Disciplines and Ideas in the Social Sciences

Discipline: Etymology & Core Meaning

• Originates from Latin disciplina “instruction”; derived from discere “to learn” ➜ taught to a discipulus (disciple/pupil)
• In the academic sense, a discipline = a distinct field of study with its own body of knowledge, methods, and professional community

Traditional Classification of Academic Fields

• Four macro–families traditionally recognized:

  • Natural Sciences
  • Investigate natural phenomena using experimentally-controlled conditions
  • Core intent: uncover general laws of nature through empirical observation
  • Formal Sciences
  • Study abstract structures representable by formal systems (symbols, axioms, proofs)
  • Emphasis on internal logical consistency rather than empirical validation
  • Humanities
  • Examine human responses, reactions, and meaning-making in events, arts, and ideas
  • Interpretive, critical, and often normative orientation
  • Social Sciences
  • Analyze interaction, organization, and operations of human society in all its facets
  • Combine empirical research with theoretical interpretation of social life

• Canonical sub-disciplines often listed (non-exhaustive):

  • Natural Sciences: Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics
  • Formal Sciences: Mathematics, Logic, Statistics
  • Humanities: Art & Art History, Religious Studies, Literature, Music, Philosophy
  • Social Sciences: 9 emblematic fields presented in this lecture (see below)

Foundational Concept: Society

• Rooted in Latin societas / socius = “companion, comrade, friend, ally”
• Working definition: “A group of individuals engaged in persistent social interaction, sharing a common spatial or social territory, and typically subject to a unified political authority and dominant cultural expectations.”
• Conceptual linkages:
  • Social Studies (pedagogical umbrella in K-12) vs Social Sciences (systematic scholarly research)
  • Sociology (discipline) ⇌ “Society” as primary object of inquiry
  • Humanities intersect when meaning, values, or expressive forms are focal

Nine Core Disciplines of the Social Sciences Introduced

1. Anthropology
2. History
3. Geography
4. Political Science
5. Economics
6. Linguistics
7. Sociology
8. Demography
9. Psychology

Each discipline below is unpacked in terms of etymology, scope, internal subfields, goals, and seminal figures.

1. Anthropology

• Etymology: Greek anthropos “humankind” + logos “study”
• Holistic “science of man”: investigates human origins, customs, beliefs, biological traits, and cultural diversity across all of history
• Dual mission:
  • “Make the strange familiar & the familiar strange” (cultural relativism + reflexivity)
  • Preserve and understand human diversity while identifying universal patterns

Major Goals

• Discover intra-human differences & similarities
• Produce novel theories on human behavior and sociocultural evolution

Four Classic Sub-Disciplines

• Socio-Cultural Anthropology
  • Studies living peoples, their cultures, and their interaction with environments; tracks cultural variation & change
• Physical/Biological Anthropology
  • Explores human biological origins, evolutionary differentiation, genetic diversity, and global distribution
• Linguistic Anthropology
  • Analyses how language both shapes and is shaped by social life; links linguistic practices to power, identity, and worldview
• Archaeology
  • Reconstructs past societies via material remains; explains cultural change and continuity over time

Prominent Figures Mentioned

• Herodotus – early comparative observer of peoples (precursor)
• Charles Darwin – evolutionary framework influencing physical anthropology
• Franz Boas – founder of American four-field approach; champion of cultural relativism
• Henry Otley Beyer – “Dean of Philippine Anthropology”

2. History

• Etymology: Greek historia “learning via inquiry”
• Defines itself as “the study of the recorded past” aiming to make sense of former events across extensive temporal & spatial scales
• Skill set cultivated: critical source interpretation, theory evaluation against evidence, narrative construction

Herodotus – “Father of History”

• Pioneered systematic collection of materials and critical examination of sources

Four Modes of Historical Inquiry (Greek terms)

1. Opsis – eyewitness account
2. Akoe – hearsay
3. Ta legomena – tradition/what is spoken
4. Gnome – reasoned judgment leading to conclusion

3. Geography

• Etymology: Greek geo “Earth” + graphos “chart/mapping”
• Bridge discipline linking natural & social sciences by asking “Where?” and “Why there?”
• Focus areas: spatial distribution, human-environment interaction, and inter-relations among places

Branches Highlighted

• Human Geography – how humans create cultures, organize space, and affect the planet; topics: urbanization, population, cultural landscapes
• Physical Geography – natural features: climate, vegetation, landforms, water, atmosphere

4. Political Science

• Etymology: Greek politeia – status/behavior of a citizen participating in the polis (city-state)
• Studies politics, power, and government
  • Politics = process of exercising power for decision-making
  • Power = capacity/mechanism enabling governance
  • Government = institutional apparatus that rules over territory & population
• Core variables presented: 1 Politics, 2 Power, 3 Government

5. Economics

• Etymology: Greek oikos “home/household” + nomos “management/law”
• Investigates production, distribution, and consumption of goods & services; allocative choices under scarcity

6. Linguistics

• Etymology: Latin lingua “language”
• Scientific study of language structure (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics), acquisition, and change
• Contrasted with Linguistic Anthropology: linguistics focuses on formal properties; linguistic anthropology embeds language in social context

7. Sociology

• Etymology: Latin socius “friend/companion” + Greek logos “study”
• Systematic analysis of human society at micro (individual interactions) and macro (institutional structures) levels
• Examines how people relate, coordinate, conflict, and reproduce social order

Founders & Key Thinkers

• Auguste Comte – coined the term, promoted positivism
• Émile Durkheim – established sociology as empirical science; studied social facts, solidarity, anomie

8. Demography

• Etymology: Greek demos “people” + graphos “charting/mapping”
• Uses quantitative methods to study human populations: size, composition, distribution, migration, fertility, mortality
• Relies heavily on statistics to interpret population trends and policy implications

9. Psychology

• Etymology: Greek psyche “soul/spirit/mind” + logos “study”
• Scientific investigation of behavior and mental processes from biological, cognitive, and socio-cultural perspectives
• Dual nature: overlaps natural science (neurobiology, perception) & social science (social cognition, group dynamics)
• Key aims:
  • Understand thinking patterns and behavioral motives
  • Analyze interaction of physical states (neurology, physiology) and mental states within environmental contexts

Cross-Cutting Insights & Integrative Themes

• The social sciences collectively aim to explain how humans organize life, navigate environments, and create meaning.
• Methodological Diversity:
  • Quantitative (statistics, experiments) ⇌ Qualitative (ethnography, textual analysis)
  • Comparative, historical, spatial, and experimental designs complement one another.
• Ethical & Practical Implications:
  • Informed policy-making (economics, demography, political science)
  • Cultural sensitivity & heritage preservation (anthropology, history)
  • Environmental stewardship (geography, human ecology)
  • Mental health & well-being (psychology, sociology)

Mnemonic Linking All Nine Social Sciences

“All Humans Get People Engaging Lively Social Discussion Patterns” ➜ Anthropology, History, Geography, Political Science, Economics, Linguistics, Sociology, Demography, Psychology

Concluding Perspective

• Understanding each discipline’s origin, scope, and key methods empowers students to adopt a multi-angled approach to societal questions.
• Collaboration across these fields nurtures more comprehensive explanations and innovative solutions to complex real-world issues.