Social Science as a Study of Society

Jeremy T. Gilbaliga
What is social science?
Social sciences are a group of academic disciplines dedicated to examining society.
This branch of science studies how people interact with each other, behave, develop as a culture, and influence the
world.
What is a Society?
A society, or a human society, is a group of people involved with each other through persistent relations, or a large
social grouping sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and
dominant cultural expectations.
What is a Society?
a large group of people who live together in an organized way, making decisions about how to do things and sharing
the work that needs to be done. All the people in a country, or in several similar countries, can be referred to as a
society.
Understanding Social Sciences
Social sciences help to explain how society works, exploring everything from the triggers of economic growth and
causes of unemployment to what makes people happy.
Understanding Social Sciences
This information is vital and can be used for many purposes. Among other things, it helps to shape corporate strategies
and government policies.
Natural Vs. Social
Natural Vs. Social
Natural science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of
natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation.
Natural Vs. Social
Natural Vs. Social
Natural Vs. Social
Social Science is different from Natural Science and Humanities because the primary interest lies in predicting and
explaining human behavior.
Humanities or Social Science?
Both humanities and social sciences study human beings. What separates them is technique: humanities are viewed as
more philosophical and less scientific.
Natural Vs. Social
NATURAL SCIENCE Aims to predict all natural phenomena and its studies are based on experimentally controlled
condition of material entities.
Natural Vs. Social
HUMANITIES Seeks to understand “human reactions to events and the meanings humans impose on experience as a
function of culture, historical era, and life history.”
Natural Vs. Social
“Scientific Method”
=
Social & Natural Science
Natural Vs. Social
Scientific Method is a systematic and logical approach in acquiring and explaining knowledge.
Natural Vs. Social
It involves a step by step procedure of identifying the problem, formulating and hypothesis by gathering and analyzing
Natural Vs. Social
It is important in social science since it is the instrument by which issues and problems are examined and
recommendations fro policy making are offered depending on the findings of the study conducted.

Social science as a field of study is separate from the natural sciences, which cover topics such as physics, biology, and
chemistry.

Social science examines the relationships between individuals and societies, as well as the development and operation
of societies, rather than studying the physical world.
The social sciences include:
Anthropology
Economics
Political science
Sociology
Social psychology
History is also sometimes regarded as a social science, although many historians often consider the subject to share
closer links to the humanities
History of Social Sciences
The origins of social sciences can be traced back to the ancient Greeks.
History of Social Sciences
The lives they led, and their early studies into human nature, the state, and mortality, helped to shape Western
civilization.
History of Social Sciences
Social science as an academic field of study developed out of the Age of Enlightenment (or the Age of Reason), which
flourished through much of the 18th century in Europe.
History of Social Sciences
Adam Smith, Voltaire, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Denis Diderot, Immanuel Kant, and David Hume were among the big
intellectuals at the time who laid the foundations for the study of social sciences in the Western World.
History of Social Sciences
The history of the social sciences has origin in the common stock of Western philosophy and shares various precursors,
but began most intentionally in the early 19th century with the positivist philosophy of science.
History of Social Sciences
The history of the social sciences has origin in the common stock of Western philosophy and shares various precursors,
but began most intentionally in the early 19th century with the positivist philosophy of science.

“Positivism adheres to the view that only “factual” knowledge gained through observation (the senses), including
measurement, is trustworthy”

Since the mid-20th century, the term "social science" has come to refer more generally, not just to sociology, but to all
those disciplines which analyze society and culture; from anthropology to linguistics t o media studies.
ANTHROPOLOGY
Anthropology?
It is the discipline of infinite curiosity about human beings Anthropos= man Logos= study Broader in scope,
geographically and historically correct or mistaken beliefs about people
Anthropology?
Fields of Anthropology
1. Biological
• Human paleontology
• Human variation
Anthropology?
Fields of Anthropology
2. Cultural
• Archeology
• Linguistics
• Ethnology
Anthropology?
Fields of Anthropology
3. Applied Anthropology
4. Archeology
CULTURE
Culture is the entire way of life of society including its customs, values, social institutions, attitudes, music and arts.
MATERIAL CULTURE
Made up of the artifacts people construct on the basis of cultural norms
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
“Abstract aspect”
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
1. Norms- Rules of conduct that guide the behavior of people in society.
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
Examples:
Obedience to Elders
Applaud after a musical performance but not when a priest finishes a sermon
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
2. Folkways - Have the force of custom but do not necessarily have a moral connotation
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
Examples:
•Simple greetings
•Dress code Norms for routine, casual interaction
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
Examples:
•Simple greetings
•Dress code Norms for routine, casual interaction
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
3. Mores- Ideas of right or wrong
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
Example:
•Not engage in pre-marital sex; concept of morality (not provided by law)
•Not engage in infidelity (provided by law) May be sanctified by religion and strengthened by incorporation into a law
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
4. Laws - Formalized social norms
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
Examples:
•No Smoking
•Pedestrian Crossing Recognized and should be followed
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
Cognitive
a. Values- Culturally defined measures of goodness or desires
Example: equal opportunities for men and women, good looks, success
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
Cognitive
b. Beliefs
Example: Pamahiin (Superstitious), Supernatural
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
Subculture Behavior and value system of a group which is a part of the society but has a unique cultural patterns
NON-MATERIAL CULTURE
Example: subculture of poverty, subculture of students
COUNTER CULTURE
A subculture which is not merely different but sharply opposed to the dominant values of the society
COUNTER CULTURE
Examples: Criminals, NPA, CPP
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
Function and meaning of a culture depends on its setting Ethnocentrism Belief in the superiority if one’s culture
CULTURE SHOCK
Reaction on things or traditions they encounter or the first time Enculturation Process of socialization Learn the culture
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
• It is learned
• It is shared
• It is transmitted from one generation to generation
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
 • It is adaptive/dynamic
• It is diverse
• It is integrated
• It is symbolic
Features of Human Language
Conventionality- Human language use a limited number of sounds in combination to make an infinite number of
utterances/meanings
Features of Human Language
Productivity
Humans produce and understand an infinite number of utterances they have never said or heard before
Features of Human Language
Ex. I don’t know the man who took the spoon that Jordan left on the table that was lying upside down in the upstairs
hallway of the building that burned down last night.
Features of Human Language
All human speech is adaptive allows humans to think to plan, coordinate activities to store up knowledge and teach
others.
Features of Human Language
Human beings have innate language learning capacity.
Features of Human Language
Ex. Take a child’s initiative in learning language and to speak grammatically
Features of Human Language
This potential for speech will only be realized, however, through interaction with other humans speaking a language
Descriptive/Structural Linguistics
Discovers the rules that predict how most speakers of a language talk Phonology Pattern/system of sounds Morphology
Pattern of sound sequences to form meaningful units Syntax Pattern of phrases and sentences
Historical Linguistics
Focuses on how language changes over time records and dates linguistics divergence Geographic separation Racial or
social distance Conquest and colonization
Historical Linguistics
What language would a human speak if he/she were not taught any particular language?
Historical Linguistics
Linguistically impaired Do animals have culture?
Historical Linguistics
No, because only humans have culture and humans are able to adapt.

“Variations in getting Food ”

FOOD COLLECTION
• Food getting strategy that obtains wild plants and animals thru hunting (men), gathering (women), scavenging or
fishing.
FOOD COLLECTION
• Don’t own land.
• Nomadic.
• Division of labor in food collecting in based age and gender.
HORTICULTURE
• Growing of crops with simple hand
• Allocate plots of land to industries or families for their use but don’t own these.
HORTICULTURE
• More sedentary communities may more after several years
• Exhibit social differentiation part time political officials certain members of a kin group may have more status
PASTORALISM
• Depend on domesticated herds of animals
• Animals are owned by industries/families but decisions about where and when to move them are made by the
community
INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
•Cultivate fields permanently rely on mechanization
• Individual ownership of land resources
• Concept of ownership is a political and social matter
INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
“Intensive Agriculture societies are more likely to face famines and food shortage than horticultural societies”
INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
“Intensive Agriculture societies are more likely to face famines and food shortage than horticultural societies”
INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
Why?
INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
• They are producing crop for the market
• Ergo farmers cultivate plants that give them the higher yield that those that are drought resistant
INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
• Farmers also concentrate on one crop. Crop diversity is a protection against total crop failure
• There are fluctuations in market demands. If the prices fall for a particular crop, farmers may not have money

Why do people work?

Why do people work?
• Household consumption
• For survival
• Profit motive universal
• Need for achievement
• Social Rewards
Why do people work?
• Forced Labor • Taxation Inca Empire in the Central Andres; work for the state or as personal servants; the draft or
compulsory military service Emperors of China (Great Wall) Egyptians (Pyramid)
Why do people work?
• Forced Labor • Taxation Inca Empire in the Central Andres; work for the state or as personal servants; the draft or
compulsory military service Emperors of China (Great Wall) Egyptians (Pyramid)
END!

Economics
What if?
IMAGINE HOW WOULD BE LIFE LIKE 10000 YEARS AGO?
What if?
Find food /fight for food
Protect yourself from other animals
Do the same thing everyday

WHAT IS ECONOMICS
A social science that studies and influences human behavior, Economics is the study of what constitutes rational
human behavior in the endeavor to fulfill needs and wants.
The Foundation of Economics
Adam Smith (1723 - 1790) ◦ Author of the famous book "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of
Nations"
The Foundation of Economics
Economics ◦ the science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have
alternative uses - Robbins
NEEDS AND WANTS
?
NEEDS AND WANTS
Needs:- “STUFF” we must have to survive. • E.g.:- Food, Clothing and Shelter
NEEDS AND WANTS
Wants:- “STUFF” we would really like to have. • E.g. :- Fancy Food, big screen TV, jewelry. These are also known as
Luxuries
NEEDS AND WANTS
People try to balance needs and wants
Types of Economics
“Micro and Macro”
Types of Economics
Micro Economics studies how the individual parts of the economy make decisions to allocate limited resources
Types of Economics
Microeconomics studies:
1. how individuals use limited resources to meet unlimited needs
Types of Economics
Microeconomics studies:
2. the consequences of their decisions
3. the behavior of individual components like industries, firms and households
Types of Economics
Microeconomics studies:
4. how individual prices are set
5. What determines the price of land, labour and capital
Types of Economics
Microeconomics studies:
6. inquire into the strengths and weaknesses of the market mechanism.
Types of Economics
Macro Economics
Types of Economics
Macroeconomics studies:
1. the functioning of the economy as a whole
Types of Economics
Macroeconomics studies:
2. It examines the economy through wide-lens.
Types of Economics
Macroeconomics studies:
3. Macroeconomics studies about the total output of a nation
Types of Economics
Macroeconomics studies:
4. the way the nation allocates its limited resources of land, labor and capital
Types of Economics
Macroeconomics studies:
5. the ways to maximize production levels
6. the techniques to promote trade
Types of Economics
Macroeconomics studies:
After observing the society as a whole, Adam Smith noted that there was an "invisible hand" turning the wheels of the
economy
Types of Economics
Macroeconomics studies:
a market force that keeps the economy functioning.
The Factors of Production
Product
Land
Labour
Capital
Organization
The Factors of Production
Land includes the “gifts of nature,” or natural resources not created by human effort.
The Factors of Production
Capital includes the tool,equipment,and factories used in production
The Factors of Production
Labour includes people with all their efforts and abilities
The Factors of Production
Entrepreneurs are individuals who start a new business or bring a product to market.
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM

TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM

In a pure market economy there is no government involvement in economic decisions
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM
The Government lets the market answer the following three basic economic questions:
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM
1. What ? Consumers decide what should be produced in a market economy through the purchases they make.
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM
2. How? Production is left entirely up to businesses. Businesses must be competitive in such an economy and produce
quality products at lower prices than their competitors
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM
3. For whom? In a market economy, the people who have more money are able to buy more goods and services.
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM
In a command economy the Government takes economic decisions.
“the Government answers the three basic economic questions”
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM
1. What? A central planning committee decides what products are needed
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM
2. How? Since the Government owns all means of production in a command economy, it decides how goods and
services will be produced.
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM
3. For Whom? The Government decides who will get what is produced in a command economy
TYPES OF ECONOMIC SYSTEM
In the Mixed economies the Government and the Market work together in decision making
END

• GEOGRAPHY
• Jeremy T. Gilbaliga
• What is Geography?
• Geography is the study of the earth’s surface, land, features and people.
• What is Geography?
• The five themes of geography were created to help geographers organize information
• THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
• The five themes of geography were created to help geographers organize information
• THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHY
• Location
• Movement
• Region
• Place
• HEI (Human Environment Interaction)
• LOCATION
2 types
• Absolute location – Describes an exact spot on earth
• LOCATION
• This type of location requires latitude and longitude coordinates or a postal address
• LOCATION
• Relative location – Describes the position of a place in relation to another place
• LOCATION
• Uses directions, landmarks, time or distance from one place to another
• LOCATION
• Ex.
• Absolute Location
• -Washington, D.C. is located at 40N latitude and 80W longitude
• LOCATION
• Ex.
• Absolute Location
• -Durant Road Middle school is located at 10401 Durant road, Raleigh, NC 27614
• LOCATION
• Ex.
• Relative Location
• -The hospital is one mile north of Durant Road Middle School.”
• LOCATION
• Ex.
• Relative Location
• -“Take Capital blvd. north. Turn right on Main street. Go about ½ a mile and turn right to get to The Factory
• PLACE
• The physical and human features (characteristics) of a location that make it unique
• HUMAN ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION
• Describes the ways in which humans interact with the environment. It also describes the effect of the
environment on people.
• Human Environment Interaction
• Depend
• Adapt
• Modify
• Human Environment Interaction
• Depend
• People involved in farming, fishing, mining raw materials and tourism DEPEND on the environment to live or
make a living
• Human Environment Interaction
• Adapt
• This is the most difficult way! It means leaving the environment unchanged
• Human Environment Interaction
• Adapt
• Environmentalists, especially those concerned with preserving the wilderness, like to leave the air, water, and
land alone. Tourism relies on preserving things as they are.
• Human Environment Interaction
• Adapt
• People must adjust their lifestyles (clothing, housing, sports) to adapt to the environment in which they live
• Human Environment Interaction
• Adapt
• How can climate/weather affect the settlement of people and how they live?? Give an example.
• Human Environment Interaction
• Modify
• means to change in some way. People change the environment when they build roads, bridges, canals, dams,
houses, and buildings
• Human Environment Interaction
• Modify
• Can you think of ways that humans change or modify the environment in a positive (good) way??? Negative
(bad) way???
• REGION
• Regions are parts of the world that share one or more common characteristics/features that distinguish it
from surrounding areas.
• REGION
• Regions can be defined in many different ways.
• Language
• Landform groups (Piedmont, Coastal plain, mountains
• Government or political regions
• MOVEMENT
• Includes the movement of people, products/goods, information and ideas within and between countries.
• MOVEMENT
• How do goods/products get from one place to another
• What methods do people use to communicate ideas and information?
• END
• HOW CAN YOU PRESERVE THE ENVIRONMENT WHILE IMPROVING THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE?