11

Disciplines and
Ideas in Social
Sciences
Module 4

DISSQ1W4 Page 1
 EXPECTATIONS

A. Content Standards
The learners demonstrate an understanding of the emergence of the Social Sciences and the
different disciplines.

B. Performance Standards
The learners shall be able to connect the disciplines with their historical and social
foundations.

C. Most Essential Learning Competency

Explain the major events and its contribution that led to the emergence of the social science
disciplines.
1. Learning Objectives:
At the end of the module, the students will be able to:
 Trace the historical foundations and social contexts that led to the
development of each discipline
 Explain the scientific method as the means for understanding and analyzing
realities in social sciences.
 Appreciate the importance of the emergence of disciplines for the
specialization of social sciences.

PRE-TEST

A. Write “True” if the statement is true and write “False” if the statement is false.

1. Due to the problems brought by the wars of the Roman Empire across Europe,
thinkers looked to sociology as the fundamental science that could bring about
social change.
2. The idea of structuralism in psychology is that, mental life and behavior adapts to
its existing environment.
3. The basic economic problem of economics led to the foundation of demography.
4. Politics is the physics of society according to Henri de Saint-Simon and Auguste
comte.
5. The American Political Scientists aimed to make political science separate from
history, moral philosophy, and political economics.
 6. Henri de Saint-Simon proposed that morals and politics should not be
subjective but rather must have an objective basis.
7. Functionalism is a view in psychology that views mental life and behavior as the
result of human adaptation to its environment or certain situations.
8. Sociology was influenced largely by the philosophy of the middle ages.
9. Psychology is the field that is seen as that will bring change in the society.
10. The studies about birth rate in the 18th century are owed to the growing
development of life insurance, and public health awareness.

LOOKING BACK

A. What is the concern of the following social sciences?

 Political Science
 Psychology
 Sociology
 Demography

INTRODUCTION OF THE LESSON

THE EMERGENCE OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES

Introduction

The successes of natural sciences, new discoveries and social conflicts have sparked interests
among the social thinkers to apply methodology in understanding social phenomena. This condition
contributed in the creation of distinct and separate disciplines in the social sciences.

The Emergence of the Disciplines:

Political Science

Social science was much influenced by the advances of natural sciences. In 1813, Henri de Saint-
Simon (1760-1825), suggested that morals and politics should not rest to subjectivity but on the objective
evidence. Together with Auguste Comte (1798-1857), they published a plan claiming that politics is the
physics of society and politics can bring about scientific laws for
social progress. The scientific approach to politics was developed in the 19 th century particularly by
Alexis Tocqueville (1805-59) who saw that Democracy is dependent on cultural values; and by Marx and
Engels who saw that cultures and values or consciousness of society is a mere reflection of the standards
of the ruling class. Separate school for political science was established in France in 1872 and in London
in 1895.

In 1880, political science became a separate discipline in the U.S after John W. burgess studied in
Paris. During the last quarter of the 19th century several more scholars who had done graduate studies in
Germany influence the political science discipline in the U.S (Roskin, 2016).

The American Political Science emerged in 1903 during the founding of American Political
Science Association (APSA). The organization and its journal has showed professional commitment in
the study of political science Like other social scientists, political scientists believe that new discipline
must separate itself from other untrained amateurs by using scientific methodology. That means studying
politics objectively so to aid the modern polity by just explaining the political world (“Political Science:
The Discipline,” n.d.).

The effort of American Political Scientists is to make political science separate from history,
moral philosophy, and political economics. Several of them made the discipline based from social facts,
positivistic, and realistic.

Psychology

Psychology became scientific in the late 19th century through the help of German scientist
Wilhelm Wundt when he founded the first lab for psychological research in 1879. He wrote the
Principles of Physiological Psychology, the first textbook on psychology. He said that to understand
the mind, one must study the conscious thoughts through systematic and rigorous observations. This
approach became the foundation of modern experimentation in the field.

The idea of Wundt was later expanded by Edward B. Titchener, who believes that like chemistry,
the components of the mind could be defined and categorized to know the structure of mental processes
and higher thinking. This idea is called structuralism. However the theories of Wundt and Titchener did
not came without criticism. One alternative in the 19 th century by William James is called functionalism
which views mental life and behavior as adaptive to its environment or varying situation. The brain sole
purpose is to improve the chances of survival (“Introduction to the field,” n.d.). He is also a pragmatist
who believes that our choices are based from what is worthwhile. For him truth is unnecessary, what is
important depends on one’s belief (Khan, 2020). William James contributed in psychology as the first
person in the U.S. to offer course in psychology and also became the validator of the science of
psychology (Khan, 2020).
 Sociology

Many upheavals and changes in the social order occurred during the 19 th and 20th centuries which
gave interests to early sociologists. These include the political revolutions, industrial revolution,
capitalism and socialism, urbanization, and religious transformations. Many classical theorists contribute
to sociology through their training on other academic disciplines such as history, philosophy, and
economics.

These thinkers envisioned the use of sociology as fundamental for social concerns and bringing
about change in the society. Karl Marx and Engels focused on the inequality in the wealth between the
capitalists and proletariats, Max Weber on Politics, Emile Durkheim is on reforming the education
system, Harriet Martineau’s advocacy is for feministic rights, and
W.E.B. Dubois on racism.

Sociology as an academic discipline has prolific specialty areas. In 1905, the American
Sociological Association (ASA) was formed with 14,000 members with 40 sections for different areas of
interests.

Demography

In Europe, studies about mortality rate in the 18th century are owed to the growing development of
life insurance, and public health awareness. Censuses began in the 19 th century and civil registries about
births, deaths, and marriages, replaced the registries conducted by the church. It was the decline in
fertility rate in the industrialized countries during the second half of the 19th century that brought the
interest in fertility and reproduction. Some events in history also caused interest to demography such as
the differential fertility, and World Wars.

The International Population Conference was conducted in 1927. This first World Population
Conference, Mrs. Margaret Sanger, the organizer of the conference, stresses the importance of the nature
of population problems and its effect on social, economic, and political situations. The problems emanate
from the limitations of the world resources to sustain the needs of the growing population. By 1928, the
International Union for The Scientific Study of Population Problems (IUSSP) was founded (The IUSSP
in History. 1985).
 ACTIVITY

A. Research Tasks:
1. Find out the father or the founder of the following social science disciplines:

 Political Science
 Psychology
 Sociology
 Demography

2. Research the history of each social sciences prior to it becoming a discipline.

 Compare and contrast the traditional approach (if there is any) to the
contemporary approach of each discipline.

Traditional Approach Contemporary Approach

Political Science

Psychology

Sociology

Demography

B. Review Questions

1. How Titchener did compare the mind to chemistry?

 2. How fertility and reproduction become one among the concerns of demography?

3. How the natural sciences helped the emergence of social science disciplines?

4. What turn of events lead the early sociologists to study the society?

5. How do the social sciences become scientific in its approaches?

C. Value

1. What is the importance of understanding the reasons why social science disciplines
emerged?
 REMEMBER

The emergence of social science disciplines happened in different countries particularly the
United States of America and certain countries in Europe in the 18 th to 20th Century. This is the time when
the natural sciences have successfully employed scientific methodology to understand the natural world
and the time of many conflicts and discoveries which led the social thinkers to have an interest in
studying humans and societies. Among the disciplines are political science, psychology, sociology, and
demography. Political Science emerged due to the idea that moral and politics must be based on objective
evidence and that politics can bring scientific laws to enable social progress. Political scientists in the US
wanted to separate the discipline from history, moral philosophy, and political economics. Psychology
was established in the 19th century by Wilhelm Wundt because he believes that mind can be understood
through systematic and rigorous observations. This developed into structuralism or the idea that mind can
be understood through studying its components; and functionalism which argues that mind and behavior
is just an adaptation to its environment. Sociology came to light when its classical theorists envisioned the
importance of sociology to address social concerns and bring about social change. Their ideas were
influenced by the many changes that happened in the 19 th and 20th century. Demography emerged through
the development of life insurance and public health awareness.

CHECKING YOUR UNDERSTANDING

A. How do the scientific approaches of understanding social sciences is beneficial to the

following:

1. To your community

2. To your country
 3. To other nations

B. In the current social condition of the Philippines, how does the knowledge of the emergence of
social sciences disciplines can help you influence other people to have interest in the social
sciences?

C. Presentation
Divide the class into 5 groups. Compare your answers from Activity B. Identify the different
opinions presented and help each member to further improve the idea. Each group shall have 1 or
2 members to present their findings while the audience groups will ask 1 question per group to
the presenting group after they presented.

POST TEST

1. It is viewed as the discipline that is fundamental for social concerns and social changes.
a. Political Scienceb. Psychology c. Sociology d. Demography
2. What kind of idea in psychology believes that the components of the mind can be defined and
categorized to know the structure of mental processes and higher thinking?
a. Conflict b. Functionalism c. Pragmatism d. Structuralism
3. It is a view in psychology that argues that mind and behavior is being influenced by its
environment.
a. Environmentalism b. Functionalism c. Structuralism d. Symbolism
4. Censuses began to register births, deaths, and marriages. What is added in the interest for
censuses during the 2nd half of the 19th century?
a. Fecundity and Health c. Fertility and Reproduction
b. Fertility and Reproduction d. Health and Reproduction
5. Which statement is an example of structuralism in psychology?
a. Mental illness can be cured by using psychoanalysis.
b. Manny Pacquiao’s past fights made him the smart fighter he is today.
c. Filipinos are resilient because of the many calamities the country experiences.
d. Filipino life is always associated with coconuts because it is abundant in the country.
6. What did Harriet Martineau advocated?
a. Educ. System b. Feminism c. Inequalities d. Politics
7. In Demography, what event brought the interest in fertility and reproduction?
a. Decline in fertility rate in the 19th century in rural areas
b. Decline in fertility rate in the urban areas during the 19th century
c. Decline in fertility rate in the industrialized countries in 19th century
d. Decline in fertility rate in the industrialized cities during the 19th century
8. According to Marx and Engels, cultures and values are dependent on which class?
a. Lower class b. Middle Class c. Ruling Class d. Classless
9. According to Alexis Tocqueville, which value is democracy dependent on?
a. Cultural b. Ideological c. Social d. Traditional
10.Where did Americans go to study Economics?
a. Britain b. France c. Germany d. Russia