Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

Third Quarter – Week 2

Name of Learner _________________________________ Grade Level __________
Section _________________________________________ Date ________________

DEFINING CULTURE AND SCOIETY FROM THE PERSPECTIVES OF

ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY

LEARNING ACTIVITY SHEET

Background Information
There are a lot of misconceptions about culture, some people from the west use the word
“culture” in such a way to refer to discriminate people from other places. Being “cultured” has
been misused in reference to make one group superior over the other. Culture means
civilization, thus to say that one is cultured means he is civilized. But culture is more than
being educated, it also includes refinement, taste, sophistication and appreciation of arts. It is
also not fair to equate culture with colorful traditions, clothes, customs, foods, music, dancing,
jewelry or adornments. The perception of culture like a recreational activity is not proper,
everyday life of the people even without their festivals is part of culture.

Key Concepts
Culture refers to a group or community which shares common experiences that shape the way
its members understand the world. It includes groups that we are born into, such as race,
national origin, gender, class, or religion. It can also include a group we join or become part of.

 Culture is a strong part of people's lives. It influences their views, values, humor, hopes,
loyalties, worries and fears. It helps to have some perspective and understanding of
their cultures.
 Culture and society defined, culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other
characteristics common to the members of a particular group or society.
 Through culture, people and groups define themselves, conform to society's
shared values, and contribute to society.

The major elements of culture are symbols, language, norms, values, and artifacts.

1. A symbol is anything that is used to stand for something else.

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 People who share a culture often attach a specific meaning to an object, gesture, sound, or
image. For example, a cross is a significant symbol to Christians. It is not simply two
pieces of wood attached to each other, nor is it just an old object of torture and execution.
To Christians, it represents the basis of their entire religion, and they have great reverence
for the symbol.

2. Language is a system of words and symbols used to communicate with other people.
This includes full languages as we usually think of them, such as English, Spanish,
French, etc. but, it also includes body language, slang, and common phrases that are
unique to certain groups of people.

3. Systems of values are culturally defined standards for what is good or desirable.
Members of the culture use the shared system of values to decide what is good and what is
bad. Lanuza M. Gerry and Raymundo S. Sarah Understanding Culture, Society, and
Politics. 151 (2016)

Cultural artifact or artefact is a term used in the social sciences, particularly anthropology,
ethnology, and sociology for anything created by humans which gives information about the
culture of its creator and users.
• Artifacts are such valuable tools for exploring the past and using them to understand the
past.
• Human values are essential in our life because they help us to grow and develop. It is a
person’s standards of behavior, principles and own judgment. Some of the values,
human treasures are honesty, love, happiness, and integrity.
• Social and cultural norms are rules or expectations of behavior and thoughts based
on shared beliefs within a specific cultural or social group.
• Social change - variations or modifications in the patterns of social organization of sub
groups within society
• Cultural change - refers to all alterations affecting new traits or trait complexes and
changes in a cultures content and structure.

Most Essential Learning Competencies

Analyze the concept, aspects and changes of culture and society. (UCSP11/12DCSIc-8)

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Activity 1: Choose the letter of the best answer. Write your answer in your activity notebook.
1. It is the ability to understand a culture on its own terms and not to make judgments using the
standards of one’s own culture.
a. Sociological view b. Culture c. Cultural relativism d. Society
2. It refers to a group or community which shares common experiences that shapes the way its
members understand the world.
a. Politics b. Society c. Political Science d. Culture
3. It is anything that is used to stand for else.
a. Symbols b. Norms c. Artifacts d. Language
4. refers to a system of words and symbols used to communicate with other people.
a. Symbols b. Norms c. Artifacts d. Language
5. It refers to valuable tools for exploring the past and using them to understand the past.
a. Values b. Norms c. Artifacts d. Language
6. These are rules or expectations of behavior and thoughts based on shared beliefs within a
specific cultural or social group.
a. Values b. Norms c. Artifacts d. Language
7. Refers to all alterations affecting new traits or trait complexes and changes in a culture’s
content and structure.
a. Cultural change c. Political change
b. Social change d. Social change
8. A variations or modifications in the patterns of social organization of sub groups within
society.
a. Cultural change c. Political change
b. Social change d. Sociological change
9. Cultural relativism teaches us that, marriage patterns are ____________.
a. Social option c. Cultural option
b. Political option d. Socio-cultural option
10. It is a person’s principles or standards of behavior.
a. Values b. Norms c. Artifacts d. Language

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Activity 2: What I Think About This
Directions: List down your observation about the given picture below. Write your
observations in your activity notebook.

Source: https://cc.search.creativecommons.org/photos

Source: https://cc.search.creativecommons.org/photos

Activity 3. Alternating Flow Chart

Directions: Using the alternating flow chart, write your opinion on the concept, aspects
and changes of culture and society on a separate sheet of paper.

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Processed Questions:
1. What are your findings/ opinions based on facts?
2. What are the positive effects of globalization?
3. How can you make the negative effects of globalization into positive one?

Activity 4. Essay Writing

Directions: Use a separate sheet to explain the concept, aspects and changes of culture and
society.

Activity 5. Slogan Making

Directions: Create a slogan on your personal opinion or insights on the concepts, aspects and
changes of culture and society. Illustrate your slogan in a ¼ size of illustration board with your
explanation.

Reflection
Directions: In writing your reflection, you have to complete the sentence below. Write your
answer in your activity notebook.
I learned that
____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________I
realized that
____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
If given a chance
____________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

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 References:
https://study.com/academy/lesson/elemets-of-culture-defintions-and-ideal-real-culture.html.
Accessed May 27, 2020.
https://www.compellingtruth.org/cultural-relativism.html. Accessed May 27, 2020.
https://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/culture-and-development/the-future-we-
want-the--role-of-culture/the-two-sides-of-the-coin/ Accessed June 1, 2020.
https://www.google.com /search?ei=1A_ZXojJMJDT-Qbi547gCg&q=What-are-the-norms-
in-culture-andsociety&oq
https://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/culture/cultural-competence/culture-and-
diversity/main. Accessed June 1, 2020
https://www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definition-of-culture.html
Accessed June 1, 2020.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/9781118895078.ch20
https://www.quora.com/Why-is-cultural-relativism-important-to-the-study-of-
anthropology Accessed June 1, 2020.

Answer Key