UNIT 1

BROAD SPECTRUM OF
CONTEMPORARY
SOCIETY, CULTURE
AND POLITICS
 CHAPTER 1
Starting points for
understanding
society, culture and
politics
 Activity 1
DESIGNING
JOEY
DESIGNING JOEY
Joey is a typical teenager. With this single
description, how do you define who this person is
how do you design Joey’s life to be a successful
person someday? This activity will be done by group.
You are about to create a personal narrative of Joey’s
life based from the social, cultural and political
contexts below. If you are ready, then let us design
and decide how life will unfold for Joey.
Joey’s personal background (1-10)
Joey’s social environment (11-15)
Problems and conflicts in Joey’s life
(16-20)
Joey’s success in life (21-25)
Social, cultural and political being:
journey in discovering the self

The community of
people living in a
particular region and
having shared customs,
laws and organizations.

SOCIET
Y
directly or
constantly
changing
indirectly shaped
and influence by
 One biological nature yet different
in many respects

Earth
Intellectual
superiority

 Have the same biological features but the likeness

and sameness is not actually absolute

Biological  Struggle to survive in our environment

creature  Have a systematic way to live and co-exist within
our environment and with other people
 As a social being we always belong to a group and interact with
people. We are in company with others- our parents, siblings and
relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers and so on and so forth.

 As a cultural being or culture bearer we carry our ancestors tradition

and beliefs, speak the language of our parents, practice faith and the
distinct way of life of our community, create or showcase the arts and
heritage of our people and transmit some, if not all, of these to the next
generation.

 As a political being we are subjected to power-relations. That in

reality, our very existence, relationship, decisions, choices, rights and
privileges are limited because we are governed by rules and laws of our
society. Our political power is inherent in the rights guaranteed and
protected by our State. We become citizens, we elect our leaders, we
pay taxes, we receive welfare and support from the government
 Significance of
studying Culture,
Society and Politics
Studying culture…
1. Broadens our perspectives on how we value our own and
others’ cultures.
2. Gives us a background on how diverse and complex others’
customs, traditions and cultural practices are,
3. Teaches us the value of religious tolerance, respect for
people with different race, religion, gender and political
background,
4. Promotes the importance of the arts, local and national
heritage, oral history, cuisine and the myriad yet unique life
ways of people across cultures.
5. Situates our understanding and appreciation of local realities
like our penchant for showbiz gossips, boxing and eating fish
balls to name a few,
Studying society…
1. Gives meaning to the importance of the self in relation to
others (kapwa),
2. Gives us a full understanding of how social groups affect our
thinking and behavior,
3. Acknowledges that social institutions (family, education,
business, government, etc.) shape and affect how we live
our life and what we would become as a citizen and
member of this society,
4. Describes why and how we belong to a bigger global society
that is comprised of nation-states, international institutions
and transnational companies working together and sharing
resources to solve common problems like climate change,
poverty, inequality, human violations, racial discrimination
to mentions a few.
Studying politics…
1. Educates us the importance of exercising our rights and
maximizing our political participation to sustain, maintain or
change society;
2. Examines power-relations in society and how these affect
the recognition and affirmation of our identity, rights and
duties as a citizen;
3. Provides a bigger context on how government works and
how rules, regulations and laws maintain social order,
cohesion and unity;
4. Gives us an overview of political leadership, duties and
responsibilities of public servants, and the checks-and-
balances in government to guarantee that elected and
appointive officials will not abuse their power and authority
at the expense of the people especially the poor and the
 Humanitie
Science
Pure s
Visual Arts
Science
Applied Performing
Science Arts
Social
Religion
Science
In 20 century
th

social sciences Law

have become Linguist
diverse and
pluralistic
ic
History
 Why study Anthropology, Sociology
and Political Science

ANTHROPOLO
multi/ GY
interdisciplinary
course that
integrates and
combines the
POLITICAL
contents, methods SOCIOLOGY
SCIENCE
and theories.
 Social
Science
 science that deal with the study of people
within the context of their social relationship
within institutions and natural environment,
political systems and cultures.

Anthropolo Political
Sociology
gy Science
Anthropolo Sociolog Political
gy y Science
-the -the study of
-the systematic politics and
study of study of power from
humans, social domestic,
behavior and international,
past and human and
present groups comparative
perspectives
 A cursory look of topics
Anthropology
Genetics and evolution
Cultural Variations
Concept of culture
Communication and
language
Social stratification
Sex, gender and culture
Associations and
interest groups
Religion
The arts
Cultural change
Source: Ember, Ember &
Peregrine (2002, pp.iii-iv)
Sociology Political Science
Culture, society
Ideologies
Socialization
States and constitutions
Groups and
Regimes and political
organizations
culture
Social inequality
Political communication
Gender stratification
Interest groups
Race and ethnicity
Elections
Social institutions
Legislatives, executives,
(families, religion,
judiciaries
education,
Political economy
government)
International relations
Social change
Macionis (2010, p. vii) Roskin et. al (2014)
Science
and
Common
Sense
 Science and Common
Sense
 can generalize  Prone to
the fact, accurate overgeneralizatio
and with logical n, inaccurate
reasoning observations and
illogical
reasoning.
Two basic methods in
the Social Sciences
1.Quantitative method
2.Qualitative method
Quantitative method
 According to Jeanette Garwood (2006),
quantitative method refers to research
involving the collection of data in
numerical form for quantitative analysis.
The numerical data can be durations,
counts of incidents, ratings, or scales. It
often used to do large-scale social
investigation involving representatives of
the population, with survey being the most
popular method.
 Qualitative method
 According to Maggie Summer (2006),
qualitative research method refers to
“Research that investigates aspects of
social life which are not amenable to
quantitative measurement. It uses a range
of methods to focus on the meanings and
interpretation of social phenomena and
social processes in the particular contexts
in which they occur”. The goals of this
method are to understand processes,
experiences and meanings people assign
Scien
1. Make an observation
tific
Meth
2. Propose a hypothesis
od
3. Design an experiment

4. Take and analyze data

5. Test the hypothesis

6. Accept or reject the

hypothesis
 Research Methods
1. Survey method- used in testing hypothesis and
answering research problems that need statistical
analysis. Sample population is determined and the
administration of survey questionnaires proceeds to
get responses and answers from respondents.
2. Interview-a qualitative research method that asks
questions to key informants and participants in the
research.
3. FocusGroup Discussion (FGD)- a group interview
of respondents on a specific topic for discussions.
Proceedings can be audio recorded or videotape.
Research Methods
4. Field work- literally it means going out to the field to do
research. This method may employ a combination of
observation, data collection through interviews or
surveys.
5. Ethnography- used by anthropologists this is oftentimes
referred to as qualitative approach in doing cultural
research. Mixed methods are employed here, foremost of
which is participant-observation or immersion. The
researcher must immerse himself within the culture of
the people he is studying. In Sikolohiyang Pilipino
pioneered by Dr. Virgilio Enriquez, indigenous or local
research methods can be used in studying Filipino culture
and Philippine realities. Pakikipagkwentuhan, patanong-
tanong, pakapa-kapa are examples of Filipino research
methods (Pe Pua, 1989).
The Sociological Imagination
 Charles Wright Mills (1959) coined the term
“sociological imagination”, which foregrounds the
vision and mission not just of sociologists but of
social scientists.
 It
is stimulated by a willingness to view the social
world from the perspective of others.
 Itinvolves moving away from thinking in terms of
individual and their problems, focusing rather on
the social circumstances that produce social
problems.
 The perception of drinking tea can be examined from several different
perspectives rather than just the simple act of drinking tea.

Tea drinking

 Means of maintaining
good health

 Considered a type of
drug

 Tradition or ritual
The Sociological Imagination

Self Socie
ty
Summary:
Being humane

Social Science

Society

Biological
creature
At the end, this course simply wants you to
be human and humane. It is about
humans who:
 have evolved, developed and survived the
tests of time coping with the changes
wrought about by modernization and
environmental degradation,
 collectively triumphed amidst threats,
exploitations, marginalization and
oppression in a society marred by inequities,
social struggle and conflict;
 are driven to act, to change, to build and to
bring about positive life-long transformation
for the benefit of society and the world.
Being humane means
learning by doing to
live positively and to
treat others with
respect, genuine love
and compassion.
Assignment:
In Oslo paper, make a creative
representation or meme about the
social and cultural changes in the
Philippines.
Use “before” and “after” to categorize
the transition of change in your
creative outputs.
Before After