Republic of the Philippines

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region I
Pangasinan Division II
MANAOAG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Manaoag, Pangasinan

UCSP
Understanding Culture,
Society and Politics
First Quarter
Module 1

Page | 1
 ESSENTIALS IN STUDYING
CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS

Learning Module No.1

Week 1 of 9
Content Standards: the learners demonstrate an understanding of:
1. Human Cultural Variation, Social Differences, Social Change, and
Political Identities;
2. The Significance of Studying Culture, Society and Politics; and
3. The Rationale for Studying Anthropology, Sociology, and Political
Science
Most Essential Learning Competencies: Discuss the Nature, Goals and
Perspectives in/of Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science
Objectives: After going through this module, you are expected to:
1. Articulate observation on human cultural variation, social
differences, social change and political identities;
2. Explain the meaning of Sociology, Anthropology, and Political
Science; and
3. Demonstrate curiosity and an openness to explore the origins and
dynamics of culture and society
___________________________________________________________________
CULTURE – the beliefs, customs, arts, etc., of a particular society, group or
place.
SOCIETY – People in general thought of as living together in organized
communities with shared laws, traditions and values.
POLITICS – Activities that relate to influence the actions and policies of a
government or getting and keeping power in a government.
CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS AS CONCEPTUAL TOOLS
• Culture, society, and politics are concepts.
• They exist in the realm of ideas and thoughts.
• They cannot be seen or touched and yet they influence the way we see
and experience our individual and collective lives as social beings.
• Just like any other words, concepts are initially invented as icons to
capture (or represent) phenomena and in the process assist their
users/inventors to describe facets and social experience in relation to
the phenomena concerned.

Page | 2
 • What is interesting about concepts is that as conceptual tools, they
allow us to form other concepts, or relate concepts to each other, or
even deconstruct old ones and replace them with something new.
• As a heuristic tool (i.e., simplifying tool), concepts allow the discovery
of new aspects of a phenomenon.

THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND THE THREE FACES OF THE SOCIAL:

• Social – elating to society or the way the society is organized.
Examples: actions and interactions
Sociology – the study of the development, structure, and functioning
of human society.
• Cultural – relating to ideas, customs, and social behavior of society.
Examples: actions and interactions
Anthropology – the study of human societies and cultures and their
development.
• Political – relating to the government or the public affairs of a
country.
Examples: power relations
Political Science – is a social science which deals with systems of
governance, and the analysis of political activities.

SOCIOLOGY
The word SOCIOLOGY was coined by AUGUSTE COMTE –
French philosopher in 1839. He is considered as a “Father of
Sociology”.
He also introduced the term Positivism through his book entitled
Course on Positive Philosophy (1830–1842) and System of Positive
Polity (18
The word SOCIOLOGY is derived from the Latin word “Socius”
which means ”Companion” or “Associate” and Greek word “logos”
which means “to study”.
It is a systematic study of human relationship along with human
society and social interaction.
DIFFINITIONS OF SOCIOLOGY
L. F. WARD – “Sociology is the science of society or of social
phenomena”.
MORRIS GINSBERG – “Sociology is the study of human interaction and
interrelation of their condition and consequences”.
EMILE DURKHEIM – “Sociology as a science of social institutions”.
ORBURN AND NIMKOFF – “Sociology as the study of social life”.
KIMBALL YOUNG – “Sociology deals with the behavior of men in
group”.

Page | 3
ELEMENTS OF SOCIETY
1. Mutual interactions of individuals
2. Mutual inter-relationship between individuals
3. Implications of differences/diversities/variations
4. Common propensity ………… “WE” feeling
5. Interdependence
6. Cooperation
7. Like mindedness
8. A pattern of system

CHARACTERISTICS OF SOCIETY
▪ Composed of people
▪ Members have cooperation and share common interest
▪ Desires are satisfied and interest fulfilled with joined efforts promoting
solidarity and social cohesion
▪ Responsibilities held by means of division of labor and delegation of
authority
▪ Members shows a pattern of interdependence necessary to meet social
needs.

PIONEERS/FORERUNNERS OF SOCIOLOGY
1. AUGUSTE COMTE (1798-1857) - was a French philosopher who
advocated the idea of “positivism” or the use of empirical investigation to
understand society and social phenomena.
2. HERBERT SPENCER (1830-1903) - was a British philosopher-scientist
who argued that human societies go through an evolutionary process and
who coined the concept of “survival of the fittest”.
3. KARL MARX (1818-1883) - was a German philosopher who believe that
the misery and exploitation of the working lower classes in society was
caused by capitalism – inevitable to overthrow capitalism and to improve
the social conditions.
4. EMILE DURKHEIM (1858-1917) - was a French sociologist who focused
on the characteristics of social groups, particularly the cohesion or non-
cohesion of religious groups.
5. MAX WEBER (1864-1920) - was a German economist-lawyer whose
works dwelt on the significance of subjective meanings people give to their
interactions with others.
6. HENRY SAINT-SIMON (1760-1825) - wrote his ideas on the science of
society based on the assumption that the law of human behavior could be
determined in the same manner that the law of nature had been arrived by
natural scientists.

Page | 4
 ANTHROPOLOGY
Derived from the Latin word “anthropos” meaning “man” and Greek
word “logos” meaning “to study”.
Is a branch of Social Science that deals with all aspects of human
beings including their biological evolution and social and cultural
features that definitively distinguish humans from other animal
species.
Is the “holistic science of man”, a science of the totality of the human
existence.
Franz Boas (1858-1942) is considered the “Father of American
Anthropology”.
- His works focused on rejecting the biological basis of racism or
racial discrimination.
2 BROAD FIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY
1. PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY – it is mainly concerned about how
humans emerged and evolved through time.
2. CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY – it is basically concerned with the
differences of cultures from time to time.

3 MAIN BRANCHES OF CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY

1. ARCHEOLOGY – studies past cultures through tangible or material
remains.
2. ANTHROPOLOGICAL LINGUISTICS – study of languages where
experts explain the differences of language by culture and how it is
constructed.
3. ETHNOLOGY – study of recent or present cultures.

HUMAN CULTURAL VARIATION

Refers to the differences in social behavior that different cultures exhibit
around the world. What may be considered good etiquette in one culture
may be considered bad etiquette in another.
(globalsociology.pbworks.com)

Types of Human Variation:

RELIGION
o Came from the Latin word “religere” meaning “to bind
together”.
o Is a system of beliefs and practices as well as system of actions
directed toward entities which are above men.
Page | 5
 o Is an organized system of ideas about the spiritual sphere or the
supernatural.
E T H N I C I TY
o Came from the word “ethnos” – mean group, “nation” – means
people.
o It is the expression of the set of cultural ideas held by a distinct
ethics or indigenous people.
o There are about 180 ethnic groups in the Philippines.
NATIONALITY
o it is the legal relationship that binds a person and a country.
o it allows the state to protect and have jurisdiction over a person.
NATION
o a “group of people who share the same history, traditions and
language.”
o Oftentimes inhabit a state.
Acquisition of Nationality
o Natural-born citizen
o Jus Soli, Jus Sanguinis
o Naturalization

SOCIAL DIFFERENCES
The differences among the individuals on the basis of social
characteristics and qualities.
Social differences are the complex differences that includes: Class, role,
culture, age, ability and sex.

GENDER
- It is the socially-constructed characteristics of being male or
female.
- Serve as guide on how males and females think and act about
themselves.

GENDER
One’s sense of self as masculine or feminine regardless of external
genetalia
Socially-constructed characteristics
Personality characteristics

SEX
It is biological characteristics of human such as male and female

Page | 6
 It refers to a person based on their anatomy
bodies

LGBTQI
1. LESBIAN – a woman who is emotionally, romantically, or sexually
attracted to other woman.
2. GAY – men who is emotionally, romantically, or sexually attracted to
other men.
3. BISEXUAL – a person who is attracted to two sexes or two genders, but
not necessarily simultaneously or equally.
4. TRANSGENDER – sometimes shortened to trans or TG. People are those
whose psychological self (“gender identity”) differs from the social
expectations for the physical sex they were born with.
5. QUEER/QUESTIONING – a person who is attracted to multiple
genders.
6. INTERSEX – intersexuality is a set of medical conditions that feature
congenital anomaly of the reproductive and sexual system.

TYPES OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION/PREFERENCE

HETEROSEXUAL – a person with this gender is inclined to be
sexually attracted to a person of the opposite sex.
HOMOSEXUAL – a person that is sexually attracted to the same
sex. Ex:Gay and Lesbian
BISEXUAL – individuals who are attracted to the opposite se.
ASEXUAL – totally incapable of being attracted to any sex.
POLYSEXUAL – attracted to multiple types of gender identity.
PANSEXUAL – accommodates all types of gender.

GENDER IDENTITY
TRANSGENDER – SO is not related to their genitalia.
TRANSEXUAL – discord between their internal gender and their
genitalia. (sexual reassignment)

POLITICAL IDENTIES
Refers to the set of attitudes and practices that an individual adheres to
in relation to the political systems and actors within his/her society.
IDENTITY can be shaped around many principles such as:
- Age, religion, social class or caste, culture, dialect, disability,
education, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, gender identity,
generation, occupation, profession, race, political party affiliation,
sexual orientation, settlement, urban and rural habitation, and
veteran status.

Page | 7
SELECTED SOCIAL IDENTITIES
Racial Identity
- Race is a social construct arising from efforts to categorize people into
different groups.
Ethnic Identity
- Is derived from a sense of shared heritage, history, traditions, values,
similar behaviours, area of origin and language.
Gender Identity
- Refers to how a particular culture differentiates masculine and
feminine social roles.
- Culture influences on what constitutes gender beauty and how it is
displayed. Examples are: Fashion in Denmark, Language in Japan,
Tanning in Europe or America.
Nationality Identity
- Refers to your nationality.
- Usually becomes more pronounced when persons are away from
home country.
Regional Identity
- Smaller divisions of geographic area. Cultural contrast among these
regions may be manifested through ethnicity, language, accent,
dialect, food, customs, dress, historical and political legacies.
Organizational/Personal Identity
- Occupational affiliation
- Example in Japan where people are often introduced firstly by where
they work.
Personality Identity
- Different cultures give rise to different construal’s of self, others, and
interdependence between the two.

Cyber/Fantasy Identity
- The internet provides an opportunity to escape constraints of
everyday identities.
- Infatuation with “imaginary personas” can become so strong they
take on a life of their own.

SOCIAL CHANGE
Refers to any significant alteration overtime in behavior patterns and
cultural values and norms by significant alteration, sociologist means
changes yielding profound social consequences.
CHRACTERISTICS OF SOCIAL CHANGE
1. Change is social
2. Universal
Page | 8
 3. Continuous
4. Degree or rate of change is not uniform
5. 5. Temporal
6. Inevitable
7. Multi-causal
8. Prediction is uncertain
9. Creates chain reaction
10. May be planned or unplanned

SOURCES OF CHANGE
1. INNOVATION – social creation and institutionalization of new ideas.
2. DIFFUSION – spread of innovation from one social group to another.
3. ASSIMILATION – process where some of the “majority community’s”
cultural aspects are absorbed in such manner that the home cultural
manner gets mitigated or lost.
4. SOCIAL CONTRADICTIOS AND TENSIONS – inter-ethnic conflicts,
struggles, protests and social issues.

POLITICAL SCIENCE
Political Science came from two ancient words. The word political
came from Greek word “polis” means “city-state” and science
comes from Latin word “scire” which means “to know”.
Political Science is a discipline in social science concerned primarily
in the state, government, and politics.
POLITICS
The heart of political science
It is the activity of people where they create, preserve, and amend
laws under which they live.

AREAS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

- In understanding the nature of political science, (Calilung F., 2014,
p.12) noted that it encompasses important aspect of our society
primarily:
POLITICAL THEORY – It deals with the accumulation of principles
identifying with the basis, structure, conduct, and operations of the state
PUBLIC LAW – It pertains to laws or ordinances which control the
framework of public governance.
POLITICAL DYNAMICS – It is an aspect of Political Science which are
concerned with the relationship of different societal forces that dictate
political opportunities and actions.
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION – It serves as an academic discipline that
studies civil service and governance.

Page | 9
LEGISLATURE AND LEGISLATION – The term legislation is a complex
mechanism that can be extended as a discipline. It tries to explain the
process, composition, and organization of legislature.
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS – It includes inquiries into the nation-
states' foreign policy in their mutual ties on the various forces-geographic,
technological, psychological, and political that contribute to shaping such
policy.
INTERNATIONAL LAW – It is a system of agreements and treaties that
entails responsibilities of one state into another.
COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT

Page | 10
 Republic of the Philippines
DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Region I
Pangasinan Division II
MANAOAG NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL
Manaoag, Pangasinan

NAME: ______________________________________________ DATE SUBMITTED:

__________________
GRADE & SECTION/STRAND: ___________________________ SCORE: _____________________

ACTIVITY 1: JUMBLED LETTERS

Directions: There are five words that you can find below; however,
the letters are jumbled. A short description is provided to help you
identify the words. Kindly write the correct word/phrase on the blanks
provided.

1. GYOLOPORTHAN – Scientific study of man or human beings.

__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
2. ITTEYCIHN – it is the expression of the set of cultural ideas held by a
distinct ethics or indigenous people.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
3. GYOLOICOS -Study of human social relationships and institutions.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
4. THYUOATRI – power that people perceive as legitimate rather than
coercive.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __
5. CLOIIALPT IEECSNC - A social science that deals with humans and their
interactions.
__ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __

ACTIVITY 2: QOUTED
Directions: Read and reflect on the quotation inside the box.
Write your answer on the space provided below.

“A person may escape society for a while, but he can never escape culture.”
- Joseph H. Fichter.”

Guide Questions:
1. What can you say about the quotation?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Page | 11
 2. Do you agree with the author’s statement? Why or why not?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY 3: INSTAGRAMPERIENCE (PUT YOURSELF IN

OTHERS’ SHOES)
1. As a learner and part of the society, how would you show valuing life
to the street children and what would be your motivational message
to them?

2. What would you feel if the government implements this policy and what
would be your message to the president?

Page | 12