A series of multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder activities have taken place and are taking place in UPLB to celebrate April as Social Science (SocSci) Month.

Spearheaded by the UPLB Department of Social Sciences (DSS), the 2024 SocSci Month featured and will feature knowledge-sharing and public service activities that highlight the role of the various social science disciplines in understanding and addressing national and local issues, including mental health, disaster response, charter change, women empowerment, and community development, among others.

“This year’s SocSci Month is not just a celebration of the social sciences in UPLB, but also a way for the DSS to highlight UPLB’s brand of social sciences, which is centered on timely social research and active extension and public service,” said Reidan Pawilen, chair of DSS.

On April 11-13, the DSS-Psychology Cluster conducted the “Psychological First Aid (PFA) Facilitators’ Training for Local Government Unit and Barangay Officials and Local Disaster Responders” at CAS Annex 1 Building Gallery Rooms. It was held in collaboration with the UPLB Ugnayan ng Pahinungod.

This activity equipped more than 30 representatives from the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office and various barangays of Los Baños, Laguna, UPLB’s host LGU, with knowledge and skills to become PFA trainers and to provide immediate support to persons and groups who may experience difficulties and crises.

The PFA advocacy is a staple in DSS’s umbrella public service program called “Soksay sa Barangay, Barangay sa Soksay,” which will have its official launch on April 29 via virtual conferencing and Facebook live. This public service program is designed to assist local communities in Southern Luzon in the aspects of PFA, cultural development, cultural mapping, and gender equality and social inclusion.

Meanwhile, on April 15, the DSS Division of History and Division of Political Science collaborated on a webinar on the Philippine Constitution entitled “Anyare? Mga Pinagdaanan at Patutunguhan ng Saligang Batas 1987.”

In this webinar, DSS faculty members Dr. Roderick Javar and Jeorge Alarcon, Jr. talked about the history of the Philippine Constitution and the issues surrounding the current initiatives for charter change in the country, respectively. More than 150 participants attended the webinar, which was held via virtual conferencing and streamed on Facebook.

DSS students, meanwhile, are leading an activity for SocSci Month through the UPLB Sociology Society’s “Husay ng Soksay,” a social science campaign and advocacy program. This will showcase a set of inter-high school competitions on essay writing, mobile photography, speech, and short film. Registration for this activity is until April 30.

Completing the 2024 SocSci Month are events that highlight the role of women in Philippine history and society.

First is the General Education (GE) Conversation on two GE offerings of DSS – KAS 4 (Kababaihan sa Kasaysayang Pilipino) and SOSC 3 (Exploring Gender and Sexuality).

The GE Conversation is entitled “Mga Ambag sa Pananaliksik sa Araling Kababaihan ni Prop. Ma. Reina Boro-Magbanua.”

Second is the launching of the book “Tinipong Tinig ng Kababaihan (Anthology of Women’s Voices): Priestesses to Presidents.”

The KAS 4 and SOSC 3 GE Conversation on April 22 will feature the contributions of the late Boro-Magbanua to women’s history through the talks of Athenee Pacardo-Mercado, former chair of DSS; Veronica Alporha, a PhD History student at the University of Hawaii at Manoa; and Dr. Ma. Theresa Payongayong, assistant vice president for academic affairs of UP. It will be held via virtual conferencing and will be streamed on Facebook.

DSS is also co-organizing a book launch for “Tinipong Tinig ng Kababaihan (Anthology of Women’s Voices): Priestesses to President” with the UPLB Office for Initiatives in Culture and the Arts at the DL Umali Hall lobby on April 23.

The book includes a chapter written by Gloria Melencio, a retired assistant professor and a current senior lecturer at DSS, entitled “Santigaman (Sa Ngalan ng Katipunan): Mga Babaylan at Katipon sa Kabisayaan.” The book was published by UP Press and edited by Nenita Pambid Domingo and Brandon J. Macapagal Reilly.(Mark Jayson E. Gloria)