QUARTER 1 – MODULE

Social Sciences and 1

Applied Social Sciences
LESSON 1: DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE APPLIED SOCIAL
SCIENCES
Social Science and applied Social Science are basically
the same thing. Social Science is about people how they
interact with others in their society and how societies
interact with each other. It seeks to explain interactions
forms hypothesis test them and suggest potential
actions. While, applied social science is about putting
theories in to practice and interfacing directly with the
public. This doesn’t mean an applied social society
practitioner i.e. a social worker is isolated from the body
of practice far from it they give feedback on the various
strategies developed and identify areas where further
research could be focused (Jones (2018).
DEFINING SOCIAL SCIENCES
 is made of several disciplines and these include history, political
science, sociology, psychology, economics, geography, demography,
 The study of society and the manner in which people behave and
influence the world around us.
 It provides vital information for governments, nongovernmental
organizations, and others.
 The uttermost goal of social science is to answer different questions and
problems about the society and human condition on how to improve it.
 Provides a substantive insight to the understanding of society and of
the relationship of individual members and groups within society
(Luminarias, 2018).
BRANCHES OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES
1. Anthropology
 The study of what makes us human.
 The scientific study of humans and human behavior and societies in the past and
present.

Anthropologist are trained in the different areas:

 Cultural anthropology - studies the development of human culture based on
ethnologic, linguistic, social, and psychological data analysis. It explains how people
in other societies live and affects their environments to their respective lives.
 Physical anthropology - studies human biological nature, particularly its beginning,
evolution, and variation in prehistory
 Archeology - studies human life in the past through the examination of things left
behind by the people.
2. History
 Systematic study of human past events in order to understand the meaning, dynamics, and relationship of
the cause and effects of events in the development of societies.
 The discipline that studies the chronological record of events (as affecting a nation or people), based on a
critical examination of source materials and usually presenting an explanation of their causes.
 The discipline that studies the chronological record of events (as affecting a nation or people), based on a
critical examination of source materials and usually presenting an explanation of their causes.

History has several subfields:

 Political history - studies history of political institutions
 Economic history - studies the development of economic institutions and other economic factors.
 Social history - studies the history of ordinary lives of people like women, children, ethnic groups, and the
different sectors of society from historical point of view.
 Environmental history - looks into the history of the interaction of humans with the environment.
 History of medicine and public health - examines the history of public health and human medicine.
 Business history - studies the history of the development of businesses, companies, and industries
3. Economics
 Studies the allocation of scarce resources and the production and exchange of goods and services
in society.
 A social science concerned with the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and
services.

Economics has different subfields:

• 3.1 Environmental economics- studies the allocation of natural resources

• 3.2 Labor economics -focuses on the study of the decision- making and behaviors of employees
and the relationships between employers and their employees.

• 3.3 Business economics - examines the behavior of companies and firms by studying the factors
that result in profit maximization, price setting, production goals, and the role of incentives.

• 3.4 Monetary economics -on the other hand, studies the nation’s production, inflation, income,
interest rates, and monetary policies.
4. Geography
 The study of places and the relationships between people and their environments.

5. Linguistics
 The scientific study of language and its structure.
 It involves analyzing language form, language meaning and language in context.

6. Psychology
 The scientific study of the mind and behavior. It is a multifaceted discipline and includes many sub-
fields of study such areas as human development, sports, health, clinical, social behavior and
cognitive processes.

7. Sociology
 Sociology is the study of human social relationships and institutions. Sociology’s subject matter is
diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions of race and
social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and from social stability to radical change in
whole societies.
8. Demography
 According to the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (2016) demography is
the scientific study of human populations across time.
 The study of a population based on factors such as age, race and sex. Governments,
corporations and nongovernment organizations use demographics to learn more about a
population's characteristics for many purposes, including policy development and
economic market research.

9. Applied Social Science

 The study that uses the knowledge based theories, principles, and methods of
interdisciplinary disciplines of basic social science to understand the society and to help
address or solve a social problem or practical problem in society.
POLITICAL SCIENCE
Primarily studies human behavior in relation to political systems, governments, laws, and
international relations.

Political has several fields of study:

1. Domestic politics
o Studies public opinion, elections, national and local governments.
2. Comparative politics
o Studies politics within countries and analyzes the similarities and differences between
among countries.
3. International Relations
o Focuses on the study of political relationship and interaction between and among countries.
4. Public administration
o Studies national and local governance and bureaucracy.
5. Public law
o examines legal systems, civil rights, and criminal justice
6. Psychology
o Studies how the human mind works in consonance with the body
to produce thoughts that lead to individual actions.
Psychology subfields:
 Experimental psychology - studies of humans and animals examines
how and why learning takes place.
 Developmental psychology - studies the ways people change and behave
as they go through their life.

 Personality psychology - studies human nature and differences among

people.
• Environmental psychology - studies the effects of surroundings on a
person’s attitude and behavior
7. Sociology
o a systematic study of people’s behavior in groups

Sociology subfields:
 Applied sociology - focus on the use and proper application of sociological theories,
methods and skills to examine data, solve problems and communicate research to the
public.
 Urban sociology - studies societal life interactions in urban areas through
the application of sociological methods like statistical analysis and ethnographies.

 Cultural sociology - analyzes the development of social institutions, norms and

practices.

 Rural sociology - studies the social life of people in rural areas.

• Medical sociology - examines the societal aspects of health and
medicine of people

a. Sociology of education - analyzes how social forces and institutions like politics,
economic systems, and culture affects school and educational systems.
b.Political sociology - examines how social structure affects and
influences politics.
c.Military sociology - is a sociological study of the military
organization, the different civilian and military relationships, war
experiences, and the use and control of force
8. Geography - is the study of interaction between people and their environments

Geography subfields:
a. Physical geography - studies the natural features of the earth, including land, water, and atmosphere.

b. Human geography - studies how people create cultures in their natural environments.

9. Demography - according to the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research (2016) demography is
the scientific study of human populations across time.

Major subfield:
c. Population studies or social demography
 Analyze demographic data to define, explain, and foresee social phenomena. It also studies social.
 Status composition and population distribution.

10. Applied Social Sciences - branch of study that applies the different concepts, theoretical models,
and theories of the social science disciplines to help understand society and the different problems and issues.
The applied social sciences is utilized to provide alternative solutions to the diverse problem of the society.
Three main career tracks for applied social
scientist:
1. Counseling - is one of the fields of applied social sciences as an
application of the social sciences, counseling provides guidance,
help, and support to individuals who are distraught by a diverse
set of problems in their lives.

Counseling can be done by the following:

• Guidance counselor and life coaching are applications of the
social sciences and these professions, expert help are given to
individuals who needed guidance or advice pertaining to their
business successes, general conditions and personal life transitions,
relationships and career.
• Life coach - analyzes the present condition of the
client, discovers different obstacles or challenges that
a client faces, and provides a certain course of action
to make the client’s life better.
• Career counseling - is needed by people who are in
the process of entering the job market, searching for
possible career change, or those wanting career
advancements.
• Personal growth counseling - concentrates on the
evaluation of different aspects of a client’s life.
2. Social work - practitioner help individuals,
families, and groups, communities to improve
their individual and collective well-being.
3. Communication Studies - Applied social
science provide adequate training for careers in
the field of journalism and mass communication
because of multidisciplinary knowledge and skills
that graduates learn from social sciences
Counseling
 Empowers diverse individuals, families, and groups to accomplish mental
health, wellness, education, and career goals.
 It involves helping people make needed changes in ways of thinking, feeling,
and behaving.

Social Work
• It focuses on social change, problem-solving in human relationships and the
empowerment and liberation of people to enhance social justice.

Communication
 Focuses on how humans use verbal and nonverbal messages to create
meaning in various contexts across cultures using a variety of channels and
media.