Disciplines and Ideas in the

Social Sciences (DISS)

Level: SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL Semester: FIRST
Subject Group: SPECIALIZED SUBJECT Quarter: FIRST

Course Description:
The course introduces students to basic concepts, subjects, and methods of inquiry in the
disciplines that comprise the Social Sciences. It then discusses influential thinkers and ideas
in these disciplines, and relates these ideas to the Philippine setting and current global
trends.
Course Requirements and Calendar of Activities:
Below are the list of activities that must be completed and submitted with their corresponding
percentage.

Lesson Enabling Assessment Performance Check

1 1.Venn Diagram 1.Reflection Paper

2 2.Identify 2.Picture Collage

3 3.Situational Analysis

4 4.Personal Experience 3.Draw an Object

5 5.Table (c1) 4.Reflection Paper (c1)

6.Explain (c2) 5.Essay (c2)

7.Table (c3) 6.Poster Making (c3)

GRADING SYSTEM
Performance Check 50%
Enabling Assessment Activity 30%
Quarter 1 Examination 20%

1st Quarterly Grade 100%

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Prerequisite Assessment:
1. What is the difference between natural science and social science?

Learning Materials: Module, pen, paper, social science books, internet (if applicable)
Prerequisite Content-knowledge: Difference between natural science and social science
Prerequisite Skill: Differentiate natural science from social science

A. TIME ALLOTMENT: 4 hours

B. CONSULTATION: For questions and clarifications, you may consult your subject
teacher on the assigned schedule via face-to-face, FB messenger, mobile number.
C. MELCS At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
• Differentiate the nature and functions of Social Science disciplines with the
natural sciences and humanities.
D. INSTITUTIONAL VALUES: Critical Thinking
Learners will be able to apply critical thinking in:
• Defining Social Science, Natural Science and Humanities.
• Differentiating Social Science, Natural Science and Humanities.
E. OVERVIEW OF THE LESSON
This lesson is about the difference of social science, natural science and humanities and
its role in the society.
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STUDENT’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

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.

Chunk 1:

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
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.
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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?

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.
• 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.
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.
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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 (1798- 1857), 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?

Chunk 2:

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
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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.

SOCIAL SCIENCES DISCIPLINE ARE INTEGRATED, INTERRELATED, AND INTERDISCIPLINARY

TO THE NATURAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES

Social Sciences, as an academic discipline, is integrated and interrelated to other

disciplines such as natural sciences and humanities. They are not contradicting the body of
knowledge but instead, they collaborate to deepen and give more constructive and science-
based bodies of knowledge of what is happening to us, our society, and to the world itself.
They are integrated, interrelated, and interdisciplinary because the primary center of
the study of the three bodies of knowledge is how humans influence the society and the
world, the society to humans and to the world, and the world to society and humans. These
disciplines are undeniably still relevant in contemporary times as humans continue to search
for knowledge and contribute to the fast-changing world.

CONCEPTS BODY OF KNOWLEDGE

Social Sciences Natural Sciences Humanities
Nature The academic The academic The academic
discipline part of the discipline part of the discipline part of the
body of knowledge body of knowledge body of knowledge
Function Deals with the Deals with Deals with the study
institutions and explaining of the aspects of
functioning of concurrent and human society and
human society and existing theories and culture
with the changes happening
interpersonal to humans, the
relationships of environment,
individuals as society, and the
members of society world.
Methodology Speculative Empirical Speculative

Experiential Experimental Experiential

Scientific and Logical Scientific and Scientific and

Logical Abstract
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Summary

The Natural Sciences are empirical — that is, they are addressed by using our five senses of sight,
sound, touch, taste and smell. Their facts can be verified “empirically,” that is, with the five
senses. Everybody can verify them.

The Social Sciences are statistical — that is, they are addressed by surveys of large populations,
as well as by empirical evidence. For example, anthropology compares social groups in so-called
primitive economic conditions with social groups in more advanced economic conditions. It also
includes Archaeology, Psychology, Politics, Economics and History. Though most observations of
Social Science can be verified, some observations are matters of opinion — subject to a cultural
bias of the scientist.

The Humanities are neither empirical nor statistical. This includes Ethics — the study of Right and
Wrong (Good and Evil). It includes Aesthetics — the study of the Beautiful. It includes Poetry,
Rhetoric, Drama, the Fine Arts and the Performing Arts. There is no empirical way to verify the
data. The only methods of judgment that we enjoy in the Humanities are intuition, feeling,
opinion, debate and criticism. There is almost never a consensus about them.
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ANSWER SHEET (Please submit only the answers. Do not return the entire module.)

Name: ________________________________ Section: _______________________

LAST NAME, FIRST NAME MIDDLE INITIAL

ENGAGEMENT
Enabling Assessment 1

Directions: Complete the following Venn Diagram. Write your answer on a separate sheet of
short bond paper.

Social Science Natural Science

Differences Differences

Similarities

Differences

Humanities
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Assimilation
Performance Check 1

Directions: Your task is to make a 3 – 5 paragraph reflection paper about the current issues
with the integration of social sciences, natural sciences and humanities. Write your reflection
on a separate sheet of paper and put title on it. (15 pts.)
Suggested Topics:
1. Social media as a new form of consumerism
2. Online Selling: A business trending
3. Red Tagging and Harassment of Activist
4. Drug or Substance Abuse
5. Climate Change Impacts on Education
(You can make your own topic)

Rubric for Writing a Reflection Paper

Quality of Information 30%

Use of Textual Evidence 20%
Reflective Thinking 40%
Organization 10%
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Prerequisite Assessment:
1. Identify the different Social Science discipline

LESSON 2: THE EMERGENCE OF SOCIAL

Learning Materials: Module, pen, paper, social science books, internet (if applicable)
Prerequisite Content-knowledge: Social Sciences: The Study of Society
Prerequisite Skill: reflect on different social issues

A. TIME ALLOTMENT: 4 hours

B. CONSULTATION: For questions and clarifications, you may consult your subject
teacher on the assigned schedule via face-to-face, FB messenger, mobile number.
C. MELCS: At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
Explain the major events and its contribution that led to the emergence of the
social science disciplines
D. INSTITUTIONAL VALUES: Critical Thinking
Learners will be able to apply critical thinking in:
• Identifying the historical foundation and social context of each Social
Science disciplines;
• Establishing that study of Social Science includes disciplines like History,
Geography, Economics, Political Science and Sociology
E. OVERVIEW OF THE LESSON
This lesson is about the concepts and historical foundation of different social science
disciplines
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STUDENT’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Social Science covers a broad range of disciplines. This discipline explains the different fields
anchored in social sciences. Discipline for culture, financial aspects, the arrangement of all
the elements of the earth’s surface, the past events, language and its structure, forms of
government, mental processes, social relations, size, and growth of human populations. All of
these are under the social science discipline

Chunk 1: ANTHROPOLOGY AND ECONOMICS

DEFINITION OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND FIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY

The word anthropology comes from the New Latin “anthropologia” derived from the
combined words anthropos (human) and logos (study). It is the scientific study of humans,
human behavior, and societies in the past and present.
Anthropology and many other current fields are the intellectual results of the
comparative methods developed in the earlier 19th century. Theorists in such diverse fields
as anatomy, linguistics, and Ethnology, making feature-by-feature comparisons of their
subject matters, were beginning to suspect that similarities between animals, languages, and
folkways were the result of processes or laws unknown to them then of species they had seen
in agronomy and in the wild.
Darwin and Wallace unveiled evolution in the late 1850s. There was an immediate
rush to bring it into the social sciences. Paul Broca in Paris was in the process of breaking away
from the Société de biologie to form the first of the explicitly anthropological societies, the
Société d'Anthropologie de Paris in which the first meeting was in Paris in 1859. When he read
Darwin, he became an immediate convert to Transformism, as the French called evolutionism.
His definition now became "the study of the human group, considered as a whole, in its
details, and concerning the rest of nature."

BRANCHES OF ANTHROPOLOGY
• Social Anthropology – studies patterns of behavior.
• Cultural Anthropology – studies cultural meaning, including norms and values.
• Linguistic Anthropology – studies how language influences social life.
• Biological Anthropology – (physical anthropology) studies the biological development
of humans.
• Visual Anthropology – part of social anthropology, focuses on ethnographic film.
• Archaeology – studies human activity through investigation.

ETYMOLOGY, DEFINITION, AND SUBFIELDS OF ECONOMICS

Economics is derived from the Greek word “Oikonomia,” which means “household
management.” Economics was the first to read in ancient Greece. Aristotle, the Greek
Philosopher, termed economics as a science of “household management.” But with the
change of time and progress of civilization, the economic condition of man changes, resulting
in an evolutionary change in the definition of Economics.
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During the 18th century, Adam Smith, the Father of Economics, defined economics as
the “science of wealth.” According to him, “Economics is a science that enquires into the
nature and causes of the wealth of nations.”
Alfred Marshall defined economics as a study of mankind in the ordinary business of
life”.
Lionel Robbins, the modern economist, defined “Economics as a science which studies
human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternatives
uses.” Therefore, Economics, as a social science discipline, studies how people perform
economic activities and how they try to satisfy unlimited wants by the proper use of limited
resources.
BRANCHES OF ECONOMICS

• Microeconomics – examines how entities, forming a market structure, interact with

the market to create a market system. These entities include private and public players
with various classifications, typically operating under scarcity of tradable units and
light government regulations.
• Macroeconomics – examines the economy as a whole to explain broad aggregates
and their interactions “top-down,” that is, using a simplified form of general-
equilibrium theory.

Chunk 2: GEOGRAPHY AND HISTORY

Geography comes from the Greek word, “geographia” literally means “earth
description”. It is a field of science devoted to the study of lands, features, inhabitants, and
phenomena of the Earth and planets. The first person who used the word “geographia” was
Eratosthenes (276-194 BC).
BRANCHES OF GEOGRAPHY

• Physiography – or physical geography, focuses on geography as an Earth science. It

aims to understand the physical problems and the issues of lithosphere, hydrosphere,
atmosphere, pedosphere, and global flora and fauna patterns (biosphere). Physical
Geography is the study of earth’s seasons, climate, atmosphere, soil streams,
landforms, and oceans.
• Environmental geography – concerned with the description of the spatial interactions
between humans and the natural world. It requires an understanding of the traditional
aspects of physical and human geography.
• Geomatics – is concerned with the application of computers to the traditional spatial
techniques used in cartography and topography. Geomatics emerged from the
qualitative revolution in geography in the mid-1950s.
• Regional geography – a branch which is concerned with the description of the unique
characteristics of the earth’s surface, resulting in each area from the combination of
its complete natural or elements, as of physical and human environment.
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HISTORY
History comes from Greek word “historia,” meaning inquiry, knowledge acquired by
investigation. History is the study of the past. Events occurring before the invention of writing
systems are considered prehistory. History is the umbrella term that relates to past events as
well as the memory, discovery, collection, organization, presentation, and interpretation of
information about these events. Persons who focus on history are called historians.
Herodotus is considered to be the father of history.
History also includes the academic discipline which uses a narrative to describe,
examine, question, and analyze a sequence of past events, investigate the patterns of cause
and effect that are related to them. Historians seek to understand and represent the past
through initiatives. They often debate which narrative best explains an event, as well as the
significance of different causes and effect.

Chunk 3: LINGUISTICS AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

LINGUISTICS MEANING AND DEVELOPMENT
Linguistics is the scientific study of language. It involves the analysis of language form,
language meaning, and language in context. Linguistics also deals with social, cultural,
historical, and political factors that influence language through which linguistic and language-
based context is often determined.
HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT

• The earliest activities in the documentation and description of language have been
attributed to the 6th century BC Indian grammarian Panini who wrote a formal
description of the Sanskrit language in his Astadhyayi.
• Historical Linguistics is the study of language change over time, particularly with
regards to a specific language or group of languages. Historical linguistics was among
the first subdisciplines to emerge in linguistics. It was the most widely practiced form
of linguistics in the late 19th century.
• There was a shift of focus in the early 20th century to the synchronic approach (the
systemic study of the current stage in languages), but historical research remained a
field of linguistic inquiry. Noam Chomsky is the founder of Linguistics.

BRANCHES OF LINGUISTICS

• Syntax and Morphology

> branches of linguistics concerned with order and structure of meaningful linguistic
units such as words and morphemes.
> Syntacticians study the rules and constraints that govern how speakers of a language
can organize words into sentences.
> Morphologists study similar rules for the order of morphemes sub-word units such
as prefixes and suffixes – and how they may be combined to form words.
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• Semantics and Pragmatics

> are branches of linguistics concerned with meaning. These subfields have
traditionally been divided by the role of linguistic and social context in the
determination of meaning.
> Semantics in this conception is concerned with core meanings and pragmatics is
concerned with meaning in context.
• Phonetics and Phonology
> are branches of linguistics concerned with sounds (or the equivalent aspects of sign
languages)
> Phonetics is primarily concerned with the physical aspects of sounds, such as their
acoustics, production, and perception.
> Phonology is concerned with the linguistic abstractions and categorizations of
sounds.

POLITICAL SCIENCE MEANING AND ITS HISTORY

POLITICAL SCIENCE-was derived from the Greek word POLIS which means city state
and the Latin word SCIRE, which means science or to know. Therefore, POLITICAL SCIENCE is
the study of the city-state. However, political scientists define it as a social science dealing
with a systematic study of the state in its essential nature, form, manifestation, organization,
and development.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
The antecedents of Western politics can be traced back to the Socratic political
philosophers, such as Aristotle ("The Father of Political Science") (384–322 BC). Aristotle was
one of the first people to give a working definition of political science. He believed that it was
a powerful branch of science and that it held special authority over other branches, such as
military science. Political philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle began to analyze political
thought in a way that placed more significance on the scientific aspect of political science,
which was contrary to how it was portrayed by the Greek philosophers that came before
them. Before Plato, the main commentary on politics came from poets, historians, and
famous playwrights of the day.

BRANCHES OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

• POLITICAL THEORY - the study of theories and doctrines on the origin, form, behavior,
and purposes of the state and government. It is also called political philosophy.
• PUBLIC LAW - the field of political science focused on the study of legal rules and
principles governing states, governments, and individuals as they are related to one
another.
• GOVERNMENT - this field studies the structure and functions of both national and
local governments within the context of one state or country.
• COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT - this field focuses on analyzing the similarities and
differences among states relative to their executive, legislative, and judicial branches
of government, as well as their fundamental laws, functions, political cultures, and
traditions.
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• INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS - study of foreign policies of countries, international

organizations, and international law.
• PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION - deals with the actual management of the government in
the realms of administrative organization, personnel, and human resource
management, fiscal management, and management of public relations
• PUBLIC POLICY - it is concerned with the assessment and evaluation of the various
policies pursued by the government in areas like education, defense, and health.
• POLITICAL DYNAMICS - this field is a critical inquiry into the various societal forces
that exert influence on political decision and action.
• GOVERNMENT AND BUSINESS - looks into the government’s exercise of corporate or
business function, as well as its regulatory function that affects the economy of the
state. It is also called POLITICAL ECONOMY.
• LEGISLATURE - focuses on the essential role played by the lawmaking body in
rulemaking, as well as the politics behind the legislation.
• GEOPOLITICS - delves on critically analyzing the influences of population, resources,
and the physical environment of a country on its local and international politics.

Chunk 4: PSYCHOLOGY AND DEMOGRAPHY

PSYCHOLOGY
Psychology is derived from the Greek roots meaning the study of the psyche or soul
(psyche – breath, spirit, soul, and logia – study or research). Psychology is the science of
mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena
as well as feeling and thought. It is an academic discipline of immense scope. Psychologists
seek an understanding of the emergent properties of brains and all the variety of phenomena
linked to those emergent properties, joining this way the broader neuro-scientific group of
researchers. As a social science, it aims to understand individuals and groups by establishing
general principles and researching specific cases.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
• The ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, China, India, and Persia were all engaged in
the philosophical study of psychology. In ancient Egypt, the Ebers Papyrus mentioned
depression and thought disorders. Historians note that Greek philosophers, including
Thales, Plato, and Aristotle, addressed the workings of the mind. As early as the 4 th
century BC, Greek physician Hippocrates theorized that mental disorders had physical
rather than supernatural causes.
• In China, psychological understanding grew from the philosophical works of Laozi and
Confucius, and later from the doctrines of Buddhism.
• The founder of Psychology is Wilhelm Wundt.

BRANCHES OF PSYCHOLOGY
• Clinical psychology - integrates science, theory, and practice to understand, predict,
and relieve problems with adjustment, disability, and discomfort. It promotes
adaption, adjustment, and personal development. Can help us to understand,
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prevent, and alleviate psychologically-caused distress or dysfunction, and promote an

individual’s well-being and personal development.
• Cognitive psychology - investigates internal mental processes, such as problem
solving, memory, learning, and language. It looks at how people think, perceive,
communicate, remember, and learn. It is closely related to neuroscience, philosophy,
and linguistics. Look at how people acquire, process, and store information.
• Developmental psychology - This is the scientific study of systematic psychological
changes that a person experiences over the life span, often referred to as human
development. It focuses not only on infants and young children but also teenagers,
adults, and older people.
• Evolutionary psychology - looks at how human behavior, for example, language, has
been affected by psychological adjustments during evolution.
• Forensic psychology - involves applying psychology to criminal investigation and the
law. It involves assessing the psychological factors that might influence a case or
behavior and presenting the findings in court.
• Health psychology - is also called behavioral medicine or medical psychology. It
observes how behavior, biology, and social context influence illness and health.
• Biological psychology / Neuropsychology - looks at the structure and function of the
brain about behaviors and psychological processes. Neuropsychology may be
involved if a condition involves lesions in the brain, and assessments that involve
recording electrical activity in the brain.
• Occupational or organizational psychology - are involved in assessing and making
recommendations about the performance of people at work and in training political
decisions and action.
• Social psychology - uses scientific methods to understand how social influences
impact human behavior. It seeks to explain how feelings, behavior, and thoughts are
influenced by the actual, imagined, or implied presence of other people.

DEMOGRAPHY
Demography comes from prefix demo – from the Ancient Greek, demos meaning “the
people”, and –graphy from grapho, ies “writing, description or measurement”. Demography
is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings.
Formal demography limits its object of study to the measurement of population
processes, while broader field of social demography or population studies also analyses the
relationships between economic, social, cultural, and biological processes influencing a
population.
Demography is the study of human population dynamics. It encompasses the study of
the size, structure, and distribution of populations, and how populations change over time
due to births, deaths, migration, and aging. Demographic analysis can relate to whole
societies or smaller groups defined by criteria such as education, religion, or ethnicity.

HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT
The study of human populations has its roots, like sociology generally, in the societal
changes that accompanied both the scientific and industrial revolutions. Some early
mathematicians developed primitive forms of life tables, which are tables of life expectancies,
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for life insurance and actuarial purposes. Censuses, another demographic tool, were
instituted for primarily political purposes:
• as a basis for taxation
• as a basis for political representation The development of demographic calculations
started in the 18th century. Census taking, on the other hand, has a long history dating
back close to 2,000 years among the Chinese and the Romans and even further back
in history among some groups in the Middle East. Most modern censuses began in the
late 18th century.
• John Graunt is the founder of Demography.

METHODS IN DEMOGRAPHY
• DIRECT METHODS
➢ Direct data comes from vital statistics registries that track all births and deaths
as well as certain changes in legal status such as marriage, divorce, and
migration.
➢ A census is another common direct method of collecting demographic data.
Census typically collect information about families or household in addition to
individual characteristics such as age, sex, marital status, literacy/education,
employment status and occupation, and geographical location.
• INDIRECT METHODS
➢ Countries and periods where full data are not available, such as is the case in
much of the developing world, and most of the historical demography.
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ANSWER SHEET (Please submit only the answers. Do not return the entire module.)

Name: ________________________________ Section: _______________________

LAST NAME, FIRST NAME MIDDLE INITIAL

ENGAGEMENT
Enabling Assessment Activity 2Direction: Determine which among the disciplines of the
social sciences best represents the following pictures. Do this in separate sheet of paper.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 18

Assimilation
Performance Check 2
Direction: Your task is to make a picture collage showing activities happened from past to
present of the various social science discipline. Use the space provided in making your photo
collage. (20pts.)

Rubric for Picture Collage

Title and Explanation 30%

Attention to the Theme 40%
Creativity 20%
Visual Impact 10%
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 19

Prerequisite Assessment:
1. Define the concepts of Structural Functionalism, Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism.

Learning Materials: Module, pen, paper, social science books, internet (if applicable)
Prerequisite Content-knowledge: Concepts and historical foundation of different social
science discipline
Prerequisite Skill: Picture collage of different social science discipline.

A. TIME ALLOTMENT: 4 hours

B. CONSULTATION: For questions and clarifications, you may consult your subject
teacher on the assigned schedule via face-to-face, FB messenger, mobile number.
C. MELCS: At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
• Analyze the basic concepts and principles of the major social science theories…
a. Structural-functionalism b. Marxism c. Symbolic Interactionism
• Apply the major social science theories and its importance in examining socio-
cultural, economic, and political conditions.
a. Structural-functionalism b. Marxism c. Symbolic Interactionism
D. INSTITUTIONAL VALUES: Critical Thinking
Learners will be able to apply critical thinking in:
• defining the concepts Structural Functionalism, Marxism and Symbolic
Interactionism;
• applying the concept of Structural Functionalism, or Marxism, or Symbolic
Interactionism in different situation
E. OVERVIEW OF THE LESSON
This lesson is about dealing with three of the social science theories- Structural
Functionalism, Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism. You will be able to situate your life
experiences as we shall go along with the discussions.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 20

STUDENT’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Chunk 1: STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM

First, what is meant by structural functionalism? Taking its etymology, according to

Encyclopedia Britannica, structural functionalism, “is a school of thought according to which
each of the institutions, relationships, res, and norms that together constitute a society serves
a purpose, and each is indispensable for the continued existence of the others and of society
as a whole.”

Basing from such definition, we can say that each institution in a given society play a vital role
for its functionality or success. On a micro- perspective, each institution may only be
functional when and if each of its members performs the task required and expected of
her/him. Reduce this analysis to the family, where this most basic social institution may be
operational only when all the family members from the father through the mother and the
children contribute something in support of each other. The family is not functional
structurally when the father or the mother is the only one working.

According to Study.com, Herbert Spencer, who was the primary advocate of structural
functionalism, ‘compared society to a human body where each part of the body works in
harmony with all the other parts.’

Principles Peculiar to Structural Functionalism

There are some concepts/principles which underpin Structural Functionalism and they are as
follows:

• Collective Conscience
According to this principle of structural functionalism, the members of a given society,
or if seen from a micro perspective, a given institution, must have a shared
participation in every endeavour. Everything has to be done collectively and
individualism as an end has to be ruled out. Each may work individually but each would
have collective result as an end. As each toils for the group, he/she must always be
guided by shared values like the goals, norms and roles. This obtains in both macro
and micro perspectives.
• Social Order
There has to be established security, in terms of the basic needs, among the people
for social order to be in place. The lack or merely the insufficiency for instance of food
would render an institution not functional already.

• Education
Education comes in the form of a well-informed populace. Education does not
necessarily presuppose that everyone must be degree- holders. Having the know-how
about the role one has to take or the knowledge about the functional norms is
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 21

education sufficient enough already for the structure or the institution to be

functional.
• Deviance and Crime
The principle of deviance and crime may sound negative but this is just to show that
the society involved to create a functional structure is also responsible for socially-
constructed behaviour. The functionality of a structure or of an institution which may
be distracted by deviance and crime would depend on the other three principles as
discussed earlier.

Chunk 2: MARXISM

Marxism as a socio-economic theory was espoused by Karl Marx (The Communist Manifesto)
and Friedrich Engels during the nineteenth century. Accordingly, Marxism talks about the
capitalist mode of production which enables the bourgeoisie to exploit the proletariat and as
a result, it leads to the struggle of the proletariat. They strive to obtain freedom from the end
of the proletariat may end up to the overthrow of the bourgeoisie through an armed struggle.

Principles of Marxism
Since Marxism is also a socio-economic system, it would be help in analyzing the economic
development of the different countries in the world. Discussed below are the principles of
Marxism which would guide us in such analysis.

• Exploitation and Alienation

This principle refers to the exploitation of the workers by the employers who are the
alter ego of the capitalists. This happens where and when the workers could be made
to render hours of work beyond what is stipulated, or they could be required to work
more than or even less than their job description.
In the process, the workers experience alienation because they are deprived of the
right to be their own persons as they shall submit to the will of the bourgeoisie.
• Class consciousness
It is incumbent in the people to take cognizance of the existence of stratification- be
it according to the socio-economic status, or according to gender, or to any indicator
of distinction of segments of the population. Relative to this, the people must be
conscious of the probability of inequalities or injustices and must act according to how
they understand their position in the society.
• Emancipation of the workers
This principle presupposes that the members of the proletariat themselves are held
responsible for their liberation. They cannot depend on any other social class because
they are basically on their own from the very beginning.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 22

• Historical Materialism
This principle requires of the members of the proletariat to be in the know of the
whereabouts of class struggle in the history of man to enable them understand their
struggle and to capacitate them in the fight as well.

Chunk 3: SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM

According to Blydenian (http://www.blydenian.net/the-nature-of- symbolic-interactionism/)

culled as excerpt from Herbert Blumer, “The Nature of Symbolic Interactionism”, Chapter 1
in Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method (1969), symbolic interactionism rests in
the last analysis on three simple premises. The first premise says that human beings act
according to the meanings that they attach toward anything that they perceive around them.
The second premise refers to the conception that such meanings come as a result of the social
interaction between and among men. And, the third premise says that these meanings are
dealt with and modified through an interpretative process by the person and this serves as a
guide to his/her encounters in life.
Simply put, symbolic interactionism, by nature, is the sum total of the meaning of man’s
interactions and how such become imperative to anything that he/she encounters.

Core Principles of Symbolic Interactionism

As per the article Symbolic Interactionism Theory in Psychology, Behavioral and Social
Science, there are three core principles involved in symbolic interactionism and they are as
follows:
• Meaning
This principle is the core of symbolic interactionism because all of man’s actions are
anchored from whatever meaning is attached to the other person, or to a thing or
even to an occurrence.
• Language
The second principle talks about the naming or identification of the thing or things or
even the action or actions. Meanings would not be created if there is no naming that
will take place. The naming process is done only with the use of language.
• Thought
This third principle of symbolic interactionism speaks of how we interpret the symbols
and more often than not it involves imagination.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 23

ANSWER SHEET (Please submit only the answers. Do not return the entire module.)

Name: ________________________________ Section: _______________________

LAST NAME, FIRST NAME MIDDLE INITIAL

Engagement
Enabling Assessment Activity 3

Direction. Below are scenarios about the social science theories of Structural Functionalism,
Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism. Read each carefully and understand the situations
before answering. Write a five-liner justification to support your answer to the questions. You
can cite more than one theory for each scenario. (10pts.)

1. At XYZ Corporation, the workers in the production area were required to work even on
weekends to cope with the high demand of their product from local as well as foreign
consumers. These workers wanted to do otherwise as they wanted to have family time on
weekends. There is then a big possibility that these workers would in no time find a way to
emancipate themselves. What theory was referred to in the scenario? Would the said workers
be able to enjoy their weekends? Why? Why not?

2. Mr. P wrote and sent a love letter, following the traditional practice, to Miss L. For the
former, it was his way of expressing whatever he felt because he was smitten by the beauty
and kindness of the lady. However, for the latter the letter was simply a manifestation of
appreciation and care for the opposite sex and not implying romantic love. What social
science theory was presented in this scenario? What core principles were manifested? Why?
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 24

Prerequisite Assessment:
• Continuation of the previous lesson

Learning Materials: Module, pen, paper, social science books, internet (if applicable)
Prerequisite Content-knowledge: Concepts and principles of Structural Functionalism,
Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism
Prerequisite Skill: Analyze each scenario
A. TIME ALLOTMENT: 4 hours
B. CONSULTATION: For questions and clarifications, you may consult your subject
teacher on the assigned schedule via face-to-face, FB messenger, mobile number.
C. MELCS: At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
• Analyze the basic concepts and principles of the major social science theories…
a. Structural-functionalism b. Marxism c. Symbolic Interactionism
• Apply the major social science theories and its importance in examining socio-
cultural, economic, and political conditions.
a. Structural-functionalism b. Marxism c. Symbolic Interactionism

D. INSTITUTIONAL VALUES: Critical Thinking

Learners will be able to apply critical thinking in:
• Identifying the different proponents or contributors from the three theoretical
approaches in Sociology.
• Describing the three theoretical approaches in Sociology.
E. OVERVIEW OF THE LESSON
This lesson is about dealing with three of the social science theories- Structural
Functionalism, Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism. You will be able to situate your life
experiences as we shall go along with the discussions.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 25

STUDENT’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Social Science Theories
Social Science Theories are also known as the Three Theoretical Approaches in Sociology,
namely Structural-Functional Theory, Conflict Theory, and Symbolic Interactionist Theory.

Structural-Functional Theory
Functionalism was first presented by Herbert Spencer wherein he described society as a
mechanism involving parts similar to a human body. These parts of society focus on the
different social institutions, like government, education, family, healthcare, religion, and
economy. Thus, Structural-Functional Theory perceives society in a macro level. According to
Emile Durkheim, to maintain stability, people need to work together as an interrelated and
interdependent parts of society. Interdependent parts include values, languages, and
symbols. He introduced laws, morals, religions, and customs as examples of social facts. Alfred
Radcliffe-Brown suggests that people should contribute to the society for stability and
continuity. There are two functions of Structural-Functionalism which include manifest and
latent functions. Robert Merton define Manifest Function as something that is sought or
anticipated result while Latent Functions are the unsought consequences. However, in line
with the definition of Merton, there are also undesirable consequences which is known as
Dysfunctions.

Conflict Theory (Marxism)

Karl Marx recognized “social classes” as a problem of society that leads to unequal social
structure, making Conflict Theory as an approach in a society at a macro level. The presence
of Bourgeoisie which is also known as the Capitalist or the owner of production and the
Proletariat—the working class resulted social conflicts, like economic inequality, inequality of
political power, and unequal social structure. Social conflicts were first addressed by Max
Weber and the factors affecting social conflicts include age, education, income, gender,
sexuality, and race. C. Wright Mills identified “power elite” which includes corporate, political,
and military people as the threat to freedom amongst the rest of society. These imbalances
in the society are only believed to be resolved through a revolution.

Symbolic Interactionist Theory

The founder of Symbolic Interactionism is George Herbert Mead and he referred symbolic
interactionism as the relationship among individuals within a society though
communication—exchange of meaning through languages and symbols. Herbert Blumer
followed the works of Mead and introduced Three Tenets of Meaning which include
(a)meaning based from action, (b)meaning varies from different people and (c)meaning can
change. Meaning can be very specific to every person making everyone holds different
meaning and new meaning will only rise if there is communication. Dramaturgical Analysis is
also included in symbolic interactionism as Erving Goffman described society similar to a
theatre wherein the people portray a role a mentioned in the script. These role pertaining to
the people addresses society in a micro level. The roles are generally accepted by most within
the society but there are still short deviances.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 26

ANSWER SHEET (Please submit only the answers. Do not return the entire module.)

Name: ________________________________ Section: _______________________

LAST NAME, FIRST NAME MIDDLE INITIAL

ENGAGEMENT:
Enabling Assessment Activity 4

Direction. Your task is to carefully distinguish the importance of basic concepts and principles
of the following major social sciences theories (Structural – Functionalism, Marxism, and
Symbolic Interactionism) by sharing your personal experiences in the following institutions:
Family, Church, School, Government, and Media. After this, answer the guide questions that
follow. Write your answers on a separate sheet of paper. (20pts.)

INSTITUTIONS PERSONAL EXPERIENCES

FAMILY

SCHOOL

GOVERNMENT

CHURCH

MEDIA

Guide Questions:
1. How did structural-functionalism help you interpret some personal
experiences?
2. How important is structural functionalism in understanding the different
institutions in society?
3. How can our personal and social experiences about social inequality help
us understand others and our society as a whole?
4. What do you think are the reasons why social inequalities exist in society?
5. How do you consider these scenarios/everyday forms of interactions as the
portrayal of symbolic interactionism?
6. What symbols triggered you in interpreting your personal experience?
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 27

Assimilation
Performance Check 3

Direction: If you were to wrap up your relationship with your family, what object or thing
would symbolize it? Draw that object or thing and write a one-liner caption why you chose
that and discuss what activity/es inside your household that best represents Structural –
Functionalism, Marxism, and Symbolic Interactionism (give at least 1). Use a separate sheet
of paper for the drawing.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 28

Prerequisite Assessment:
1. What are the contributions of Psychoanalysis, Rational Choice, Institutionalism, Feminist
Theory, Hermeneutical Phenomenology, Human-Environment Systems to the behavior of the
human being?

Learning Materials: Module, pen, paper, social science books, internet (if applicable)
Prerequisite Content-knowledge: Concepts Structural Functionalism, Marxism and Symbolic
Interactionism
Prerequisite Skill: Reflect on personal experiences in relation to Structural-Functionalism,
Marxism and Symbolic Interactionism

A. TIME ALLOTMENT: 4 hours

B. CONSULTATION: For questions and clarifications, you may consult your subject
teacher on the assigned schedule via face-to-face, FB messenger, mobile number.
C. MELCS: At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
• Analyze the basic concepts and principles of the major social science ideas:
a. Psychoanalysis b. Rational Choice c. Institutionalism
d. Feminist Theory e. Hermeneutical Phenomenology f. Human-Environment
Systems
• Apply the social science ideas and its importance in examining socio-cultural,
economic, and political conditions.
a. Psychoanalysis b. Rational Choice c. Institutionalism
d. Feminist Theory e. Hermeneutical Phenomenology f. Human-Environment
Systems

D. INSTITUTIONAL VALUES: Critical Thinking

Learners will be able to apply critical thinking in:
• Defining what is Psychoanalysis, Rational Choice, Institutionalism, Feminist Theory,
Hermeneutical Phenomenology, Human-Environment Systems
• Analyzing the basic concepts and principles of the major social science ideas: a.
Psychoanalysis b. Rational Choice c. Institutionalism d. Feminist Theory e.
Hermeneutical Phenomenology f. Human-Environment Systems
E. OVERVIEW OF THE LESSON
This lesson is about dealing with six of the social science theories Psychoanalysis,
Rational Choice, Institutionalism, Feminist Theory, Hermeneutical Phenomenology,
Human-Environment Systems. You will be able to situate your life experiences as we
shall go along with the discussions.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 29

STUDENT’S EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING

Chunk 1:

RATIONAL CHOICE
Rational choice theory, also known as choice theory or rational
action theory, is a framework for understanding and often formally
modeling social and economic behavior. The basic premise of rational
choice theory is that aggregate social behavior results from the behavior
of individual actors, each of whom is making their individual decisions. The
theory also focuses on the determinants of individual choices
(methodological individualism). The rational choice theory then assumes
that an individual has preferences among the available choice alternatives
that allow them to state which option they prefer. The rational choice
fundamental assumption is that individual action is based on their conduct on the logical process.
The premise of rational choice theory as a social science methodology is that the aggregate behavior
in society reflects the sum of the choices made by individuals. Everyone, in turn, makes their choice
based on their preferences and the constraints (or choice set) they face.

At the individual level, rational choice theory stipulates that the agent
chooses the action (or outcome) they most prefer. In the case where actions
(or outcomes) can be evaluated in terms of costs and benefits, a rational
individual chooses the action (or outcome) that provides the maximum net
benefit, i.e., the maximum benefit minus cost.

The theory applies to more general settings than those identified by costs
and benefits. In general, rational decision-making entails choosing among
all available alternatives the alternative that the individual most prefer. The
"alternatives" can be a set of actions ("what to do?") or a set of objects
("what to choose/buy?"). In the case of actions, what the individual cares
about are the outcomes that result from each possible action. Actions, in this case, are only an
instrument for obtaining an outcome.

Rational Choice Theory and Exchange Theory

It has long been assumed that people are motivated by money. Then some sociologists theorized that
people were motivated by is what is best for them in all their actions and that their actions were
shaped by their desire for more, rather than less, of something good. This led to the development of
rational choice theory.

The main assumption behind the rational choice theory is the idea that everything people do is
fundamentally rational. Rationality here means that a person is acting as if they were weighing the
cost and benefits of possible actions so that they can maximize their gain.

Three Assumptions Underlying Rational Choice Theory

1. FIRST is the assumption of completeness, which means that every action can be ranked. If
three possible actions can take, completeness means that none of the options have equal
value. A is preferable to B and B is preferable to C. And that C is not then preferable to A
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 30

because that would be circular and irrational according to our definition. This leads to the
second assumption.
2. The SECOND assumption is transitivity. This means that if we look at those three options since
A is preferable to B is preferable to C, then A is also preferable to C. It’s like in math. A is
greater than B is greater than C, therefore, A is greater than C.
3. The THIRD assumption is called the independence of irrelevant alternatives. That’s just a big
fancy way of saying that if we suddenly have a fourth option, X, that it won’t change the order
of how it ranked in the first three options. We already have A is better than B is better than C.
If X is better than C but worse than B, B isn’t suddenly going to be preferable to A. A is still the
best option.
These three assumptions result in a consistent, rankable set of possible actions.
Exchange Theory is an application of rational choice theory to social interactions. It looks at society
as a series of interactions between individuals. And is often used to study family relationships, work
relationships, partner selection, parenting, and many other interpersonal interactions.

These interactions are determined by weighing the rewards and punishments of every interaction.
If the interaction results in approval, it is more likely to be repeated. Because social approval is a
reward. But are the interaction results in a punishment, like social disapproval, it is less likely to be
repeated. This may seem obvious to you, that, you’ll do something to get a reward, while you’ll
avoid something that will wind up in punishment.

But this is the basic principle behind the exchange theory. That the behavior of an individual in an
interaction can be figured out by comparing the rewards and the punishments. Rewards can be social
approval, recognition, money, gifts, or positive gestures, like a smile. While punishments consist of
social disapproval, humiliation, or negative gestures, like a frown.

There are quite a few assumptions that exchange theory depends on.

1. People seek to rationally maximize their profits. Which means they seek rewards and avoid
punishments.
2. Assumed that interactions operate within the social norms. Assumes that people have access
to the information they need to make rational choices.
3. Assumed that most human fulfillment comes from other people.

Strengths of Rational Choice Theory

• Generality – one set of hypotheses applies to all sets of structural hypotheses, that is the most
general theory of social action which can be used to understand all human behavior (Ogu, 2013)
• Parsimony – a principle to which an explanation of a thing or event is made with the fewest possible
assumptions.
• Predictive – decisions of individuals depend on the structures and assumptions.

Criticisms of Rational Choice Theory

• Difficulty encountered by individuals to make decisions in case of inadequate information and
uncertainty.
• Human social action and interactions is complex and rational choice theory may not be able to
explain all of these complexities.
• Difficulty of explaining macro level structures and institutions simply from the models of individual
social action.
• Rational choice assumption that almost everything humans do is rational is problematic, since not
all human actions are rational.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 31

Institutionalism

Institutionalism is an approach that highlights the role of institutions, both formal and non-
formal, in affecting social behavior. It is a theory that views institutions as humanly devised constraints
that structure political, economic and social interactions.
Institutionalism made its debut during the late 19 th and early 20 th centuries through the
initiatives of American institutional economists along with Thorstein Veblen as a leading figure. The
German sociologist Max Weber is considered the most important institutionalist who was influenced
by early German historical economists. Also, Johan Olsen and James March are some of the well-
known figures in institutionalism.

Key concepts in Institutionalism:

A. Institutions – often referred to as the “rules of the game” (North, 1991). They are humanly-
devised constraints that affect human interaction, devised by people to be able to gain control
over their environment for the purpose of bringing about certainty in an uncertain world. It
also seen as a way of minimizing transaction costs or the costs of relations between people.
B. Informal Institutions – refers to rules governing behavior outside official channels which may
have constitutive and regulative effects on human behavior. Constitutive effects refer to
aspects of culture that affect economic behavior while regulative effects refer to the ways in
which values and beliefs of a society are manifested through social norms and behaviors which
regulate behavior. Example is cultural practices concerning courtship and marriage, which
may vary from one society to another (Soya & Jutting, 2014).
C. Formal Institutions – refer to those officially established, often by governments. They are
legally introduced and enforced by the state. Excellent examples are laws, business
organizations, religious groups and educational institutions.

Strengths of Institutionalism
• New institutionalism emphasizes that institutions are central makers in the process of preference
formation.
• New institutionalism provides the analytical tools for determining institutional change.
• Even though the new institutionalists return to the institutional root of political science, they also
stress the importance of individual actors in the political process.
• New institutionalism helps us to really examine the nature of institutions in a political system.
• The theory is very helpful in explaining how existing institutions continue to exist, since the
persistence of an institution often depends on the benefits it can deliver.

Criticisms of Institutionalism
• Its claim that rationality is the basic factor of human choice in all undertakings.
• Too focus on macro-level analysis.
• Inability to offer a refined comprehension of how institutions affect human behaviour.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 32

ANSWER SHEET (Please submit only the answers. Do not return the entire module.)

Name: ________________________________ Section: _______________________

LAST NAME, FIRST NAME MIDDLE INITIAL

ENGAGEMENT
Enabling Assessment Activity 5
Directions: Complete the table by showing a brief description, contributors, strengths and criticisms
of the lesson (Rational Choice Theory & Institutionalism) being discussed. Copy the table in a separate
sheet of paper.

Assimilation

Performance Check 4

Directions: Choose one scenario from the ones listed below and share your own personal and social
experience or knowledge of them using one of the two theories discussed in this lesson. Write a
reflection paper about it.

a. Being a member of a particular organization (religious or socio- civic)

b. Deciding where to eat during lunch break
c. Roles of your family in shaping your norms and value
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 33

Chunk 2:

Hermeneutic Phenomenology

Hermeneutics refers to the art of understanding and the theory of interpretation. It is the
process of making the incomprehensible understandable. Phenomenology means the science of
phenomena. Hermeneutic Phenomenology aims to reveal the life world of human experience as it
is lived. HP concerns itself with understanding and interpreting human experience as it is lived. It is an
effort to “get beneath” the subjective experience and find the genuine, objective nature of things.
Focuses on the relationship between the event and the person, and how meaning is formed in that
relationship. Studies interpretive structures of experience, how we understand and engage things
around us in our human world, including ourselves and others (Woodruff, 2008).
It came out as a theory of human understanding beginning in the late18th and early 19th
centuries. Martin Heidegger is credited for having started hermeneutical phenomenology. Hans-Georg
Gadamer also contributed in the study of hermeneutic phenomenology.

Key concepts in Hermeneutic Phenomenology

A. Historicality – individual’s background that includes what one receives from culture since birth and
passed on from generation to generation. One’s background cannot be made completely specific.
People and the world are connected in cultural, social and historical contexts.
B. Preunderstanding – refers to a meaning or organization of a culture that are already there before
we understand. This organization of culture becomes part of our historicality of background. A person
cannot set aside this for it is understood as already part of us in the world. Nothing can be encountered
without referring to a person’s background understanding

Strengths of Hermeneutic Phenomenology

• As a social science approach, it helps researchers to clarify lived experience and expose meaning
through a process of understanding and interpretation.
• It allows the experiences of people to be presented in a straightforward and suggestive manner,
giving the reader an opportunity to imaginatively take part into the experiences describe.
• It also serves as a vehicle for readers to reflect on the meaning of the experiences described,
reminding them that experiences are far more complicated than we actually think.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 34

Criticisms of Hermeneutic Phenomenology

• Its focus on experiences unique to the individuals and to their context makes it hard to generalize
for a larger population.
• Its findings cannot be used as basis for policy frameworks.
• It focuses on individual experiences and not on the effects of structures on individuals’
understanding and interpretation of their experiences.

Human-Environment System

Human-environment systems, is also known as environmental social science, sustainability

science, and Coupled Human and Natural Systems (CHANS). H-ES refers to an integrated scientific
agenda for studying the border and mutual interactions that link human to natural sub-systems of the
planet. According to Emilio Moran, a world-renowned social anthropologist, it is a cross disciplinary
venture based on the belief that social and natural systems are inseparable. It deals with broader
studies into the intricate nature of mutual interactions and feedbacks between humans and on the
environment and the effect of the environment on humans. It is a collaborative work between the
scientists and social scientists working on the interrelations between humans and the environment
(Moran, 2010).
The on-set of the studies started on 1987 when a group of researchers started working on the
phenomenon of global change thus, making human- environment research became important
(Moran, 2010). Carl Saucer, a famous geographer, encouraged environmental thinkers to study the
humanized environment or the idea that the environment is influenced by human activity in terms of
landscape. Donald Meinig believes that any landscape is composed not only of what we see but what
we know. It means that our interpretations of landscapes are shaped by our own preferences, needs
and experiences.

Key concepts in Human-Environment Systems

A. Landscape – it refers not only to the beautiful spot that you view from a scenic perspective
but he mixture of environmental and human phenomenon that coexists together in a specific
place on Earth. This includes physical features such as rivers, hills, forests and soils as well as
human-made buildings, roads, bridges and mines. The concept of landscapes refers to both
human and non-human phenomena, stressing the idea that it is impossible to absolutely
separate the human from the non-human.
B. Feedback mechanism – refers to the phenomenon of system components both affecting each
other and which creates a feedback loop: the effect to a system component that is result of
an action done by that component. In H-ES, humanity affects the environment and the
environment affects human.
C. Sustainability – it refers to the ability for something to be maintained. It is the capacity of a
system to maintain its health and continue in existence over period of time. Sustainability
limits human goals and material aspiration because it requires that production does a little
damage as possible to economic activity. Concepts related to sustainability are carrying
capacity, resilience and stability. Carrying capacity is the largest size that the resources permit.
Resilience is the ability of the system to return to its initial state after disturbance. Stability is
producing the same result even disturbance

Strengths of Human-Environment Systems

• It utilizes a multidisciplinary approach in the study of interrelations between humans and
environment thus it brings together scholars from the fields of science and social science.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 35

• It utilizes a micro and macro-analysis by understanding how the environment affects people and vice
versa.
• Research findings can be used as framework in policy making which might affect results and favour
sustainability of human-environment interactions.

Criticisms of Human-Environment Systems

• It requires bringing together a large team of scholars, scientists as well as social scientist, which is
not easy thing to do given the fact that most scholars prefer to work alone than in teams.
• H-ES research has to face the idea of multi-nationality or there must be a comparative wherein one
must collect analogous data in a number of nations or regions so as to test the variety of biophysical
and social process

Humans have the capacity to interact with their environment. Humans and the environment
have “mutual” interaction with each other. Humans have the capacity to change or influence the
balance of society. Humans always have the capacity to adapt to its ENVIRONMENT; It is a complex of
many variables that surrounds man as well as living organisms. Environment includes water, air and
land and the interrelationships which exist among and SYSTEM; it may be described as a complex of
interacting components together with the relationships among them that permit the identification of
a boundary-maintaining entity or process.
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ANSWER SHEET (Please submit only the answers. Do not return the entire module.)

Name: ________________________________ Section: _______________________

LAST NAME, FIRST NAME MIDDLE INITIAL

ENGAGEMENT
Enabling Assessment Activity 6

Direction: In the first column of the table are statements on the lesson discussed. In two or three
sentences expound the following statements basing from your understanding of the topic discussed.
Do this in a separate piece of paper.

Assimilation
Performance Check 5

Direction: Answer the following questions comprehensively.

1. Are you proud of how you became now? If yes, what makes you proud? If no, why? Give at least
five reasons and explain in 2-3 sentences your reason.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 37

2. What social issue do you think should be given priority by authorities?

3. Do you think that your environment shapes you?

Chunk 3:

Psychoanalysis

According to the American Psychoanalytic Association (APsaA), psychoanalysis can be

described in two ways: first it is comprehensive theory about human nature, drive actions, growth and
experience. Second, it also refers to a method of treatment for psychological problems and challenges
in living a successful life. It is based on the observation that individuals are often unaware of the factors
that determine their emotions and behavior.
Psychoanalysis is considered under critical social science because of its emancipatory goal of
liberating the individual from the unconscious by analyzing the sources of domination which are
hidden to a person (Jose and Ong, 2016). Psychoanalysis as a social science approach liberates people
by acquiring consciousness of the unconscious. By means of it, people will understand why they
behave in a certain way or why they hold certain values and beliefs.
Sigmund Freud started the study of psychoanalysis in 1890s. he believed that the human mind
was composed of three elements: the id, the ego, and the superego. He was influenced by Joseph
Breurer who believed that a client with psychological disorder can be helped by simply talking about
his or her problem. He was the founder of psychoanalysis, but other thinkers—including his own
daughter Anna Freud—also left a significant mark on the field. Among the most prominent names in
psychoanalysis were Erik Erikson, Erich Fromm, and Carl Jung.

Freud’s Structure of Personality

According to Freud, our personality develops from the interactions
among what he proposed as the three fundamental structures of the
human mind: the id, ego, and superego. Conflicts among these three
structures, and our efforts to find balance among what each of them
“desires,” determines how we behave and approach the world. What
balance we strike in any given situation determines how we will resolve
the conflict between two overarching behavioral tendencies: our
biological aggressive and pleasure-seeking drives vs. our socialized
internal control over those drives.

• The id, the most primitive of the three structures, is concerned with the instant satisfaction
of basic physical needs and urges. It operates entirely unconsciously (outside of conscious
thought). For example, if your id walked past a stranger eating ice cream, it would most likely
take the ice cream for itself. It doesn’t know, or care, that it is rude to take something
belonging to someone else; it would care only that you wanted the ice cream.
• The superego is concerned with social rules and morals—like what many people call their”
conscience” or their “moral compass.” It develops as a child learns what their culture
considers right and wrong. If your superego walked past the same stranger, it would not take
their ice cream because it would know that that would be rude. However, if both your id and
your superego were involved, and your id was strong enough to override your superego’s
concern, you would still take the ice cream, but afterward you would most likely feel guilt and
shame over your actions.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 38

• In contrast to the instinctual id and the moral superego, the ego is the rational, pragmatic part
of our personality. It is less primitive than the id and is partly conscious and partly unconscious.
It’s what Freud considered to be the “self,” and its job is to balance the demands of the id and
superego in the practical context of reality. So, if you walked past the stranger with ice cream
one more time, your ego would mediate the conflict between your id (“I want that ice cream
right now”) and superego (“It’s wrong to take someone else’s ice cream”) and decide to go
buy your ice cream. While this may mean you have to wait 10 more minutes, which would
frustrate your id, your ego decides to make that sacrifice as part of the compromise– satisfying
your desire for ice cream while also avoiding an unpleasant social situation and potential
feelings of shame.
Freud believed that the id, ego, and superego are in constant conflict and that adult personality
and behavior are rooted in the results of these internal struggles throughout childhood. He
believed that a person who has a strong ego has a healthy personality and that imbalances in this
system can lead to neurosis (what we now think of as anxiety and depression) and unhealthy
behaviors.

Strengths of Psychoanalysis
• As a social science approach, it made the case study method popular in social sciences, especially in
psychology.
• It highlights the importance of childhood personality development because childhood experiences
will help in explaining and understanding personality issues.
• It can be applied in a practical way and analysis of how unconscious human behavior provides an
explanation on social behavior.

Criticisms of Psychoanalysis
• It is too subjective – focusing on individual experiences and therefore cannot generalize for a larger
population. • It is also seen as too deterministic, focusing on the hidden forces that dominate people
to behave the way they do.
• Its lack of empirical evidence to support the theory’s complex nature as one of its weaknesses, and
its reliance on therapeutic achievements makes it less credible

Feminist Theory
Feminist theory as a social science theoretical approach encourages women to be aware of
their subordination in society and do something to promote gender equality. There are various
feminist theories that try to explain the nature of women’s status in society. Basically, feminism
promotes the belief that women and men should be treated equally and that steps have to be taken
to realize the goal of gender equality.
As early as 19th century, women have been fighting for their rights to achieve equal status
with men. It was the first wave feminism when women have to fight for their suffrage or right to vote,
to be educated, as well as labor rights and other privileges. The 1960s was the emergence of second
wave feminism which was characterized by the so-called women’s liberation and not merely political
emancipation.
Mary Wollstonecraft published “A Vindication of the Rights of Women” (1972) which became
the ground-breaking work in feminism. In this work, she stressed that women should have equal rights
with men and scorned the widespread impressions on the helplessness and uselessness of women.
She believed that women should be educated in order to achieve a sense of self-worth. Betty Friedan
is considered the mother of women’s liberation. Freidan explained in her work “The Feminine
Mystique” (1963) how female domesticity causes a sense of frustration and despair among women. It
is about the unhappiness many women experienced as a result of being confined to the roles of
homemaker and mother. Simone de Beauvoir stressed in her work “The Second Sex” (1949) that
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 39

women’s subordination was caused by social, not natural factors. She highlighted that masculine was
represented as the positive of the norm, while the feminine is portrayed as the exact opposite of the
masculine.

Key concepts in Feminist Theory

A. Sex – refers to the biological differences between males and females (pertaining to genetalia).
B. Gender – refers to the sociocultural attributes associated with being a man and a woman and the
different roles that society assigns to them. It also talks on the preference of being masculine and
feminine of a person. For instance, a male can be feminine and a female can be masculine.
C. Gender Ideology– it refers to attitudes, regarding the suitable roles, rights and responsibilities of
men and women in society. For instance, men as the breadwinners and women for being home
makers.
D. Gender Inequality – it is the unequal treatment or perceptions of individuals based on their gender.
E. Gender Oppression – the manner in which certain groups are privileged or disadvantaged because
of gender. For example, women working outside may get a lower salary as compared to men. Same
as to the nature of work where women will land on a job which are seen as extension of their house
chores (caring for the sick, domestic chores and others). On the other hand, men who are staying at
home are often portrayed as weaklings because of the gender ideology that men are the breadwinner.

Strengths of Feminist Theory

• It gives equal emphasis on men and women in dealing with and solving social issues particularly
gender inequality.
• It made realized that the both public and private spheres of life are socially constructed, that if re-
examines, and it will bring about better opportunities for women to have equal status with men in
society.
• It can be utilized in explaining and understanding institutional structures and gender inequality
thus promoting gender equality.

Criticisms of Feminist Theory

• It tends to be too disapproving of the gender roles women play in the society.
• They view that certain strands of feminism cater only to the middle-class women for its seemingly
lack of analysis of issues on race and class as factors in shaping gender inequality.
• Seen by some critics as being too focused on women, ignoring the fact that men can also
experience discrimination and oppression in their daily lives.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 40

ANSWER SHEET (Please submit only the answers. Do not return the entire module.)

Name: ________________________________ Section: _______________________

LAST NAME, FIRST NAME MIDDLE INITIAL

Engagement
Enabling Assessment Activity 7

DIRECTIONS: Complete the table by showing a brief description, contributors, strengths and
criticisms of the lesson (Psychoanalysis and Feminist theory). Copy the table in a separate sheet of
paper.

Assimilation
Performance Check 6

Direction: Make a poster that will promote gender equality. In a separate sheet of bond paper, make
a short statement expressing the work with not more than five sentences. The scoring rubric will be
used in assessing your outputs.
 Colegio de los Baños – DISS 41

Bernardo, R. and Mallo, D. (2017) Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences; pp. 2

Online Resource: Trejo Paul What are the differences between Social science, Natural Science and Humanities.
https://www.quora.com/What-are-the-differences-between-social-science-natural-science-and-humanities

Grade 11 Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Science Learner’s Material pages 59-89

Books: Dela Cruz, Arleigh Ross et. al. (2016) Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences. Quezon, City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc.

Tatel Jr., Carlos Peña (2016) Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences. Sampaloc, Manila: Rex Book Store, Inc.