Understanding Culture and Society Lesson 2

Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

• The presentation is about understanding culture, society, and politics.
• This is lesson 2.

Functions of Cultural, Social, and Political Institutions

• Cultural, social, and political institutions have specific functions.
• Social institutions are mechanisms or patterns of social behaviors influencing our actions.

Types of Society

• A society consists of people coming together for a reason.
• This lesson examines the different aspects of a society. This includes family orientation and procreation, tracing family lineage, and types of marriage, residence patterns, and contemporary family types.

Family Orientation

• Procreation refers to the family created through marriage, adoption, or having children.
• Family of orientation is the family one is born into.

Practices in Tracing Family Lineage

• A unilineal system determines descent groups based on either the father's or mother's line.
• Patrilineal descent is traced through male ancestors, while matrilineal is traced through female ancestors.
• Bilateral descent is traced through both parents.

Types of Marriage

• Endogamy is marriage within one's own tribe or group, as regulated by custom or law.
• Exogamy involves marriage to someone from a different tribe or group.
• Polygamy involves having more than one spouse.
• Polyandry is marriage to more than one husband at a time.
• Monogamy is marriage to a single spouse.

Types of Residence

• Patrilocal residence involves living with or near the husband's family.
• Matrilocal residence involves living with or near the wife's family.
• Ambilocal residence involves living close to either the husband's or wife's family.
• Neolocal residence involves living separately from both the husband's and wife's families.

Types of Families in the Contemporary World

• Transitional families are families with various combinations of parents and children.
• Single-parent families are families run by one parent.
• Reconstituted families are those where one or both biological parents have remarried.

Politics Among Family Members

• Patriarchal systems involve males holding primary power.
• Matriarchal systems involve females holding primary power.
• Egalitarian systems promote the idea that everyone is equal.
• Political dynasties involve families with multiple members involved in politics.
• Incest is sexual activity between family members or close relatives.

Legal Separation

• Legal separation is a legal process in which a married couple formalizes a separation while remaining legally married.
• It is granted by a court order.

Annulment vs Divorce

• Annulment is a legal procedure to declare a marriage null and void, similar to a marriage that never happened.
• Divorce dissolves a valid marriage legally.