Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics - 12th Grade

Course Overview

• Course title: Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
• Grade level: 12
• The course integrates insights from anthropology, political science, and sociology
• It aims to develop student's cultural sensitivity and understanding of social, political dynamics
• The curriculum examines how culture, human agency, society, and politics interact
• It also focuses on current human development goals

Course Description

• Students will develop understanding of human cultures, agency, society, and politics
• Students will recognize cultural relativism and social inclusivity to overcome prejudices
• Students will further improve social and cultural competence in interacting with groups, communities, networks, and institutions

Grading System

• Written work: 25%
• Performance task: 50%
• Quarterly assessment: 25%

Key Concepts

• Culture: defined by Edward B. Taylor as "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, customs, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society"
• Two types of culture:
  • Material culture: tangible things like food, tools, dress, accessories
  • Non-material culture: intangible things like habits, ideas, religion, language, behavior
• Examples of material culture (images shown): Filipino traditional slippers, jeepneys, food, national costume
• Examples of non-material culture (images shown): family gatherings, communal meals, religious ceremonies, festive celebrations
• Cultural Capital: social assets of a person (education, intellect, style of speech, dress) that promote social mobility in a stratified society
• Types of cultural capital :
  • Embodied: knowledge or skill from habits
  • Objectified: value inherent in cultural objects (art)
  • Institutionalized: value inherent in being recognized by an institution
• Cultural Change: the way society changes by incorporating new cultural traits, behavior patterns and social norms creating new social structures
• Cultural Relativism: the view that ethical and social standards of society reflect the unique cultural context of that society
• Cultural Variation: differences in social behaviors exhibited by various cultures around the world; in the Philippines, cultural variation is influenced by specific places, tribes, etc.
• Enculturation: the process of learning one's native culture (values, language, behaviors, morals); a lifelong and primarily subconscious process
• Acculturation: process of cultural, psychological, and social change that occurs when people adapt to a new culture or balance two cultures
• Deculturation: the process of losing or neglecting cultural characteristics, intentionally or accidentally
• Examples of Deculturation: The Spanish requirement that natives change their names and beliefs demonstrated deculturation

Society

• Society is derived from the Latin word "socius" or "societas", meaning companion or associate.
• Groups of people who agree to live together and work together, prioritizing the survival of individuals in the group
• Human social life is a blend of activities, people, and places.
• Types of society: early, developing, advanced
• Early Society: Hunter-gatherer (relying on hunting and gathering), Pastoral (domesticated animals)
• Developing Society: Horticultural (simple hand tools to farm), Agricultural (plows, animals for farming)
• Advanced Society: Industrial (machinery for mass production), Post-industrial (services, information technology, globalized societies)

Politics

• The activities of the government, law-making organizations, or those influencing how a country is governed
• Government is about institutions and people that are the legitimate authority, making decisions for the public

Government

• A collection of institutions and people that are the legitimate authority to make decisions for the public
• Has three branches
  • Executive: headed by the President (head of state/government)
  • Legislative: law-making branch, citizens elect representatives
  • Judiciary: headed by Supreme Court (Chief Justice and Associate Justices)
• The judicial power is vested in the Supreme Court and lower courts established by law(1987 Constitution)