What does it mean?

"An inevitable logical course because constructivism was the alternative emerged opposing and replacing both the old positivist and neo-positivist approaches based on realism and determinism of quasi-laws adapted from physical sciences."

Though sentences never convey much in these classes, words when taken separately were meaningful. Now even that is becoming an uphill task.

Positivism makes me depressed, realism makes me yawn and determinism makes me confused...Every week, for these three hours, I feel utterly, completely hopeless.