Review : Branches of Social Science

Branches Focus Proponent

Anthropology Development of Franz Boaz

man/civilization ;
culture
Economics Efficient allocation of Adam Smith
limited resources John Maynard Keynes
Geography Location Eratosthenes
History Events Herodotus
Political Science Politics ; Governance Aristotle
Review : Branches of Social Science
Branches Focus Proponent

Psychology Individual human Wilhelm Wundt

behavior; personality
Linguistics Language Ferdinand de Saussure

Sociology Group behavior; Auguste Comte

society
Demography Human Population Thomas Malthus
Sociology
An Introduction
Definition

 Science of society
 Systematic study of groups and societies human build and
how these affect our behavior
 Study of the origin, growth, development, and functioning of
human society
 Scientific study of man’s behavior as a consequence of his
being a member of a social group
Objectives

 Aims to discover the basic structure

of human society
 Identify the various forces that holds
group together
 Learn what conditions transform
social life
Development / Background
 Enlightenment – emergence of different philosophies, liberalism and
reliance on scientific method
 Henry Saint-Simon (1760-1825) – based his ideas on society and the law
of nature
 Auguste Comte (1798-1857) went on to form a new school of
intellectual inquiry ; Father of Sociology
 Derived from latin words “socius” which means companion or associate
and “logos” a greek word for study
 In the Philippines, it started as a college subject taught in the
University of Sto. Tomas, UP in 1911 and Siliman University in 1919
 Fr. Valentin Marin was the first to teach sociology
 Serafin Macaraig was the first qualified Filipino sociologist
Theoretical Paradigm
Introduction

 TheoreticalParadigm – basic image that

guides thinking
 Perspectives
 Dimensions
 Theories
Introduction
 identifies key ideas and assumptions as well as the key
theoretical and methodological issues associated with
each approaches
 enables students to appreciate more varied ways of
thinking and theorizing offered by social scientists by
understanding some of the debates and disagreements
within the discipline
Introduction
 The pluralism and variety of approaches within the
discipline reflect the wide diversity of orientations
and ways of how the social scientists undertake
their work
EVOLUTIONARY THEORY
Evolutionary

 societies like biological organisms, undergo different stages

in the development cycle
 Societies passed through different phases of growth and
development
(simple primitive  complex modern societies)
implication : survival of the fittest
STRUCTURAL-FUNCTIONALISM
Structural-Functionalism
 Macro-level approach
 “ A framework for building a theory that sees society
as a complex system whose parts work together to
promote solidarity and stability” (Macionis, 2007)
Structural-Functionalism
 developed by Talcott Parsons in
the 1930s under the influence of
the works of Max Weber and
Emile Durkheim
Structural-Functionalism
 emphasize on social structure
“any relatively stable pattern of social behavior and
social functions, “the consequences of any social
pattern for the orientation of society as a whole”
(Macionis, 2007)
 shapes our lives in various context, keeps society
going, at least in its present (Macionis, 2007)
Structural-Functionalism
 Social Dysfuntion (Merton) – any social pattern
that may disrupt the operation of society
 Causes : lack of consensus among people ;
differences of background or status
Premises of Structural-Functionalism

1. Within every social structure or system

2. Those functions can be small or substantial;
dynamic in nature and work toward the same
purpose to keep the system operational within
its environment
3. Change is evident in any society or system;
however, for the system to survive, it must adapt
to that change in order to maintain its
equilibrium (McMahon, 2015)
Structural-Functionalism
 Criticism – social conflict ; social change ;
political aims ; influential underpinnings of the
wealthy
 Focus too much on social stability and social order
and ignores social inequalities
 Gender blindness
Describe using Structural-
Functionalism
SOCIAL CONFLICT THEORY
Social-Conflict Paradigm
 society as an arena of inequality that generates
conflict and change
 Highlights division or opposition based on
inequality
 Factors such as social class, race, ethnicity, sex
and age are linked to unequal distribution of
money, power, education and prestige
Karl Marx (1864-1920)
- Communist Manifesto

Friedrich Engels
(1820-1895)
Background:
 How Industrial Revolution changed Europe
 How riches produced by new technology ended up
in the hands of only few people
 In a country so rich, how could so many people be
so poor?
 How can this situation be changed?
Marxism
 “the struggle between segments of society over valued
resources” with class conflict arising from the way
society produces material goods (Macionis, 2007)
 Class conflict or class struggle – to refer to the
“conflict between entire classes over the
distribution of the society’s wealth and power”
(Macionis, 2007)
Base- Superstructure Relationship
 4 Ways how Capitalism produces
Alienation
 “The experience of isolation and misery resulting from powerlessness”
(Macionis, 2007)
1. Alienation from the act of working – routinal; almost turned into a
machine
2. Alienation from the products of work – output /products belong to
the capitalists who sells it for profit
3. Alienation from other Workers – creates competition among other
workers
4. Alienation from human potential – prevents workers to develop their
qualities as human beings; denies oneself
SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM
Question:

 How does one make sense of his or her actions,

interactions, and experiences?
Symbolic Interactionism
 Micro-level approach
 The part of an individual’s personality
composed of self-awareness and self-
image
 Process of self discovery or self
development
Symbolic Interactionism
 society as a product of the everyday interaction
 human processes of finding meaning in our
surrounding and the symbols we employ to convey
these meanings to one another, we define our
identities, rights, obligations to wards others
Symbolic Interactionism
 Sociological framework that focuses on the
different meanings individuals attach to
objects, peoples, and interactions as well the
corresponding behaviors that reflect those
meanings and/ or interpretations
 A framework that actualizes the nature of
humans to make sense of their actions and
interactions through external cues from their
everyday and life and environment (Vejar,
2015)
George Herbert Mead
- gestures are important in communication
- When we interact, our posture, tone of voice,
hand and facial movements convey significance
- Central concept : SELF – “part of an individual’s
personality composed of self-awareness and self
image” (Macionis, 2007 p. 124)
3 Overarching Premises of Symbolic
Interactionism

Meaning is an important element of

human existence – both subjective and
individualistic, people consequently act in
accordance with the meanings they construe
3 Overarching Premises of Symbolic
Interactionism

People identify and mold their unique

symbolic references through the
process of socialization – people are
not inherently equipped with
interpretive devices
3 Overarching Premises of Symbolic
Interactionism

There is a cultural dimension that

intertwines the symbolic “educational”
development – behavior are adopted through
an obscurely subtle learning process
Critics:

 “insider” – method and the central concepts of symbolic

interactionism, particularly the ambiguity of concepts
used particularly the concept of the “self” – production of
cumulative and generalizable knowledge
 “outsider” – highlights astructural bias – claim that
symbolic interactionism’s perspective is ahistorical,
noneconomic, and a limited view of social power and
social organization (Gecas,1980 p. 1459)
Implications:

 Debate between subjectivist (humanist) and

objectivist (positivist) orientations toward human
behavior and social processes
 Subject matter of Social Science vs. Scientific
Method for all sciences
Think about this…