DISCIPLINES AND IDEAS IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES

1st Sem – Module 2

Introductory Message

Welcome to the Discipline and Ideas in the Social Sciences (DISS) Module on The Backdrop of the
Human Condition: Geography, Demography, and History.

This module was designed to provide you with fun and meaningful opportunities for guided and
independent learning at your own pace and time. You will be enabled to process the contents of the
learning resource while being an active learner.

The following are some reminders in using this module:

1. Use the module with care. Do not put unnecessary mark/s on any part of the module. Use a
separate sheet of paper in answering the exercises.
2. Read the instruction carefully before doing each task.
3. Observe honesty and integrity in doing the tasks and checking your answers.
4. Finish the task at hand before proceeding to the next.

If you encounter any difficulty in answering the tasks in this module, do not hesitate to consult your
teacher or facilitator. Always bear in mind that you are not alone.
We hope that through this material, you will experience meaningful learning and gain deep
understanding of the relevant competencies. You can do it!

What I Need to Know

This module helps you comprehend the three branches of social sciences that specialize on
the human condition: geography, which seeks to study the earth and its features; demography,
which examines the various aspects of human population; and history, which records and interprets
the past.

The lessons in this module are arranged to follow the standard sequence of the course. But
the order in which you read them can be changed to correspond with the textbook you are now
using.

At the end of the lesson, you must be able to:

A. Explain the importance of Geography, Demography, and History as fields of study and
practice;
B. Create a collage about “The Backdrop of the Human Condition: Geography, Demography,
and History;
C. Share insights of the three branches of social sciences that specialize on the human
condition

1
 What Is It

Read carefully the selection below.

Social scientists study individuals and their relationships with social institutions and other members
of society. It is therefore inherent for the social sciences to emphasize the human condition in both
scholarship and in practice.

Geography: Describing the Earth

The primary concern of geography is the physical characteristics of the earth. These characteristics
dictate the interactions between humans and their environments—for example, civilizations past and
present tend to be built around access to sources of water. The importance of the Nile River of the
ancient Egyptians is underscored in almost every history book. The ancient Mesopotamian
civilizations depended greatly on the rivers Tigris and Euphrates. The precolonial societies in the
Philippines were established near rivers, and along the coasts. In addition, to land masses and
bodies of water, climate also affects human culture and behavior. Farmers’ plant and harvest crops
according to the seasons. Our choice of clothes, eating habits, and other behavioral patterns can be
attributed to the prevailing climate and weather conditions.

Geography Defined

Geography comes from two Greek words: geo, which means earth, and graphos, which means
description. It was Erastosthenes (276-149 BCE), a renowned scholar from ancient Greece, who first
used the term “geography”. Since the earth is our abode, we can define geography in this light as
“the description of the earth as the abode of human beings”.

In essence, geography is concerned with two things: (1) studying the physical aspects of the earth,
and (2) explaining how the earth affects mobility, outcomes, and interactions of individuals and
societies across regions. Geography is often called the bridge between the human and the physical
sciences.

Geography and its Subdisciplines

The branches of geography have two major approaches used in studying the field: the systematic
approach and the regional approach.

Proposed by German geographer Alexander von Humboldt, the systematic approach studies
individual issues or phenomena and examines specific patterns and variations across the globe.
Based on the systematic approach, the study of geography can be divided into three branches;

 Physical geography the study of the physical features of the Earth, which comprise the
lithosphere, atmosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere.
 Human geography views human beings as a fundamental part of the Earth’s surface, and
focuses on their interactions with the environment.
 Biogeography emerged as a result of the interface between physical geography and human
geography, with the branch combining aspects of study and methods from the two branches.

The regional approach, introduced by another German Geographer, Karl Ritter, deals with the
study of geographical phenomena in a particular region and views the world as composed of
regions at various hierarchical levels. Based on this approach, the study of geography can be
classified into four branches; regional or area studies, regional planning, regional development,
and regional analysis.

Table 2.1 summarizes the approaches in the study of geography, its branches, and sub-
branches.

Demography: Analyzing the Population

Rapid population increase forces us to confront the following questions: Why do we need to
know about populations? Why do we need to study the growth or decline of the human

2
 population and analyze its distinctive features? Demography as an academic discipline provides
the answer to these questions.

Demography Defined

Hauser and Duncan define demography as “the study of the size, territorial distribution, and
components of population, the changes therein, and the components of such changes”.
Demography, to put is simply, is the science of population.

Demography is mostly quantitative. The International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences

1979 describes demography as the quantitative study of human populations.

Table 2.1 Geography and its Subdisciplines

APPROACH BRANCH SUB-BRANCHES

SYSTEMATIC Physical Geography Geomorphology: the study of landforms, their

evolution, and related processes
Climatology: the study of the structure of the
atmosphere and elements of the weather and
climate
Hydrology: the study of bodies of water such as
rivers, oceans, and lakes
Soil geography: study of the processes of soil
formation, soil types, distribution, and use

Human Geography Social/Cultural geography: the study of society

and its spatial dynamics
Population geography: the study of population
growth, distribution, density, sex ratio, and
occupational structure
Settlement geography: the study of the
characteristics of rural and urban settlements
Economic geography: the study of the economic
activities of people including agriculture, industry,
tourism, trade, infrastructure, etc.
Historical geography: the study of geographies
of the past or the study of geographic changes
in a place over time
Political geography: study of space from the
angle of political events; study of boundaries
and space relations between neighboring political
units

Biogeography Plant geography: the study of the spatial patterns

of natural vegetation in their habitats
Zoogeography: the study of the spatial patterns
and geographic characteristics of animals and
their habitats
Ecology: the study of interactions among
organisms and their environments
Environmental geography: the study of the
relationship between humans and the
environment, focusing on geographic patterns in
resource consumption and issues in environmental
conservation

REGIONAL Regional/Area Studies: comprises macro-, meso-, and micro-regional studies

Regional Planning: comprises rural and urban planning
Regional Development: the study of patterns, spatial distributions, and dispari-
ties in industry and development from area to area, along with the human and
economic factors behind these phenomena

3
 Regional Analysis: the scientific analysis of issues or problems specific to
particular areas or regions

Demography is interdisciplinary. The study of population transcends disciplines formulating more

accurate analyses of demographic phenomena, demographers can draw on ideas and concepts
from fields such as sociology, biology, economics, health science, and public management.

Demography is applicable. Studying population patterns can be helpful in shaping policy outcomes
as these can impact the public interest. Changes in population might influence the government’s
views towards public health, education, and other basic social services.

Demography and its Subdisciplines

Two types of demography;

 Formal demography deals with fertility, marriage/union formation and dissolution, mortality,
and migration, using specific demographic methods and measures
 Social demography uses demographic data in explaining and predicting social phenomena.
While formal demography investigates population composition and distribution, social
demography examines the population’s social-status composition.

History Defined

The word history has a lexical origin in the French word histoire, the Latin word historia, or Greek
word istoria. These words refer to the stories, accounts, and knowledge of past events. The
American Historical Association (AHA) defines history as “never-ending process whereby people
seek to understand the past and its many meanings.” In essence, history refers to the study and
interpretation of the written record of past human activity, including the activities of societies and
civilizations, up to the present day. In other words, it is the continuous, systematic narrative and
research of all events in time in relation to humanity.

The analysis of historical data is an intellectual endeavor that any aspiring historian must master.
The process by which historical data and events arte critically examined using specific sources,
techniques, and approaches is known as historiography. The historical method includes techniques
by which historians use primary sources – actual records that have survived from the past – and
other pieces of evidence to research and then write history. Events transpiring before the
introduction of the earliest known written and historical records are described as prehistory.

TABLE 2.2 Steps in the Historiographical Process

THINGS TO DO WHAT HISTORIANS DO HOW THEY DO IT

1 Ferrer out the facts Discover Locate primary sources and learn
the facts
2 Establish a meaningful order in Analyze Examine primary sources to make
the chaos of materials sense of them

3 Seek perspective and Interpret Explain the context, meaning, and

enlightenment significance of primary sources
4 Improve collective Communicate Share insights with others
understanding of the past
History and its Subdisciplines

TABLE 2.3 Branches of History

BRANCH DESCRIPTION
Art History The study of the histories of the arts, such as architecture,
sculpture, painting, music, dance, theatre, motion pictures,
television, and literature, among others
Psychohistory The interpretation of historical events with the aid of psychological
theories
Diplomatic History The study of the history of international relations among states

Economic History The study of past economic phenomena and the application

4
 economic theories of historical situations
Intellectual History The study of the emergence and evolution of ideas and thinkers

Military History The study of the armed forces as an institution with respect to the
roles it played in past events
Political History The analysis of political narratives, events, ideas, movements,
organs of government, voters, parties, and leaders

History of Science The study of the development of science and scientific knowledge

Social and Cultural History The study of popular cultural traditions and social interpretations of
historical experience
Women’s History The study of the roles of women played in past events
World History The study of history from a global perspective

Diaz College
Tanjay City, Negros Oriental
Senior High School Department

Contemporary Philippine Arts from the Regions

Worksheet 2
Name: ______________________ Section:________________

What I Have Learned

5
 I. Complete the table below by providing the information asked for. (Write your answers in a separate
sheet of paper)

DEFINITION BRANCHES IMPORTANCE TO SOCIETY

Geography

Demography

History

Assessment

A. Identification: Identify what is asked in the statements below. (Write your answers in a
separate sheet of paper)

__________________1. A renowned scholar from ancient Greece, who first used the
term ‘geography’.
__________________2. It deals with the study of geographical phenomena in a
particular region and views the world as composed
as composed regions at various hierarchical levels.
__________________3. This type of demography uses demographic data in

6
 explaining and predicting social phenomena.
__________________4. It is often called the bridge between the human and the
physical sciences.
__________________5. It simply means the science of population.

__________________6. The process by which historical data and events are critically
examined using specific sources, techniques, and
approaches.
__________________7. This describes as events transpiring before the introduction
of the earliest known written and historical records.
__________________8. This views human beings as a fundamental part of the
Earth’s surface, and focuses on their interactions with the
environment.
__________________9. Emerged as a result of the interface between physical
geography and human geography, with the branch
combining aspects of study and methods from the two
branches.
__________________10. Greek word which means ‘description’.

References
Published Sources:

Jison, John Raymond B. & Ponsaran John N. [Link] and Ideas in the Social Sciences.
Quezon City, Philippines.

Note: this activity is good for 2 weeks, deadline would be on October 1, 2021.