SOCFAM REVIEWER (Prelims)
experiences in terms of what is going
MODULE 2: Social Perspectives,
Sociological Imagination, and Sociological
Inquiries
SOCIOLOGY
 the scientific study of human societies
 a branch of social science that uses
various methods of empirical
investigations and critical analysis to
develop and refine a body of
knowledge about human structure and
activity
SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE
 a distinct way of thinking that the social
world guides our action, thinking, and
life choices
 a sociological way of looking at the
things which includes a basic orienting
idea from which one’s assumption
regarding the nature of people and
society
CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIOLOGICAL
PERSPECTIVE
According to Maciones, J. (1997):
-seeing the general in particular
-seeing the strange in familiar
-human behavior is not individualistc as we
think, but rather social forces affect human
behavior
-sociological perspective has a global
perspective, the study of the larger world
and our society’s place in it
SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION
 the quality of the mind essential to
grasp the interplay of men and society,
of biography and history, of self and
world
 a way of looking at our personal
on in the world around
THE SOCIOLOGIST AND
SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY
SOCIOLOGIST
 a person with professional knowledge
and skills in studying the facts of
society and social behavior through
rigorous scientific inquiry in order to
arrive at certain generalizations and
truths about social life and society
SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY
 a scientific investigation or intellectual
and rigorous research on a particular
issue, concern, event, or situation for
better understanding of the same
 concerned with the repetitive patterns
in human behavior, presented
according to logically related
hypotheses and supported by empirical
evidence
FUNDAMENTAL PROCEDURES IN
SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY
*Defining the Problem
*Reviewing the literature
*Forming a hypothesis
*Choosing a research design
*Collecting the data
*Analyzing the data
*Drawing conclusions
*Communicating the result of the study
METHODS, TECHNIQUES, AND TOOLS
IN SOCIOLOGICAL INQUIRY
METHODS
 experiment
 survey
 case study
  field observation/participant
observation
 historical research
TECHNIQUES
a. Qualitative technique
-examines data from observations,
interviews, and publications which are not
statistical in nature
b. Interviewing
-the researcher may interview subjects face
to face or by telephone, can be:
structured/directive or
unstructured/nondirective
c. Quantitative technique
-uses statistics which deal with a mass of
data and permit more precise statements of
their relationship
MODULE 3: Anthropology as a Scientific
and Humanistic Discipline
ANTHROPOLOGY
-is taken from two Greek words “Anthropos”
which means “man” or “human being”, and
“logos” or “logia” which means “to study”
-the branch of knowledge which deals with
scientific study of man, his works, his body,
behavior and values, in time and space
-the scientific study of physical, social, and
cultural development, and behavior of
human beings since their appearance on
earth
ANTHROPOLOGY AS A HUMANISTC
DISCIPLINE
 The central focus of investigation is the
study of man
 Concerned with all the dimensions of
humanity like evolutionary, biophysical,
economic, social, political, cultural,
linguistic, psychological, aesthetics,
health, religious, or moral
ANTHROPOLOGY AS A SCIENTIFIC
DISCIPLINE
 Anthropologists collect facts about
society and culture in a careful and
systematic manner
 Contains order and logic in search for
truth
 The Scientific Investigation in
Anthropology follows certain standard
procedures:
*identification of the problem
*gathering of data
*analysis of data
BRANCHES AND SUBFIELDS OF
ANTHROPOLOGY
A. Physical/Biological Anthropology
 Deals with the study of man’s
biological foundations, race,
evolution, genetic inheritance, racial
classifications, human adaptability
and variation, the fossil records of
human evolution, and forensic
studies
Subdisciplines of
Physical/Biological Anthropology
a. Racial History
-deals with the study of the nature
of races
b. Paleontology
-deals with the origin of man
through the study of fossil evidence
for human evolution
c. Human Genetics
-deals with the study of various
ways of inheritance that takes
places in man
d. Primatology
-deals with the study of primates or
 hominids of the genus Homo,
especially Homo Sapiens
e. Neuroanthropology
-deals with the study of the
evolution of the human brain, and
of culture as a neurological
adaptation of the species to its
environment
f. Human Osteology
-deals with the study of skeletal
material
g. Forensic Anthropology
-deals with the analysis and
identification of human remains in
the service of coroners or medial
examiners
h. Human Evolution
-a part of biological evolution
concerning the emergence of homo
sapiens as a distinct species from
other hominians, great apes, and
placental animals
THREE MAIN THEORIES OF EVOLUTION
1. LAMARKISM
 Lamarck is remembered for his belief
in the inheritability of acquired
character
 He is credited for stating that
evolution is a gradual process and it
is a general fact
2. DARWINISM
 Human evolution has occurred
through the process of natural
selection
 The survival of the fittest and the
elimination of the unfit is a natural
process
3. SYNTHETIC THEORY/NEO-
DARWINISM
 This theory postulates that human
evolution proceeds principally as a
result of the interaction between the 5
indispensable processes:
-mutation
-genetic recombination
-changes in chromosome no. and
structure
-natural selection
-reproductive isolation
STAGES IN HUMAN EVOLUTION
-gradual to complex process
-million years gap
-27 to 36 kilos, up to 4ft
-13 years old average lifespan of hominids
1. DRYOPITHECUS
 This genus which means oak wood
apes lived in Africa, China, India, and
Europe in densely forested tropical
lowlands
 hunted, not the hunters
 Herbivorous (since their jaws aren’t
fully developed yet)
2. RAMAPHITECUS
 Fossil remains were found in the
open grassland in Punjab, India, and
later on Africa
 Has thickened tooth enamel and use
hands for food and defense and
walk in an upright position
3. AUSTRALOPHITECUS AFRICANUS
 The immediate forerunner of the
genus homo
 Lives in lands and uses stones and
weapons, can hunt animals
 They have bigger brains and can
walk erect, upright position
 The first fossil of this was discovered
by Raymond Dart at Taung, a
limestone quarry site in South Africa
4. GENUS HOMO
 “homo” comes from the Latin
“humanus” which means
human/man
5. HOMO HABILIS
 The first species of the genus homo,
lived from about 2.4 to 1.4 million
years ago in South and East Africa
 Small molar and larger brain
 Handy man or making-tool man
6. HOMO ERECTUS
 first fossil was discovered by
Eugene Dubois in 1891 on Java,
Indonesia
 Pithecanthropus erectus- erect ape
man
 cave dwellers; “Peking man”
 lived in communities, hunts together
(collective hunting)
 using semi-precious stones to hunt
7. HOMO SAPIENS
NEANDERTHALENSIS
 “sapiens” means wise or intelligent
 The trend in skull expansion and the
elaboration of stone tools
technologies developed, provide
evidence for a transition from Homo
Erectus to Homo Sapiens
8. HOMO SAPIENS SAPIENS
 The first skeletal remains of this
Homo Genus were found in Europe
and were named Cro-Magnon
 Modern man is closely related to
Cro-Magnon
 Appearance of modern man’s chin,
rounded skull, and reduction of jaws
B. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY
 Deals with the investigation often
through long term, intensive field
studies of the culture and social
organization of people
SUBDISCIPLINES OF CULTURAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
a. Ethnography
 derived from the Greek word “ethnos”
which means “people” and “graphein”
which means writing
 pure description of the culture of
people or an ethnic group; detailed
(one group only)
 live with them to study them; first-
hand experience of their lives
b. Ethnology
 The analysis, comparison, and
contrast of cultures of people
c. Social Anthropology
 one evolves generalizations about
social life and conduct based on the
ethnography and ethnology of the
culture under study
 how social life is in a particular
culture
C. ARCHAELOGY
 Deals with the study of man’s culture
and society in the past, as far back in
time as prehistoric times
 Discovering evidences on how man
lived in the past
FOSSILS- remnants of the past that have
organic life which withstood the test of time
and forces of nature
ARTIFACTS- man-made materials modifies
by past human activities
SUBDISCIPLINES OF ARCHAEOLOGY
a. Prehistoric Archaeology
 Reconstruction of culture of
prehistoric societies and ancient
civilization

b. Classical Archaeology
 The study of history of art and
architecture of classical Greek and
Roman civilization

c. Ethnoarchaeology
 deals with the study of material
remains in ethnic and tribal groups

d. Industrial Archaeology
 reconstruction of man’s economic,
pre-industrial and industrial activities
 analyzing changes from prehistoric to
modern

D. LINGUISTICS
 Branch of anthropology which refers
to the systematic study of recorded
and unrecorded languages all over
the world
 ex: hieroglyphics

SUBDISICPLINES OF LINGUISTICS

a. Historical Linguistics
 how language changed over
time

b. Descriptive Linguistics
 structure of a language as it
exists, without reference to its
history or to comparison with
other languages
 what we use today

c. Socio-linguistics
 how language is used in a social
context
 semantics