HUMSS_SOCSCI2 Rational Choice Theory

DISCIPLINE AND IDEAS IN SOCIAL SCIENCES (DISS)

Course Type: SPECIALIZED
Pre-requisite: DISCIPLINE AND IDEAS IN APPLIED SOCIAL SCIENCES (DISS)
Co-requisite: NONE
Course Teacher: MARY GRACE A. MANILA, MAEd SocSci, LPT
Course Topic: DOMINANT APPROACHES AND IDEAS PART II
References: o Balindo, Esther (2018) Disciplines and Ideas in the
Social Sciences Dominant Approaches and Ideas –
Part2 Course Module Dominant Approaches and
Ideas.pdf, AMA Online Education
o Lord, Melanie, Greiter, Anthony & Tursunovic, Zuflo
(2016) Feminist Theory.ppt
o Maureen Miles RN RM MCN, Karen Francis RN PhD
MHlth Sc Ysanne Chapman RN PhD MSc, Beverley
Taylor B.Ed M.Ed PhD (2013), The Method: The
Hermeneutic Phenomenology.pdf,
onlinelibrary.wiley.com
o Education Services Australia Ltd (2013), Human
Environment Systems
Course The course introduces students to basic concepts, and methods
Description: 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.
Quarter: 4 Semester: 2
Module: 1

Course Outcomes (COs) and Relationship to Student Outcomes

Course Outcomes SO
After completing the course, the student must be able to: a b c d
2. Interpret the personal and social experience using relevant I I R
approaches in the Social Sciences.
* Level: I- Introduced, R- Reinforced, D- Demonstrated

Dominant Approaches and Ideas Part II

1. Rational Choices
2. Institutionalism
3. Feminist Theory
4. Hermeneutical Phenomenology
5. Human- Environment Systems

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Institutionalism
 Feminist Theory
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The Development and Origin
 The origins of the feminist movement are found in the abolitionist
movement of the 1830’s.
 Seneca Falls, New York is said to be the birthplace of American
feminism.
 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott spearheaded the first
Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, NY in 1848.
 The convention brought in more than 300 people.
 The discussion was focused on the social, civil, and religious condition
of women.
 In Germany the feminists were fighting for the right of women to
engage in sexual relations regardless of marital and legal consideration.
 Marianne Weber (the wife of Max Weber) was a feminist
 Weber thought that women should be treated equally in the social
institution of marriage, along with all the other social institutions.
 She made it clear that marriage was between a man and a woman
 The contemporary feminism movement began in the 1960’s.
 Free love helped escape the sexual double standard.
 Divorce became commonplace
 Women were “happy housewives” no more
 Higher level employment and fulfillment outside the home were
becoming the norm
Types of Feminism
 Liberal Feminism
All people are created equal and should not be denied equality
of opportunity because of gender.
Liberal Feminists focus their efforts on social change through
the construction of legislation and regulation of employment
practices
Inequality stems from the denial of equal rights.
The primary obstacle to equality is sexism
 Marxist Feminism
Division of labor is related to gender role expectations.
Females give birth. Males left to support family
 Bourgeoisie=Men
Proletariat=Women
 Radical Feminism
Male power and privilege is the basis of social relations
Sexism is the ultimate tool used by men to keep women
oppressed
Women’s oppression causes the most suffering
Women’s oppression provides a conceptual model for
understanding all other forms of oppression
 Socialist Feminism
Views women’s oppression as stemming from their work in the
family and the economy
Socialist believe that history can be made in the private sphere
(home) not just the public sphere (work)
Women’s inferior position is the result of class-based capitalism
Arguments:
- An increased emphasis on the private sphere and the
role of women in the household
- Equal opportunities for women in the public sphere
 Postmodern Feminism
Attempts to criticize the dominant order.
All theory is socially constructed.
Rejects claim that only rational, abstract thought and scientific
methodology can lead to valid knowledge.
The basic idea is that looking to the past is no longer the way to
go. We are a global economic world highlighted by technology.
Looking to the past no longer applies
Doing Gender
 Many feminist theorists believe that an individual is labeled at birth as a
member of a sex category, either male of female, and from that point on,
is held to acting accordingly.
 Gender is not something that one has or something that one is; rather, it
is something that one does.
Gender as Social Structure
 Risman does not accept the criteria of nature as a way to distinguish
behavior expectations.
 She is especially upset by the field of sociobiology.
 By assigning people to one or two categories- male or female- society
has created difference between them.
 Risman feels that genders strongest influence is found at the
interactional level, and therein lies the deepest liability for the
continuation of inequality in American family life
Gender Vertigo //ms.mgamanila//2020
 Gender vertigo is a term coined by Robert Connell.
 Risman asked, and was granted permission, by Connell to use the term
for the title of her book.
 Risman chose the term gender vertigo because It is indicative of the
profound effect the elimination of gender would have on every persons
psyche.
 Doing gender determines how one walks, talks, dresses, eats, and
socializes and nearly all other aspects of everyday life.
 Gender often plays a significant role in the definition of the self.
 Risman concluded that in order to move fully toward justice for women
and men, we must dare a moment of gender vertigo.
The Theory (Philosophy)
 Realism v. Idealism – Idealism – not one reality, but possibly multiples
to be discovered
 Realism v. Nominalism – Realist – feminist movements and actions to
reform are real in their consequences of change
 Idealism v. Materialism – Idealism – gaining power and voice through
movements
 One is that they leave themselves wide open to attack because they
themselves are very biased in their approach.
 Second, although a commitment to empirical research is not a must in
designs of social theory; relying on such techniques as oral testimony and
the analysis of such content a diaries risk a lack of objectivity and bias.
When an individual is asked for his or her story, it is always biased from
his or her perspective.
 Third, most feminists claim that all sociological theories are gender-biased
but fail to provide any proof of this claim.
 Fourth, gender is just one variable in human interaction. Many feminist
believe that interactions are based solely on gender distinction.
 Fifth criticism of the feminism comes from within feminist sociological
theory itself. The fact that there is such a great variety of sociological
feminist theories represents a clear lack of consensus among feminists as to
the best means to go about fighting sexism, discrimination, and oppression.
 o Sexism and discrimination exists in nearly all social institutions.
o Religion is a long time perpetuator of gender inequality- like
Catholic Church forbids females from being priests.
o Giving a voice to women remains feminist sociological theory’s
greatest contribution to the field of sociology specifically and
society in general.
Feminism Defined
 Feminism can be defined as a social movement and an ideology in
support of the idea that a larger share of scarce resources should be
allocated to women.
 Feminist believe that women should enjoy the same rights in society as
men and that should share equity in society’s opportunities.
 Feminist sociological theory represents an attempt to give a voice to
women and female perspective.
 Feminist sociological theory is generally critical of the traditional
scientific sociological approach that stresses a commitment to neutrality,
objectivity, and empirical research.
 There are many criticisms of feminists.
The Hermeneutic Phenomenology//ms.mgamanila//2020
The Development and Origin
For the etymological meaning of the term 'herm-eneutics', it has to be traced
back to its Greek origin. The generally held view, with which Heidegger also
seems to agree, is that it is derived from the name 'Hermes', the messenger god
of tbe Greeks. As a messenger Hermes carries messages from the gods and
delivers it to the mortals to whom it is destined. What is expected from Hermes,
therefore, is to transmute that which is conveyed, through an adequate medium
which guarantees the comprehension by mortals. The mission of Hermes,
therefore, demands a two- fold function. First, it is imperative to understand and
interpret for oneself the content of the message, so that an effective
communication is ensured. Second, Hermes is supposed to be conversant with
the language of the mortals, so that he can translate the message without
distortion.
The two Greek terms, hermeneuein (verb) and hermeneia (noun), generally
translated as 'to interpret' and 'interpretation' respectively, can be traced back to
the same Hermes as far as the etymological meaning is concerned. Hermeneutics
as a theory of interpretation can take various directions of meaning like 'to say',
'to explain', 'to translate', and so on. In all these different shades of meaning,
there is an underlying spirit of interpretation, i.e. bringing a thing or a situation
from unintelligibility to understanding.
In Heidegger's view the very function of philosophy is to interpret, as the
following passage 3 suggests :
Hermeneutics means neither the theory of the art of interpretation nor
interpretation itself, but rather the attempt, first of all, to define the
nature of interpretation on hermeneutic grounds.
Interpretation is 'laying open' of that which is implied. For Heidegger,
interpretation opens up the existential structures of Dasein and thus finally the
manifestation of Being. Being, therefore, becomes the 'text' to be interpreted. It
brings to understanding the lost meaning of Being by examining the mode of
existence of Dasein.

The Theory
Hermeneutic phenomenology , to a great extent, is the outcome of the blending
of two philosophical traditions - hermeneutics and phenomenology - both
inheriting a rich and varied tradition of critical perspectives at their disposal.
There is no single theory or thinker to be seen as representing the various
dimensions of hermeneutic phenomenology. what is found, instead, is an array of
critical concerns and perspectives which provide an apparently unitary character
to it.
The prominent thinkers, to cite a few, who made substantial contribution to
phenomenology are Edmund Husserl and Merleau-Ponty, Paul Ricoeur, and so
on. Schleiermacher and Dilthey are the two notable thinkers in the hermeneutic
tradition. Those who felt the need for hermeneutic phenomenology are Martin
Heidegger, Hans-Georg Gadamer and At al. Hermeneutic phenomenology could
wield considerable - - impact on contemporary continental thought, because it
helped to see the perennial problems of philosophy in a new light. Two
important concepts - history and language -which run like dual leitmotifs in the
hermeneutic tradition had a significant role in reinforcing critical power to this
movement.
Hermeneutic thinkers univocally assert that human intellect can never be
conceived as a 'wordless' and 'timeless' source of knowledge. All spheres of
knowledge is limited and conditioned by linguistic and historical concerns.
Language and history, therefore, can be viewed as 'transcendental conditions'
that render possible any forms of knowledge. The hermeneutic approach is
distinct from other forms of enquiry at least in three respects.
1. First, the linguistic and historical framework of all understanding
precludes apodictic certainty regarding the availability of uniform
conditions for the genesis of knowledge.
2. Second, it accentuates the futility of being engaged in identifying
different fields of knowledge and stipulating uniform rules for their
functioning.
3. Third, since intelligibility being grounded in linguistic sphere, there is
sufficient room for accommodating changes in contrast to
transcendental accounts which base intelligibility in the private sphere
of a pre- given and essentially changeless subject.
It is generally held among the hermeneutic Philosophers that all our
understanding takes place within a temporal framework. There is no
understanding outside time; 4 we are historical //ms.mgamanila//2020
or our historicity
(Geschichtlichkeit) remains as a conditioning or limiting principle for all aspects
of our life. It is not an exaggeration even to say that we are our history. If all our
knowledge claims are historical, it amounts to saying that there is nothing
absolutely true sub specie aeternitatis. It presumes contextually taking into
consideration the ideals and practices of the present. There is no understanding
that takes place in a historical vacuum; on the contrary, it appropriates the past
and builds the present on its ground with an orientation towards the future. All
actions and moments of knowledge are mediated by various dimensions of time.
It means that understanding is not an event taking place at an isolated moment in
a remote corner of mind. Rather there is a constant mediation of past, present,
and future.
Hans Georg Cadamer clearly expresses this view when 5 he says:
Understanding is not to be thought of so much as an action of
one's subjectivity, but as the placing of oneself within a process of
tradition, in which past and present are constantly fused. Our
understanding, however, has an array of hidden possibilities. It is our
task and great privilege to explore them. Since our knowledge is
essentially limited and historically conditioned, it is our lot to await the
new Perspectives that may open up at any moment of time.
Along with the temporal dimension of our existence, we are endowed with the
rare capacity to use symbols. Linguistic environment is a distinctive feature of
our mode of existence. It is through the medium of language that the knowledge
of the past is handed over to the present. Language limits or conditions our
understanding in the sense that we often fail to break the barriers created by a
particular linguistic tradition that might have formulated a specific form of
understanding.
Linguisticality (Sprachlichkeit) of understanding is a limit that has to be
reckoned with. However, it is not our aim to suggest that we are caught up in the
clutches of relativism, but to point out that whatever be the amount of self-
criticism we unleash, the understanding gained is never exhaustive and final. The
inherent finiteness of language shatters any attempt to transcend its limits once
and for all.
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Our knowledge of the world is encompassed by language and the first element of
understanding occurs not in a mind free of words, but in the context of a speech
community and within its conventions and usages. Understanding never takes The Human Environment Systems //ms.mgamanila//2020
place in a pure logical space of mind. On the other hand, it is generated in a
public place of discourse where tradition plays a significant role .
Gadamer conveys this idea when he reminds us:
“Language is not only an object in our hands, it is the reservoir of
tradition and the medium in and through which we exist and perceive
our world.”
Using the diagram below illustrate what is being asked:

Rational Choice Theory

Directions: Read the Scenario below and apply the solution to the diagram.

Feminist Theory
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Directions: Write down the types of feminism and give an example
statement/ scenario each.
Example:
Socialist Feminism
“Women has the right
to vote

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Hermeneutic Phenomenology
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Directions: Arrange the Parts of a Research Paper.

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Hermeneutic Phenomenology
Directions: Give an example situation using the diagram below.
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