, and then they continued their journey.
 They also practiced divination, to see whether weapons, such as a dagger or knife, were to be
useful and lucky for their possessor whenever occasion should offer.

ETHICS

Week 1: Definition of Ethics

 Philosophy is a way of thinking about certain subjects such as ethics, thought, existence, time,
meaning and value. That ‘way of thinking’ involves 4 Rs: responsiveness, reflection, reason, and
re-evaluation. The aim is to deepen understanding. The hope is that by doing philosophy we
learn to think better, to act more wisely, and thereby help to improve the quality of all our lives.
 Philosophy (from Greek: φιλοσοφία, philosophia, ‘love of wisdom’) is the study of general and
fundamental questions, such as those about reason, existence, knowledge, values, mind, and
language.
 The English word ‘Philosophy’ comes from a combination of two Greek word, which are ‘Philo’
and ‘Sophia’. ‘Philo’ means ‘love’ and ‘Sophia’ means ‘wisdom.
 Wisdom is knowledge (Kaalaman) applied with a right intention and manner. It is different from
intelligence. While intelligence entails possession of knowledge that exists in the minds alone,
wisdom is knowledge that is used or applied in different situations. In Tagalog translation,
intelligence means ‘katalinuhan’ while wisdom means ‘karunungan’. To put it in the perspective
of philosophers, it says: a wise person is always intelligent but an intelligent person is not always
wise.
 Metaphysics investigates the nature, structure, and value of reality. Branch of philosophy that
goes beyond the realms of science. It is concerned with answering the questions about identity
and the world. Derived from the Greek words, Meta which means beyond or after, and Physika
which means physics. Aristotle, one of the most well-known philosophers, acknowledged Thales
 as the first known meta physician. The main branches of metaphysics are ontology, natural
theology, and universal science.
 Epistemology literally means “science of knowledge.” deals with the definition of knowledge
and its scope and limitations. It translates from Greek to mean ‘theory of knowledge’. It
questions the meaning of knowledge, how we obtain knowledge, how much do we know and
how do we have this knowledge? Some of the famous epistemologists are Descartes, Kant, and
Hume
 Ethics: At its simplest, ethics is a system of moral principles. … Ethics is concerned with what is
good for individuals and society and is also described as moral philosophy. The term is derived
from the Greek word ethos which can mean custom, habit, character, or disposition. It is
concerned with questions on morality and values and how they apply to various situations. It
can be divided into the branches of meta-ethics, normative and applied ethics. Famous works on
ethics are by philosophers as early as Plato, Aristotle, Kant, and Nietzsche.
 Ethics allows you to live an authentic life.
 Ethics makes you more successful.
 Ethics allows you to cultivate inner peace.
 Ethics provides for a stable society.
 Ethics may help in the afterlife.
 Social Philosophy is one of the main and important branches of Philosophy. It is the thoughtful
consideration of human society. It gives insight into the actual activities of human beings in the
society. “Social philosophy studies the interactions and inter-relations that exist among men and
their groups”.
 Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy which deals with the nature of art, beauty, and taste, with
the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory
or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiments and taste. More broadly,
scholars in the field define aesthetics as “critical reflection on art, culture and nature.”
 There are two approaches to beauty: the objective and subjective beauty. The objective beauty
depends on the thing being looked upon while subjective beauty depends on the person looking
at it.While objective philosophy believes that everything has its value and beautiful, subjective
philosophy believes that every person has his own standards of what is beautiful to them.
 Logic is the system or principles of reasoning applicable to any branch of knowledge or study.
Among the branches of philosophy, logic is concerned with the various forms of reasoning and
arriving at genuine conclusions. It includes the system of statements and arguments. It is now
divided into mathematical logic and philosophical logic. It tries to avoid the imaginary or
assumptions without real logical proof.
 Philosophy of Man is a study of man as person. PAGPAPAKATAO
 Theodicy is the Philosophical study of the Divine. This branch of Philosophy studies God based
on reason and experience. This is different from Theology. Theology studies God based on the
Bible.
 moral standards deal with matters we think can seriously injure or benefit humans, animals, and
the environment, such as child abuse, rape, and murder;
 moral standards are not established or changed by the decisions of authoritative individuals or
bodies. Indeed, moral standards rest on the adequacy of the reasons that are taken to support
 and justify them. For sure, we don’t need a law to back up our moral conviction that killing
innocent people is absolutely wrong;
 moral standards are overriding, that is, they take precedence over other standards and
considerations, especially of self-interest;
 moral standards are based on impartial considerations. Hence, moral standards are fair and
just; and
 moral standards are associated with special emotions (such as guilt and shame) and vocabulary
(such as right, wrong, good, and bad).
 Non-moral standards are matters of taste or preference.
 if a moral standard says “Do not harm innocent people” or “Don’t steal”, a non-moral standard
says “Don’t text while driving” or “Don’t talk while the mouth is full”.
 A person’s idea of morals tends to be shaped by their surrounding environment (and
sometimes their belief system). Moral values shape a person’s ideas about right and wrong.
 Morality is universal while ethics is based on the culture of specific community.
 A moral person wants to do the right thing, and a moral impulse usually means best intentions.
 Morals refer mainly to guiding principles, and ethics refer to specific rules and actions, or
behaviors. A moral precept is an idea or opinion that’s driven by a desire to be good. An ethical
code is a set of rules that defines allowable actions or correct behavior.
