Historical Context

of the Emergence
of Social Science
Disciplines
 Objectives:
1.explain the major events that led to the
emergence of the social science
disciplines;
2.enumerate the contributions of social
science disciplines; and
3.demonstrate the historical foundation of
social science disciplines
According to Quexbook, 2018
Anthropology traces its roots to
Ancient Greek historical and
philosophical writings about
human nature and the
organization of human society.
 Founder of Anthropology Discipline
• Anthropology: Edward Burnett Taylor (1832 - 1917)
According to Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, 2004
English cultural anthropologist
First to hold the chair in the subject at
Oxford University in the UK in 1896
Coined the term “culture”
Wrote “Researches into the Early History
of Mankind and the Development of
Civilization"
According to Quexbook, 2018, the
Modern Economics, which is still
being studied today, is the result
of the efforts of ancient or Pre
classical (384 B.C - 1776),
classical (1776 - 1871),
Neoclassical (1871 - today) and
Islamic Economists.
 Founder of Economics Discipline
• Economics: Adam Smith (1723 - 1790) According to
Butler, 2016
Founder of Classical School
Constructed an explanation on how social
behavior is regulated
Saw a world where each person sought their
own self - interest but was constrained by
morality, markets and government
Wrote “Wealth of the Nations” in 1776
According to Quexbook, 2018 Some of the first
truly geographical studies occurred more than
four thousand years ago. The main purpose of
these early investigations was to map features
and places observed as explorers travelled
to new lands. At this time, Chinese, Egyptian,
and Phoenician civilizations were beginning to
explore the places and spaces within and
outside their homelands. The earliest evidence
of such explorations come from the
archaeological discovery of a Babylonian clay
tablet map that dates back to 2300 BC/ BCE.
 Founder of Geography Discipline
• Geography: Eratosthenes (276 B.C - 194 B.C) According to
Russell, 2017
 Greek geographer
 Became chief librarian at the Library of Alexandria
 Accepted the concept that the Earth is round and
calculated its circumference to within 0.5 percent
accuracy
 Described the known areas of the world and divided
the earth into five climatic regions
 Prepared the earliest maps of the known world
According to Quexbook, 2018, people with a
certain word choice, syntax, and pronunciation
are revealed to be members of a particular
speech community; a group of people who share
social conventions about language use. Some
features are noticeable (salient) and are
recognized within the community as having a
particular social meaning. Other features are
sociolinguistic indicators that can be associated
with certain social characteristics. Different
speech communities may reflect subsets of the
same language called dialects.
 Founder of Linguistic Discipline
• Linguistic: Ferdinand de Saussure (1857 - 1913)
According to Mambrol, 2018
Swiss linguist
Posited that linguistic form is arbitrary
and therefore that all languages function
in a similar fashion
Published “Memoire sur le systeme
primitifdes voyelles dans les langues indo-
europeenes.”
According to Quexbook, 2018,
from the late 1950s to mid-
1980s, works in the history of
Political Science stand out by their
sheer rarity. Earlier political
scientists were rather (though not
exceptionally) more historical in
their disciplinary self -
 Founder of Political Science
Discipline
• Political Science: Aristotle (384 - 322 B.C)
According to Neonatal, 2016
 Political scientist
 Laid down the foundation of governance
and leadership
 He said “man by nature is a political
animal”.
 He wrote “The Politics”.
Wilhelm Wundt opened the first
experimental laboratory in Psychology
at the University of Leipzig,
Germany. Credited with establishing
psychology as academic discipline,
Wundt’s students include Emil
Kraepelin, James McKeen Cattell,
and G. Stanley Hall.
 Founder of Political Science
• Discipline
Psychology: Wilhelm Wundt (1832 - 1920) According to McLeod,
2008
 German Psychologist
 Opened the Institute for Experimental Psychology at the
University of Leipzig in Germany in 1879
 Trained Psychology students to make observations that
were biased by personal interpretation or previous
experience and used the results to develop a theory of
conscious thought
 Wrote “Principles of Physiological Psychology.”
According to Quexbook, 2018,
lthough sociology has its roots in the
works of philosophers like Plato,
Aristotle, and Confucius, it is a
relatively new academic discipline. It
emerged in the early nineteenth
century in response to the
challenges of modernity.
 Founder of Sociology Discipline
• Sociology: Auguste Comte (1798 - 1857) According to
Lyudmila, 2000
French sociologist
Coined the term “sociology”
Advocated the application of scientific method
to social life and positivism.
Wrote “Cours de Philosophie Positive”
published from 1830 - 1842 in five volumes.
According to Quexbook, 2018 The
Demographic Transition Model (DTM) is
based on historical population trends of
two demographic characteristics – birth
rate and death rate - to suggest that a
country’s total population growth rate
cycles through stages as that country
develops economically.
HISTORICAL
FOUNDATION
OF EACH
DISCIPLINE
Activity:
Think of a very memorable
experience you had. Choose one
social science discipline that
had a big influence on you that
led to the significant decision
you made for that experience.
Do this on the separate paper.
1.Different speech communities may reflect subsets of
the same language called dialects.
2.People with a certain word choice, syntax, and
pronunciation are revealed to be members of a
particular speech community.
3.Sigmund Freud opened the first experimental
laboratory in psychology at the University of Leipzig,
Germany.
4.The Demographic Transition Model (DTM) is based on
historical population trends of two demographic
characteristics.
5.The earliest evidence of such explorations come from
6.Edward Burnett Taylor wrote “Researched into
the Early History of Mankind and the
Development of Civilization”.
7.Adam Smith collected historical materials
systematically and critically and arranged them
into a historical narrative.
8.Herodotus wrote “Wealth of the Nations” in
1776.
9.Eratosthenes described the known areas of the
world and divided the Earth into five climatic
regions.
11.Through the Medieval and Renaissance periods,
history was often studied through a sacred or
religious perspective.
12.Economics was not considered a separate
discipline until the eighteenth century.
13.In medieval times, scholars argued that it was a
moral obligation of business to sell goods at a
just price.
14.The Ancient French made the first contribution
to the subject through measuring the Earth
using grids of meridians.
15.The formal study of language began in China.
16.He published the “Memoire sur le systeme
primitifdes voyelles dans les langues indo-
europeenes.”
A. Adam Smith B.
Ferdinand de Saussure
C. Eratosthenes D.
Wilhelm Wundt
17.It traces its roots from natural history which is
the study of plants, animals and humans with
reference to their history and native environment.
A. Anthropology B. Psychology C. Demography
D. Sociology
19.The intellectual, scientific and industrial
revolutions which happened in Europe in
the middle of the 19th century led to the
development of what discipline?
A. Demography B. Political
Science
C. History D.
Sociology
20.He prepared the earliest maps of the
known world.
A. Adam Smith B. Ferdinand de