UNDERSTANDING CULTURE SOCIETY AND POLITICS

LESSONS REVIEWER

LESSON 1: UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS

BASIC TERMINOLOGIES
1. IDENTITY – distinctive characteristics that define an individual or are shared by
those belonging to a particular group.
2. CULTURE – complex and multifaceted concept that encompasses the shared
beliefs, values, customs, practices, symbols, arts, and social institutions of
a particular group of people.
3. SOCIETY – a group of people who share a common culture, institutions, and
traditions, and who live in a defined community.
4. POLITICS – the activities associated with the governance of a country or
other area, especially the debate or conflict among individuals or parties having
or hoping to achieve power.
5. ETHNICITY – a social group of people who share a common culture, language,
religion, or other characteristics (based on social and cultural characteristics).
• Ex: Tagalog, Ilocano, Cebuano, Bicolano, Waray, Lumads
6. RACE – a group of people who share physical characteristics, such as skin color
and facial features.
• Ex: Hispanic, Asian, White American, African American
7. NATIONALITY – a person's status of belonging to a particular country or nation.
• Ex: Filipino, American, Chinese, Spanish, Mexican
SOCIAL SCIENCE DISCIPLINES RELATED TO CULTURE, SOCIETY, & POLITICS
1. ANTHROPOLOGY - study of people/humans, past and present, focusing on
understanding the human condition both culturally and biologically.
2. SOCIOLOGY – the study of human social interactions, institutions, and
relationships.
3. POLITICAL SCIENCE – the study of politics, power, and governance.

LESSON 2: CULTURE AND SOCIETY IN THE PERSPECTIVES OF

ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, AND POLITICAL SCIENCE
ELEMENTS OF THE SOCIETY:
1. SOCIAL SOLIDARITY – members of the society live together for mutual
benefits/shared goals (unity/pagkakaisa).
2. SHARED IDENTITY AND CULTURE – serve as basis for their patterns of action
and behavior.
 3. COMMON LANGUAGE
4. LARGE POPULATION AND THE ABILITY TO SUSTAIN SUCCEEDING
GENERATIONS
5. DEFINITE GEOGRAPHICAL AREA/LOCATION
6. POLITICAL, ECONOMIC, AND SOCIAL ORGANIZATIONS
• Ex: Local Government Units, Business Establishments, Family, School,
Church
CATEGORIES OF CULTURE:
1. MATERIAL CULTURE – physical or tangible objects produced, shared, and
utilized within the society.
• Ex: Tools, Works of Art, Architecture, Ornaments, Clothing, Artifacts
2. NONMATERIAL CULTURE – abstract or intangible properties and elements sof
the society.
• Ex: Language, Beliefs, Values, Norms, Ideologies
MAJOR COMPONENTS/ELEMENTS OF CULTURE:
1. SYMBOLS/CULTURAL SYMBOLS – object, word, or action that represents a
concept or idea.
• Ex: Religious Symbols, Colors (red – love), Animals (dove – peace)
2. LANGUAGE – set of symbols used for verbal and non-verbal communication
• Ex: Filipino and English language, sign language, gestures
3. VALUE/CULTURAL VALUE – the core beliefs and principles that guide a society's
behavior and identity.
• Shared ideas and principles that provide members of society the standards
on what is right or wrong, good or bad, desirable or undesirable.
• Ex: Hiya, Hospitality, Family-Orientation, Utang na loob, Bayanihan,
Respect for elders
4. NORMS – rules that specify what actions are acceptable and undesirable in a
particular culture.
• Folkways – social and cultural customs about how people should interact
with others daily. It has no sanctions if violated or not properly done. (Ex:
Greetings, Wearing Clothes based on specific occasions, Eating etiquette)
• Mores – social norms that dictate what is considered acceptable or
unacceptable in a society. It has a moral connotation and consequences at
certain degree if violated but not legally bounded. (Ex: Substance Use,
Marriage before sex, Behavior at funerals, Respecting your parents)
• Taboos – things that are forbidden in a culture or society. (Ex: Eating pork
and blood for Muslims, Incest or marrying a family member, Abortion,
Adultery, Homosexuality)
• Laws – norms that are legally enacted, documented, and enforced. (Ex:
Traffic Laws, Human Rights, Civil Laws, Labor Laws)
OTHER COMPONENTS OF CULTURE:
1. BELIEFS - tenets or convictions that people hold to be true. (Ex:
Pamahiin/Superstitions)
2. RELIGION - system of beliefs and practices often centered around a higher power
or deity. (Ex: Christianity, Catholicism, Judaism, Hinduism, Taoism)
3. ARTIFACTS - items that contain vital information about the people and the culture
they relate to or for which they were used. (Ex: Works of Art, Tools, Clothing,
Systems of Writing)
CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE:
1. DYNAMIC – culture changes over time.
2. LEARNED – culture is not inherited but rather learned through social interactions.
3. ADAPTIVE/FLEXIBLE – culture changes and adapts in response to other cultures
or changing environments.
4. CUMULATIVE – culture is passed down from generation to generation.
5. SYMBOLIC – culture is comprised of symbols that can represent identity.
PROCESS OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY FORMATION:
1. SOCIALIZATION – process of learning and internalizing the culture of a society,
group or individual through social interaction.
2. ENCULTURATION – process through which an individual learns about his/her
own culture through exposure and influence from various external sources/forces.
3. ACCULTURATION – process in which an individual adopts, acquires, and adjusts
to a new cultural environment as a result of being placed into a new culture, or
when another culture is brought to someone.
ANTHROPOLOGICAL VIEW ABOUT CULTURE AND SOCIETY:
1. ETHNOCENTRISM – belief that one’s native culture, including ethnicity, is superior
or greater than others.
2. XENOCENTRISM – belief that one’s native culture, including ethnicity, is inferior
or lesser/weaker than others.
3. CULTURAL RELATIVISM – the idea that people should understand and value the
practices of other cultures without judging them by their cultural standards. It
promotes accepting cultural diversity.
4. CULTURAL SENSITIVITY - the ability to understand and respect the values,
beliefs, and practices of people from different backgrounds.
5. CULTURE SHOCK - a sudden change from a familiar to an unfamiliar environment
that frequently calls for cultural adaptation.
SOCIOLOGICAL VIEW ABOUT CULTURE AND SOCIETY:
 1. STRUCTURAL FUNCTIONALISM – each part of the society has a
function/responsibility and should work together to meet the needs of individuals.
2. CONFLICT THEORY - views society and culture as inherently unequal, with power
distributed unequally among social groups.
3. SYMBOLIC INTERACTIONISM - views culture as a dynamic process that evolves
through social interactions. It focuses on how people interpret each other's actions
and create cultural meanings.
POLITICAL SCIENCE VIEW ON CULTURE AND SOCIETY:
1. MULTICULTURALISM – belief that different cultures can exist within a single
society. (Ex: The Philippine Society consists of different cultures from Luzon,
Visayas, and Mindanao)
2. CULTURAL SENSITIVITY - the ability to understand and respect the values,
beliefs, and practices of people from different backgrounds.

LESSON 3: LOOKING BACK AT HUMAN BIOCULTURAL AND SOCIAL EVOLUTION

MAJOR TYPES OF SOCIETY
1. HUNTING ANG GATHERING COMMUNITIES – earliest human society
• Produces simple forms of tools used to hunt for animals and gather plants
and vegetation for food.
• Rely on nature for their food and frequently move from different locations
since they don’t have permanent settlements.
2. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES – developed around 10,000-12,000 years ago.
• Use simple tools to grow crops
• Sometimes rely on hunting and other resources for food.
• Developed a system of trading foods with other societies due to the surplus
in the supply.
3. PASTORAL SOCIETIES – developed around 10,000-12,000 years ago.
• Raise and herd domesticated animals like cows and sheep.
• Use animals as food resources or for transportation.
• Developed a system of trading foods with other societies due to the surplus
in the supply.
4. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES – developed 5,000 years ago during the Neolithic
period.
• Started to cultivate various crops like wheat, barley, and rice because they
developed systems of farming and technological advancements.
• Developed systems for shepherding domesticated animals and producing
food resources from them.
5. INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES – started during the Industrial Revolution in Europe
between the 18th and 19th centuries.
 • New sources of energy were harnessed, new technologies and machineries
were invented and developed, which were all used for the production of
various goods.
• Increase in work opportunities and economic developments.
6. POST-INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES – developed during the 21st century due to the
advancement of information technologies and computers.
TYPES OF HUMAN EVOLUTION:
1. BIOLOGICAL EVOLUTION - refers to the changes, modifications, and variations
in the genetics and inherited traits of biological populations from one generation to
another.
• Charles Darwin – Theory of Evolution
2. CULTURAL EVOLUTION – the theory that cultural change is an evolutionary
process that is similar to genetic evolution. It's a way to understand how cultures
change over time and how they might change in the future.
3. SOCIOPOLITICAL EVOLUTION - the process by which social structures change
over time. It can lead to the development of more complex societies with
centralized governance.
HUMAN EVOLUTION - is the revolutionary process leading to the appearance of
modern-day humans.
HOMO – used to determine the species of human beings
HOMONIDS – direct ancestors of the homo species.
MAJOR STAGES OF THE EVOLUTION OF MAN:
1. Australopithecus - the first definite hominids, lived 4.4 million to 1.4 million years
ago.
• they were fully bipedal which means that they could walk using their two
legs.
2. Homo Habilis - has a larger brain and reduced the size of molars and premolars
compared to the Australopithecus.
• Appeared about 2.3 million years ago.
• Known as “handy man” because this species was thought to represent the
first maker of stone tools.
3. Home Erectus - the first hominid species that was distributed in the “Old world”.
• Can stand and walk with an upright or erect stance
• it is known that they can control fire, because of this, they survived the cold
weather.
• lower paleolithic tools and other artifacts were probably produced by them.
4. Homo Neanderthals - made and used a diverse set of sophisticated tools,
controlled fire, lived in shelters, made and wore clothing, were skilled hunters of
 large animals and also ate plant foods, and occasionally made symbolic or
ornamental objects.
• had a long, low skull (compared to the more globular skull of modern
humans) with a characteristic prominent brow ridge above their eyes. Their
face was also distinctive. The central part of the face protruded forward and
was dominated by a very big, wide nose.
5. Homo Sapiens Sapiens - appeared 50,000 years ago and was characterized as
the modern human beings.
• have a domed skull, chin, small eyebrows, and a rather puny skeleton.