Disciplines and Ideas

in the Social
Sciences
Social Sciences to a Better World
Quarter 1 - MODULE 1 WEEK 1-2

Department of Education • MIMAROPA REGION

Introductory Message
Simple introduction about the module.
Before starting the module, I want you to set aside other tasks that will disturb you while enjoying the
lessons. Read the simple instructions below to successfully enjoy the objectives of this kit. Have fun!
1. Follow carefully all the contents and instructions indicated in every page of this module.
2. Write on your notebook the concepts about the lessons. Writing enhances learning that is important to
develop and keep in mind.
3. Perform all the provided activities in the module.
4. Let your facilitator/guardian assess your answers using the answer key card.
5. Analyze conceptually the posttest and apply what you have learned.
6. Enjoy studying!

You will differentiate the nature and functions of Social Science disciplines with the Natural Sciences and
Humanities. Specifically, this module will help you to:
• describe Social Sciences as a comprehensive study of society;
• compare and contrast Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and Humanities;
• appreciate the importance of Social Sciences as instruments to deeply understand the society

Let us start your journey in learning more about Social Sciences. I am sure you are ready and excited to
answer the Pretest. Smile and cheer up!

Directions: Read each question/sentence carefully and choose the letter of the best answer. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.
1. Which of the following definitions best describes the term “society”?
A. It is a small group of people whose members share tight, personal, and lasting relationships
B. It is a large social group where the relationships among members are usually impersonal and goal
oriented
C. It is a collection of people whose members frequently meet and consider themselves as parts of a group
D. It is an organized group of individuals whose members regularly meet or work together and have a
shared culture, interest, and territory

2. The following are the disciplines that are both associated with Social Sciences and Humanities
EXCEPT __________.
A. Anthropology B. Economics C. History D. Linguistics

3. Which academic discipline studies different human conditions and the ways wherein the human
experiences are processed and recorded?
A. Humanities B. Philosophy C. Natural Science D. Social Science

4. Which of the following terms refers to the body of knowledge concerned with the systematic study of
different facets of our society, several social phenomena, and the effects of these occurrences on people’s
lives?
A. Humanities B. Philosophy C. Natural Science D. Social Science

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5. What element of Social Sciences places the entire area of study on the members of the society and their
social environments or backgrounds?
a. Empirical Analysis B. Society C. Nature D. Superstition

6. Which of the following areas of study concentrates on examining every natural phenomenon that
happened, or is currently occurring, in the world by means of tangible evidences such as natural forces,
artifacts, and fossils?
A. Humanities B. Philosophy C. Natural Science D. Social Science

7. Several intellectuals considered the use of philosophical approach in examining human societies as an
unpleasant continuing impact of the past that is needed to be opposed by using critical reason,
enlightenment, and, if necessary, revolution. Which of these intellectuals founded Positivism to study our
societies?
A. Auguste Comte B. Herbert Spencer C. Charles Darwin D. Karl Marx

8. The element of Social Sciences that puts the whole body of knowledge in an academic mode of inquiry
about our societies by means of the scientific method refers to __________.
A. Empirical Analysis b. Society C. Nature D. Superstition

9. What is the importance of the Age of Enlightenment in the history of Social Sciences?
A. It is where the Social Sciences started to become slightly scientific
B. It is where the origins of some of the significant concepts and purposes of Social Sciences emerged
C. It is where numerous social philosophers used philosophical approaches in investigating human
societies
D. It is where scientific thoughts became more reliable than faith and superstition in explaining various
social phenomena

10. What is the similarity between Social Sciences and Natural Sciences?
A. Both areas utilize the scientific method in creating a study.
B. Both disciplines focus on the creative expressions of human experiences.
C. Both fields concentrate on observing and understanding numerous social phenomena.
D. Both studies explore the different laws of nature that govern our world through objective and
experimental methods.

What I Need to Know

*Differentiate the nature and functions of Social Science disciplines with
the natural sciences and humanities

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 What I Know

What comes into your mind when you hear the word “society”? Technically, society is usually described
as an organized group of individuals whose members work together or regularly meet and have a shared
territory, interest, and way of living. Likewise, it signifies companionship or association with others.
According to several philosophers, society is the outcome of the purposeful activities of the people who
came together for the achievement of a shared goal. Seems clear, right? However, do you think it is
enough for you to fully understand our society by merely using these definitions? Of course, it is not
enough. Society is too difficult to study due to its problems and complexities. That is why there is a need
for us to have helpful tools in comprehending these matters.
In this lesson, you will learn about the significance of Social Sciences as advantageous instruments in
studying the different facets of our society and understanding the burning issues and complications
surrounding it. In addition, you will also recognize the similarities and differences of Social Sciences to
other disciplines such as Natural Sciences and Humanities.

What’s In

Social Sciences: The Study of Society

Do you still remember the Battle of Marawi or
more popularly known as Marawi Siege?
For historians, it will never be forgotten since this
armed conflict is considered as the longest urban
battle in Philippine modern history. This five month-
long armed conflict between the Armed Forces of
the Philippines and the militants, including the
Maute group and the Abu Sayyaf that are both
associated with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
(ISIL), had caused over a thousand casualties and left
the beautiful Islamic City of Marawi in ruins.

On October 17, 2017, the day after the militant leaders of both groups were reportedly killed during an
operation, this battle finally ended, and Marawi City was liberated. However, the impact of this urban battle
can still be seen, especially on the people of Marawi City who lived through its terrors. That is why many
Filipinos are asking about the government’s preparedness for this kind of conflict and the measures that it
is doing to prevent another battle to commence. Luckily, these questions can be resolved by the various
disciplines of Social Sciences, which investigate the different factors that affect and shape individuals and

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societies such as culture, history, politics, and many more. Social Sciences, as the systematic study of
human society, can be considered as helpful tools that provide the necessary knowledge and skills for us to
deeply understand several social phenomena and, more importantly, to make our world a better place to
live in.
SOCIAL SCIENCES
Essentially, the term “Social Sciences” is defined as the body of knowledge concerned with the methodical
study of various aspects of our society, numerous social phenomena, and the impacts of these occurrences
on people’s lives. It is characterized as the area of study that deals with the human behavior in its cultural
and social facets. Also, it is considered as the branch of science that focuses on the interpersonal
relationships among people living in a society. Over the past centuries, Social Sciences focused on the
contributing factors or elements that molded and governed the development of the human civilization.
Speaking of elements, what are the important elements of Social Sciences?

What’s New

ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

As you can see, there are two words comprising the term “Social Sciences.” These words represent the
two substantial elements of Social Sciences, which are the society (social) and the empirical analysis
(science). Society, the first element of Social Sciences, puts the entire body of knowledge in individuals
as social beings and their social backgrounds or environments. It situates Social Sciences in people and
social issues that are affecting them. On the other hand, empirical analysis places the Social Sciences in
an academic mode of investigation about human society using the scientific method, the systematic and
rational process of obtaining knowledge. Because of this element, learning about society and
understanding the things that are happening in it need to be conducted experimentally such as having a
keen observation, critical analysis, and interpretation of social facts, which include data and information
about a particular social phenomenon, identified from the individuals living within a certain society. This
element is also the reason why Social Sciences are recognized as scientific disciplines, which help people
grasp the idea of society and its complexities. Now, the question is: How Social Sciences started to be
recognized as scientific disciplines?

HISTORY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES

The roots of some of the important concepts and purposes of Social Sciences go completely back to the
ancient Greece. The contributions of the ancient Greece in the area of social thought are still noticeable
even up to these days. We have Social Sciences today because of the Greeks’ willpower to understand
everything in the essence of rational inquiry. Without this determination, the Renaissance and the
Enlightenment, two historical periods where some of the major evolutionary ideas emerged, would not
have served their own respective purposes in the course of our civilization, especially the Enlightenment
(17th-18th century) where the study of society started to become somewhat scientific.

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Before and during the Age of Enlightenment, the approaches used by several social philosophers in
examining human societies were much more philosophical than scientific. Numerous philosophes, the
intellectuals or social philosophers who shaped the 18th century Enlightenment, considered this as a
disagreeable continuing influence of the past that is needed to be opposed through enlightenment, critical
reason, and, if necessary, revolution. Because of this new spirit, several important contributions were
made for the Social Sciences during the Age of Enlightenment such as growth when it comes to the
consciousness of the diversity of human experience in our world, spreading sense of the cultural or social
character of human actions within society, and, most prominently, the development of ideal of a science
of society, a distinct area of study that has its particular distinctive focus of attention.
Although Social Sciences have their own distinguishing subject matters, these fields utilize the
same philosophical system that directed the progress of other disciplines such as Physical Sciences and
Biological Sciences, and that is Positivism. Positivism is a philosophy that believes that every single
reasonable affirmation can be scientifically proven or tested by empirical sciences or is capable of
mathematical or logical evidence. Furthermore, it holds that for us to attain a certain scientific idea,
objectivity and practical investigation of evidences must be observed. This philosophical theory is guiding
Social Sciences in grasping and explaining numerous social phenomena through systematic observations,
critical analyses, and interpretations of social facts found among the people living in a specific society
such as interpersonal relationships and human activities. Auguste Comte (17981857), the founder of
Positivism and the one who foreshadowed the use of this philosophy in studying human behaviors, argued
that metaphysics and theology are imperfect methods in searching for knowledge; that rational thought is
far more powerful in comparison to faith and superstition in explaining different social phenomena. He
proposed that theism and metaphysics should be rejected since these modes of knowledge cannot be
proven by empirical analysis and, therefore, are unreliable. Now that you already knew that Social
Sciences are also employing the scientific method in studying their own subject matters, the next question
is: What makes Social Sciences different from other disciplines like Natural Sciences and Humanities?

What’s It Is
NATURAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES
What makes Social Sciences unique from other areas of study such as Natural Sciences and Humanities
is that these disciplines concentrate on analyzing and explaining the different aspects of social life of the
individuals including their behaviors. Also, these fields focus on observing and interpreting various social
phenomena. On the other hand, Natural Sciences, or the sciences of nature, give attention on
investigating every single natural phenomenon that occurred, or is currently happening, in our world
using tangible evidences like natural forces, fossils, and artifacts. These areas of study explore the laws
of nature that rule our world through objective and empirical approaches. Also, Natural Sciences can be
further categorized into Physical Sciences, Biological Sciences, Earth Sciences and many more.
Humanities, differently, are academic disciplines that study numerous human conditions and the
manners wherein the human experiences are treated and recorded. Additionally, these studies aim to
comprehend the human perspective of individuals’ social existence and the responses these people are
displaying on different occurrences. For instance, the literary works of Jose Rizal, such as Noli Me
Tangere and El Filibusterismo, aim to educate the Filipinos on the persecutions experienced by our
countrymen during the Spanish regime. Even though these three fields of study are different from one
another, they are also sharing a few similarities in some areas. Social Sciences, Natural Sciences, and
Humanities are all employing the scientific method in producing knowledge, though this systematic
process is more usual in Social Sciences and Natural Sciences since Humanities are more focused on the
creative expressions of human experiences. When it comes to the similarity between Social Sciences and
Humanities, some of the disciplines of Social Sciences are also affiliated with Humanities such as
Anthropology, Linguistics, and, especially, History. History is considered as the borderline to the two
fields of knowledge since its methods and insights penetrate both Social Sciences and Humanities.

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 What’s More
ACTIVITY Defining Moment
Objective: Describe Social Sciences as the comprehensive study of society.
Directions:
1. Develop your own comprehensive definition of the term “Social Sciences.”
2. Write your definition on a separate sheet of paper.
3. Use other sources like dictionaries and search engines if these will only serve as
additional references.
Social Science /ˌsōSHəl ˈsīəns/ n. __________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Rubrics

Criteria Highest Possible Points

Content (presence of ideas) 10 points
Organization (order) 4 points
Style (choice of words) 4 points
Conventions (grammar, spelling) 2 points
Total 20 points

What I Have Learned

The term “Social Sciences” is characterized as the body of knowledge concerned with
the systematic study of various aspects of human society, several social phenomena, and
the effects of these occurrences on people’s lives.
• Positivism is a philosophical theory that believes that all reasonable assertions can be systematically
tested or proven by empirical sciences or is capable of logical or mathematical evidence.
• Auguste Comte is the founder of Positivism and the one who suggested the use of this philosophical
system in learning about human behaviors.
• Natural Sciences concentrate on examining all natural phenomena that happened, or are currently
occurring, in the world through tangible evidences such as fossils, artifacts, and natural forces.
• Humanities are disciplines that deal with several human conditions and the manners in which the human
experiences are processed and recorded.

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 What Can I Do

World of Words (WOW) (Communication, Critical Thinking)

Based on the article about the “Marawi Siege” make a reflection paper on this five-month-long armed
conflict happened between the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Maute group and the Abu Sayyaf, which
occurred in the Islamic City of Marawi that caused over thousand casualties and left the city ruined.
Directions: 1. Use all the words/terms inside the box.
2. Consider other words/terms if needed, to strengthen your reflection.
3. Write your reflection on a separate sheet of paper.
Diversity Future Human Behavior Knowledge Interconnected
Peace Politics Respect Social Sciences Society

Rubrics

Criteria Highest Possible Points

Content (presence of ideas) 10 points
Organization (order) 4 points
Style (choice of words) 4 points
Conventions (grammar, spelling) 2 points
Total 20 points

Directions: Read each question/sentence carefully and choose the letter of the best answer. Write your
answers on a separate sheet of paper.
1. “According to Albert Einstein, light has no mass. Thus, it also has no energy. However, how can
sunlight warm the earth without energy?” Which of the following academic disciplines can answer this
question?
A. Humanities B. Social Physics C. Natural Sciences D. Social Sciences

2. When a researcher tries to learn about human society and understand the things that are occurring in
it by conducting keen observations, critical analyses, and interpretations of social facts found from the
individuals living in a society, what element of Social Sciences does the researcher focus?
A. Empirical Analysis B. Society C. Nature D. Superstition

3. If the purpose of the scientific method in Natural Sciences is to study all natural phenomena that
happened, or are currently occurring, in our world using tangible evidences such as artifacts, fossils, and
natural forces, what is the purpose of the scientific method in Social Sciences?
A. To discover the laws of nature that rules our world.
B. To explore the creative expressions of human experiences.
C. To study the several human conditions and the manners wherein the human experiences are
processed and recorded.
D. To understand the different aspects of human society, several social phenomena, and the impacts of
these occurrences on people’s lives

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4. If the focus of the Natural Sciences is to explore all natural phenomena that occurred, or are currently
happening, in the world, what is the focus of the Humanities?
A. To study the different aspects of human society.
B. To explore the laws of nature that rules our world.
C. To discover the effects of social phenomena on people’s live.
D. To understand the numerous human conditions and the ways wherein the human experiences are
treated and documented.

5. In terms of the connection between Social Sciences and Humanities, some of the disciplines of Social
Sciences are also affiliated with Humanities. Which of the following disciplines of Social Sciences is NOT
associated with Humanities?
A. Anthropology B. Economics C. History D. Linguistics

6. Social Sciences began to become slightly scientific during the __________.

A. Age of Enlightenment B. Medieval Period C. Industrial Revolution D. Renaissance Period

7. Auguste Comte believed that theology and metaphysics are imperfect modes of knowledge and that
these two should be rejected since they cannot be verified by experimental investigation. Which of the
following tendencies of thought was founded by Auguste Comte to oppose the two studies?
A. Democracy B. Humanitarianism C. Evolution D. Positivism

8. In the elements of Social Sciences, the empirical analysis places the entire body of knowledge in a
systematic mode of inquiry about human societies through the scientific method while the society puts
the whole area of study on __________.
A. The creative expressions of human experiences
B. The people living in a society and their social environments or backgrounds
C. The study of all natural phenomena that occurred, or are currently occurring, in the world
D. The numerous human conditions and the manners in which the human experiences are treated and
recorded

9. Which of the following is NOT a definition of the term “society”?

A. It is the friendly association or companionship with other people
B. It is a large group of individuals whose relationships are impersonal and detached
C. It is the product of purposeful activities of individuals who came together for the attainment of a
common goal
D. It is an organized group of people whose members work together or regularly meet and have a
shared way of living, interest, and territory

10. The scientific method is less commonly used in what academic discipline?
A. Humanities B. Social Physics C. Natural Science D. Social Science

Reference
Books Abella, R. (2016). Introduction to the Philosophy of the Human Person. Quezon City, Philippines:
C & E Publishing, Inc. Dela Cruz, A. R., Fadrigon, C., & Mendoza, D. (2016). Disciplines and Ideas in
the Social Sciences. Quezon City, Philippines: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc. Delos Santos, D. L.
(2017). Community Engagement, Solidarity, and Citizenship. Manila, Philippines: Rex Book Store, Inc.
Sampa, E. (2017). Disciplines and Ideas in the Applied Social Sciences. Manila, Philippines: Rex Book
Store, Inc. Tatel, C., Jr. (2016). Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences. Manila, Philippines: Rex
Book Store, Inc.

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