In this lesson, you will have a glance on the understanding of culture, society, and politics.

Our identity
and unique differences reflect the kinds of culture in our society.

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

Natural Science and Social Science

Social Science

o Nisbet 1974) stated that "it is a branch of discipline or branch of science that deals with human
behavior in its social and cultural aspect"
o it is also the field of human knowledge that deals with all aspects of the group of life of human
beings
o Social scientist use empirical research methods to investigate all sorts of interpersonal and
intrapersonal behaviors

Natural Science

- studies natural events

Social Science

- the human society

The study of Social Sciences goes beyond the physical aspect and materialistic phenomenon. it paved
the way to the development of different disciplines which aim to interpret and analyze the complexities
of social realities and phenomenon. Such disciplines focus on human relationships and interactions.

Person known in the field of sociology

Auguste Comte (1798 -1857)

- French philosopher

- coined the term sociology in 1838

- is the founder of Positivism - middle of the 19th century

- He focused on the idea of improving the development of the society and how it operates

Karl Marx (1818-1883)

- german philosopher and economist

- he made the Communist Manifestro (1848) - book

- believed that societies developed and progressed because of the struggles of different social classes
over the means of production

Max Weber (1864 - 1920)

- Role of rationalization

- As the world progressed, people began to justify and adopt scientific and rational attitude towards
understanding the workings of the world.

Ares of Sociology

1. Social Organization

2. Social Psychology

3. Human Ecology

4. Applied Sociology

5. Population Studies

6. Social Change

7. Sociological Theory and Research

Anthropology

- It came from a Latin word 'anthropos' - means man and Greek word 'logos' - means to study

- deals with all aspects of human beings including their biological evolution and social and cultural
features that definitively distinguish humans from other animal species.

- Physical anthropology focuses on the biological and evolutionary framework of humanity. it focuses on
greater information and details about human evolution
- Social Anthropology, Cultural Anthropology, Psychological Anthropology, and Linguistic Anthropology

UNDERSTANDING CULTaURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS

 Social Science
o Nisbet (1974) stated that “it is a branch of discipline or branch of science that deals with
human behavior in its social and cultural aspects”.
o It is also the field of human knowledge that deals with all aspects of the group of life of
human beings
o Social scientist use empirical research methods to investigate all sorts of interpersonal and
intrapersonal behaviors
o The human society

 Natural Science
o as both branches of Science. It is a branch of science that deals with the natural world: its
processes, elements, and composition.
o studies natural events

 Sociology
o came from the Latin word socius – means companion and Greek word logos – means to
study.
o It is a systematic study of human relationship along with human society and interaction.
It was originally called as “Social Physics” by Auguste Comte.

 Political Science
o came from two ancient words the Greek word “polis” means city-state and science
comes from Latin word “scire” which means to know.

 Anthropology
o 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.
o It came from a Latin word anthropos – means man and Greek word logos – means to
study.
o promotes a holistic study of humans.
o “the study of people-their origins, their development, and contemporary variations,
whenever they have been found on the face of the earth” (Ember, and Peregrine, 2010).
Key Informants

 are individuals in a society who have significant knowledge on the topic being studied by the
anthropologists.

Five disciplines of Anthropology

1. Archaeology
 examines the remains of ancient and historical human populations to promote an
understanding of how humans have adapted to their environment and developed;
 human culture by analyzing the objects people have made.

2. Cultural Anthropology
 promotes the study of a society’s culture through their belief systems, practices, and
possessions.

3. Linguistic Anthropology
 examines the language of a group of people and its relation to their culture.

4. Physical Anthropology
 looks into the biological development of humans and their contemporary variations.

5. Applied Anthropology
 attempts to solve contemporary problems through the application of theories and
approaches of the discipline.

The Goals of Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science

 Anthropology
- Internalize the concept of individual differences and diversity
- Discover universality among humans
- See cultural patterns objectively
- Produce new knowledge and new theories about humankind and human behavior

 Sociology
- Obtain theories and principles about society
- Examine social roles within the society
 - See the interdependency of all beings
- Broaden familiarity on sociological facts.

 Political Science
- Understand civic skills and humane ideals for public participation
- Examine the operations of the government
- Equip each of us intellectual resources that will harness you to greater heights

Person known in the field of Sociology

1. Auguste Comte (1798 - 1857)

o French Philosopher
o coined the term sociology in 1838.
o is the founder of Positivism –middle of 19th century.
o He focused on the idea of improving the development of the society and how it
operates and that this new field could produce a knowledge of society based on
scientific evidence. (Empirical research)
o Positivism is the name for the scientific study of the social world. Its goal is to
formulate abstract and universal laws on the operative dynamics of the social
universe.

2. Karl Marx (1818–1883)

o German philosopher and economist.
o He made Communist Manifesto (1848) – book.
o believed that societies developed and progressed because of the struggles of different
social classes over the means of production

3. Max Weber (1864-1920)

o Role of rationalization
o As the world progressed, people began to justify and adopt scientific and rational
attitude towards understanding the workings of the world.

EXPERT IN ANTHROPOLOGY

1. Franz Boas (1858-1942)

o Father of American Anthropology.
o His works focused on rejecting the biological basis of racism or racial discrimination.
o He suggested that anthropology must be holistic and eclectic.
 o He also rejected the Western idea of social evolution thus, he favored historical
particularism.
o He also advocated cultural relativism or the complexity of all culture whether
primitive or not.

Importance of Studying Culture, Society and Politics

Importance of Studying Culture

 Banaag (2012) posited that culture can function in different ways and which we can see its
importance as well.
o Culture creates man to be creative and resourceful by adapting and integrating
himself in the environment to survive
o Culture determines outline of acceptable social behavior such as protocols, good
manners, roles, and duties established by folkways, mores, and laws.
o Culture carry-out meanings through different forms of verbal and non-verbal
communication.
o Culture produces tangible objects relevant to man such as instruments, tools,
equipment, structures, and all technological advancements.
o Culture contributes to the totality of living of humankind as well as on how they can
make their lives enjoyable, easier, and comfortable.

Importance of Studying Society

o human connection and interconnectedness

o symbolizing identity of the members
o characterizing the boundaries of a territory
o representing political independence and economic interdependence

Importance of Studying Politics

 According to Lazo (2009), the aim of Political Science is citizenship education. It mandates its
students to participate, appreciate, and understand the duties and responsibilities of being a
member of a society. It allows the students to:
o understand the theories, concepts and knowledge and principles of governance as
well as public administration and political dynamics.
o manifest the underlying principles of state policies and laws to be abided and
respected by all
o prepares the student for possible career path in the legal profession, government
service and other profession with high respect to legal matters and procedures.
Anthropological and Sociological Perspectives on Culture and Society: CULTURE

- Culture
o Is everything that a person learns as a member of a society.
o Edward B. Tylor (1832-1917) “culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge,
beliefs, arts, morals, law, custom, and all aspects of man as a member of society”. (THE
FAMOUS DEFINITION)
o Two Types of Culture:
 Material Culture
 it includes all the tangible and visible parts of culture, which include
clothes, food, and even buildings.
 Nonmaterial Culture
 includes all the intangible parts of culture, which consist of values,
ideas, and knowledge.
 Just like material culture, the belief and value systems of societies differ
from one another based on their environment and history.

CULTURE DEFINITION FROM OTHER EXPERTS

1. Matthew Arnold
o in his Culture and Anarchy (1867)
o mentioned that culture or high culture as opposed to popular culture (or folkways in an earlier
usage) is a product of a special intellectual or artistic endeavor humans had invented.

2. Kroeber & Kluckhohn (1952)

o defined that culture is composed of behavior (explicit and implicit) acquired and transmitted
through symbols.
o It is a human group that includes their distinctive achievements and embodiment in artifacts,
traditional and historical ideas, and formation of values.
o They added that culture systems can be considered as a product of action from conditional
elements of a society.

3. Schwartz (1992)
 o stated that culture consists of experiences that are organized, learned or created by the
individuals of a population,
o including those images and images adding up their unique interpretations transmitted from the
past generations up to the future.

Aspect of Culture

1. Culture is learned.
o Culture is a set of beliefs, attitudes, and practices that an individual learns through his or
her family, school, church and other institutions.
 Enculturation
o it is the process of learning that it is your own culture.
 Acculturation
o it is the process that culture can be modified or changed to accommodate desired traits
from other cultures.
o (ex;) the inclination of some Filipinos toward some elements of Korean culture has led to the
acceptance of Korean pop songs despite their being performed in a foreign language.
 De-culturation
o it is where the reasons for the culture has been lost and even the cultural trait itself is in the
process of being forgotten.

2. Culture is shared.
o The set of behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that a person possess is part of a greater
collection of values and ideas that is communally owned and practiced by members of a
society.
o Hence, to share a culture, it must be taught to members of contemporary society who will,
in turn, teach the younger generation.

3. Culture affects biology.

o Humans are born into cultures that have values on beauty and body. As such, they alter
their bodies to fit into the physiological norms that are dictated by culture.
o (ex.) Mursi tribe of Ethiopia in Africa, wearing lip plates is a sign of beauty. Women are the
ones who are expected to wear them to appear desirable to men.

4. Culture is adaptive
o Culture is a tool for survival that humans in response to the pressures of their environment.
o Both material and the nonmaterial parts of culture are influenced by the goal of humans to
address their needs as dictated by their environment and their biology.
 5. Culture is maladaptive
o Culture can also cause problems for the people who subscribe to it.
o These problems arise when the environment has changed and culture has remained the
same.

Elements of Culture

1. Norms
o These are the standard an expected behavior within a society. It is divided into two:
formal norms and informal norms.
 Formal Norms
 Mores – they are norms that has a firm control to moral and ethical
behavior.
 Laws – they are ordinance of reason enacted to protect the people from
the bad effects of outdates mores.
 Informal Norms
 Folkways or Customs – they are behaviors of less importance yet still
influence our behavior.

2. Symbols
o These are anything that carry a meaning recognized by people who share a culture.

3. Values
o These are culturally defined standards by which people assess desirability,
goodness, and beauty and that serve as broad guidelines for social living.

4. Beliefs
o These are specific statements that people hold to be true.

5. Language
o It refers to a form of communication using words either spoken or gestured with the
hands and structured with grammar, often with a writing system.
 6. Taboos
o It refers to a form of communication using words either spoken or gestured with the
hands and structured with grammar, often with a writing system.

Different theories on Culture

1. Cultural evolutionism
o All cultures undergo the same development stages in the same order.
o The main classifications includes violence, cruelty, and civilization.

2. Diffusionism
o All societies as a result of cultural borrowing from one another.

3. Historicism
o Each culture is unique and must be studied in its own context.

4. Psychological anthropology
o Personality is largely seen to be the result of learning culture.

5. Functionalism
o Existing institutional structures of any society are thought to perform indispensable functions,
without the society could not continue.

6. Neo- evolutionism
o Culture is said to be shaped by environmental and technological conditions. Cultures evolve
when people are able to increase the amount of energy under their control.

7. Materialism
o Culture is the product of the “material conditions” in which a given community of people find
itself.

8. Symbolic interactionism
 o It is a framework for building theory that sees society as the product of the everyday
interactions of individuals.

“FUNCTION” SOCIETY

o Any consequence of social structures that positively affect society and impacts structural
continuity.
o as a relationship between an organism and its parts of the organs. 
o a unit or set of systems that fulfils an identified role or need within the society.
 Module 4
 
Sociology and the Study of Society
 
Main Point 1. The Sociological Perspective

- Another branch of the social sciences is the discipline of sociology.

- “Sociology studies societies to promote social change, create new theories, and document
human behavior”.
What is Sociology?

 Sociology is the scientific study of society, including patterns of social relationships, social
interactions and culture. ( Calhoune, 2002 ).
 The term sociology was coined by August Comte in 1830 to refer to a scientific inquiry that
covers human social activities.
 C. Wright Mills coined on 1959 the phrase “sociological imagination” to refer to the ability of
sociologist to understand society systematically.
 This ability involves the process of detaching oneself from the common understanding
of society and creates an alternative approach that would situate a behavior or an event
within a great social framework.
 The demand for social understanding due to the rapid changes in social and economic structures
brought upon by the French and industrial revolutions in Europe cemented the prominence of
sociological perspective in the field of social sciences.
 
Main point 2. Sociological Concepts
 
What is Society?
 Society can be defined as a product of human interactions as humans subscribe to the rules of
their culture.
 It is an organization that caters to a human’s need for belongingness in a group.
 
Comparison of Theories on Society
 
August Comte
 Society as a social organism possessing a harmony of structure and function
 
Emile Durkheim
 Society as a reality in its own. Collective consciousness is of key importance to society. Which
society cannot survive without.
 
Talcott Parsons
 Society is a total complex of human relationships in so far as they grow out of the action in
terms of means- end relationship.
  
George Herbert Mead
 Society is an exchange of gestures that involves the use of symbols.
 
Morris Ginsberg
 Society as a collection of individuals united by certain relations or mode of behavior that marks
individuals off from others who do not enter into these relations or who differ from them in
behavior.
 
George Douglas Cole
 Society as the complex of organized
 Associations and institutions with a community.
 
Robert Maclver and Charles Page
 Society as a system of usages and procedures of authority and mutual aid of many groupings
and divisions, of controls of human behavior and liberties.
 
 
What is Social Interaction?
 
 Social Interaction is a process within a framework of a society. This is a compilation of ways and
means by which humans interact with each other within the confines of a society. Hence, the
prevailing culture within a society dictates the forms of interaction used by individuals with one
another.
 In a public protest, there are layers of social interaction transpiring simultaneously.
 First, is the dialog among protesters about their stand regarding the issue.
 Second, there is a dialog between the protesters and the government representatives (police
and politicians).
 Third, there is a dialog among the protesters the police, politicians, and the media personnel.
 Finally, there is the interaction between the protesters and the government of China. In all
these, several points can be made about social interaction.
 
Social Organization
 this concept refers to the interrelationship of parts of society. As a society is an organization in
itself, it is structurally divided into layers of context and positions that help continue its
existence.
 The positions created within a society constitute the category of status. This may include being a
student, a son, and a parent.
 
Roles
 prescribe a set of accepted behaviors that define the individual’s response and inclinations. The
role of a government official is to ensure that the people’s need are addressed through
government projects and policies.
 if the government official fails to perform this role, then the conflict occurs as the norm was not
followed. In some instances in our country, government officials were evicted from their
positions (statuses) as they failed to perform the roles of them.
 
Group
 is a basic unit of an organization. It involves at least two individuals who are in constant
interaction based on their statuses and roles.
 Your school typically consists of two groups, teachers and students.
 You interact with your teachers based on your role as a student. Hence, your manner of
speaking and the content of your statements are different when you are interacting with your
classmates from when you interact with your teachers.
 
Institutions
 are established when roles, statuses, and groups are continued within the context of society.
Institutions are the building blocks of a society, as it through these that norms are produced
from the consistent exchanges of individuals and groups.
 Family, marriage, education, religion, and government are all examples of institutions. The
concept of a parent and child (family) is well-established as an institution in the Philippines.
 As such, activities that do not conform to the prescribed behavior of individuals toward the
creation of a family are frowned upon by society. These activities include abortion, separation of
spouse, and illicit affairs.
 
Social Structure and Agency
 
 This is the foundation of every society from which comes the possible roles, statuses,
institutions, and organization. It can be said that social structure is the determining factor by
which every other part of a society gains its context.
 The common analogy used to describe social structure and the elements of society is that of a
building. The building in itself can be considered as a society. The pillars and foundation of the
building is equated to the social structure.
 Remember that these parts provides the general framework of the building- these determine its
height, width, and shape. What provides the building with its design and body are the
institutions, statuses, groups and roles.
 The concept of culture can be equated to the concept of social structure as its functions in the
same capacity.
  
Main Point 3. Sub disciplines of Sociology
 
What are the six sub-discipline of Sociology?
 
 Social Organization
 Studies that involve social structures such as institutions, social groups, social stratification,
social nobility, and ethnic group fall within this scope.
 
 Social Psychology
 it is the study of the impact of group life to a person’s nature and personality.
 
 Social change and disorganization
 is the branch of sociology that inquires on the shift in social and cultural interactions and the
interruption of its process through delinquency, deviance and conflicts.
 
 Human Ecology
 pursues studies that relate human behavior to existing social institutions. This is different from
social psychology and social organization in that the social institutions in which human subjects
belong to are treated in the context of an ecological/ environmental element that defines
human behavior.
Population or demography
 it inquires on the interrelationship between population characteristics and dynamics with that of
a political, economic, and social system.
 
 Applied sociology
 uses sociological research and methods to solve contemporary problems. It often use an
interdisciplinary approach to better address social problems.
 
Main Point 4. Methods of Sociology
 
Two Primary Methodological perspective in Sociology
 
Positivist Orientation & Anti-positivist orientation
 
 Positivist Orientation

 it perceives society as a quantifiable subject from which objective conclusions can be made.

 As such, a positivist perspective uses methods employed by the natural sciences to understand
social phenomenon.
 It was August Comte who introduced this perspective taking into consideration that society is
like an organism that could be measured through logic and mathematics.

 As this orientation is predisposed to statistical analysis, quantitative methods such as surveys

are employed by sociologists to map a social phenomenon.

 An example of a work that uses positivism is that of Durkheim ( 1951 ) on suicide, wherein he
identified four types of suicide that are triggered by the type of society that one is living in.

Original : Emile Durkheim

 
Four types of Suicide according to Durheim

Strong Ties (Altruistic)

 According to Durheim ( 1951), individuals who fall into extremes of their society are bound to
commit suicide. For example, a person lives in a society that promotes strong ties among its
members is prone to commit altruistic suicide as an act of preserving it.

 The Japanese kamikaze pilots purposively crashed their planes into American ships and land-
based positions to inflict heavy casualty on the Americans. Their actions were an ultimate
sacrifice and contribution to their country’s campaign to win World War II.
 
 Weak Ties (Egoistic)
 On the opposite end, being part of societies that do not foster strong ties among its members
can trigger an individual to commit egoistic suicide wherein individual feels so isolated, having
no sense of a community.
 
Anomic
 which results from living in a society with no rules. The death of several popular culture icons
have been attributed to this form of suicide, as they have experienced the complexity of the
popularity that rendered them objects of consumers instead of living persons.
 
Fatalistic
 suicide which is experienced in societies that have many rules. Individuals who fail to comply
with the rules of their society experience shame and disappointment, which brings them to this
fatal decisions.
 In 2007, the National Police Agency of Japan declared that suicide rates among adolescents
reached its highest rate since 1978. The agency identified underperformance in school as the
primary cause of suicide among members of this sector.

 Coming from a positivist orientation, Durkheim argues that suicide can be prevented, as it is not
a matter of personal choice but is actually a product of social realities which can be altered to
counter its effect.

 Anti-positivist orientation

 It promotes a subjective approach wherein social phenomena are understood through individual
experiences. With this, it encounters the positivist assumption that general laws can be made to
understand human behavior.

 The work on suicide by Pearson and Lui ( 2011) presents the suicide of a village woman in China
named Ling. China is reported to have high incidences of suicide, especially among females in
rural areas, using ethnographic process, Pearson and Lui concluded that the typical Western
orientation toward suicide, which focuses on depression and other mental health – related
factors, are not in the same operation among rural Chinese Woman as their suicide act is
triggered by social and economic structural conditions.

Main Point 5. Value of Sociology for the 21st Century

 Sociology was established at a time when society was changing drastically due to technological
and political developments. Contemporary society is constantly facing reality altering
developments not just in technology but also in its environment as brought about by climate
change.
 Sociology find its value today in providing us with a conceptual tool in understanding the plight
of humans as they adapt to their varying environments and social conditions.

 One of the pressing sociological issues in the Philippines is the case of unemployed youth who
are in the process of waithood. These youth are called “tambay”.
 Clarence Batan, a sociologist studying the youth, conducted a sociological study of “tambay” in
a marginalized town of talim in the province of Rizal. Using methods such as ethnography and
interviews, he found out that most of the youth have employment aspirations, due to their
kicking out.

Module 5 : Political Science and the Study of Politics

 
Main Point 1. Political Science as a Discipline
 
What is Political Science?
 Political Science comes from the Greek words: Polis and Scire.
 Polis - It refers to the city state in ancient Greece. The political activities within a polis are
lathered termed as “politikus”.
 Scire – means to know. Combining the two thus, Political Science aims to know the activities
within the state. Such activities include the following: human interaction and conflict, human
and state relations, and power distribution.
 
 Political theory
 It examines the living application of political concepts such as human rights, equality,
peace, and justice.
 It seeks to address the difference of its implementation in societies with the aim of
understanding the nature of these concepts and the elements that affect it.
 Comparative politics
 it is a branch of political science that aims to provide context to the differences in
government and political systems.

 It examines the close similarity and difference of political systems to provide analyses on
the factors that make governments efficient and the factors that make them fail.

 For example; the practice of democracy in the most members of the Global North is
often times different from how it is practiced in democratized countries of the Global
South as it is embedded in local political culture. Hence, Campaigns for the
democratization of all societies may be dangerous for some, whose local culture is at
chances with the basic structure of democracy.

 
Main Point 2. International Relations
  

International Relations

 The study of state-to-state relations and the wider margin of the impacts of globalization and
climate change such as terrorism, piracy, and democratization of non-Western territories fall
into category of international relation.

 This field also covers the interaction between state and non-state global actors such as
international organizations and human groups.

 The case of China and Philippines on the Scarborough Shoal is an example of an internal
relations issue in the Philippines as much as the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center that
spawned transnational campaign of the United States against terrorism.

 Through this field, an understanding of the motivations of global actors is made possible, and
this understanding provides a basis for political decisions of the parties involved.

 
Main Point 3. Political Behavior
 

 
Political Behavior
 This field covers the attitudes, knowledge, and actions of an individual in response to political
variables such as policies created by the government, behavior of politicians, and general
political environment.

 Works on the political action list of individuals are categorized under this field as it examines
their psychology toward system. These type of studies are important for drafting election
campaigns and evaluating the electorate’s inclination to support a policy.

 
Main Point 4. Public Policy
 
 
Public Policy
 This field inquires on the types of governmental policies and the underlying motivations for their
enactment and implementation. Due to the nature of this field, it operates with other sub
disciplines to create a comprehensive analysis.
 Controversial policies such as the RH Law and the HIV/AIDS Law (Philippine AIDS Prevention and
Control Act of 1998) provide a window for analysis on the actors and factors at play in the
Philippine political environment. Both laws were received with strong opposition from religious
sectors and pro-family groups, while it rallied support from family-planning advocates.