UCSP_HAND-OUT.docx

**LESSON 1\_AN OVERVIEW** **Change is inevitable because it is the law of nature.** Similarly, society does not remain static. It changes, as the world continues to change, most especially with the advent of new discoveries in science and technology. **It is not new to us how our ways of life b...

**LESSON 1\_AN OVERVIEW** **Change is inevitable because it is the law of nature.** Similarly, society does not remain static. It changes, as the world continues to change, most especially with the advent of new discoveries in science and technology. **It is not new to us how our ways of life before are no longer the ways of life of today's generation.** **THE ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE** 1. **ANTHROPOLOGY -** the **[study of people and their culture].** It uses a special research method known as **ethnography** in which anthropologists are **required to live with their subject of study for a long period of time in order to make their writings more reliable and credible.** **FRANZ BOAS** - **FATHER OF MODERN AMERICAN ANTHROPOLOGY.** - His study led to the doctrine of "historical particularism," where he stated that each society is considered as having a unique form of culture that cannot be understood under an overall definition of general culture. **4 FIELDS OF ANTHROPOLOGY** 1. **BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY -** the study of human origins (genetics, race, evolutions, fossils, primates) 2. **CULTURAL ANTHROPOLOGY** - study of living people (religion, social system, language, clothing, foods, beliefs, traditions, etc.) 3. **LINGUISTICS** - the study of language, its evolution, its connection to other languages, and others. 4. **ARCHEOLOGY** - the study of dead culture (religion, social system, Language, how they dress, foods, beliefs, traditions, etc.). **GOALS OF ANTHROPOLOGY** - **See the commonalities** among people (tradition, language, kinship, etc). - Discover **what makes people different from each other** in order to understand and preserve diversity. - **Produce new knowledge and new theories** about mankind and behavior. - Look at one's own culture **more objectively.** 2. **SOCIOLOGY** - **The [study of society, patterns of social interactions, and culture of everyday life].** Unlike anthropology, the knowledge created by sociology is used to understand one's own society. Sociologists use qualitative research method in doing their studies. - **Anything in a society that influences people's lives can be subjects of inquiry,** like different social phenomena, issues, and problems. - Sociologists can also look into things that influence life like family background, socio-economic status, ethnicity, social classes, religion, gender, beliefs, traditions, norms, among others - **HE COINED THE TERM [SOCIOLOGY].** - He is a French philosopher and mathematician who saw the need for a systematic science of studying society and in dealing with the solution of its basic problems. - Obtain possible theories and principles about society as well as various aspects of social life. - Study the nature of humanity to further examine our roles within a society. - **Appreciate that all things in society are interdependent.** - Expose our minds to different perspectives in attaining truth. 3. **POLITICAL SCIENCE** - the systematic study of government, politics, and political power. - **Politics impacts our lives directly or indirectly, whether we are aware of its effects or not.** **GOALS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE** - **Make people a better citizen.** - Keep social order and harmony among different group of People. - Protect the rights of an individual. - Avoid conflict and promote cooperation. **LESSON 2**\_**ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE ON CULTURE AND SOCIETY** **CULTURE** - **The way of life of people or their design of living.** - A historically derived system of **[explicit] and [implicit ]**designs for living, which tends to be shared by all or specially designed members of a group. **EXPLICIT CULTURE (MATERIAL CULTURE)** - Refers to similarities in words and actions which can be **[directly observed].** **IMPLICIT CULTURE (NON-MATERIAL CULTURE)** - Exists in abstract forms which are **[not quite obvious. ]** **7 CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE** 1. **Culture is Social** - Because it is the product of behavior. - **Does not exist in isolation.** - Culture learning's are the products of behavior; also, many of people\'s traits and abilities have grown out of their own past behaviors. 2. **Culture varies from society to society** - **is unique to itself.** - **is not uniform;** cultural elements like customs, traditions, morals, values, and beliefs are not uniform. - is a human product not a force operating itself. 3. **Culture is shared** - Members of a cultural group or society **understand a common set of symbols and practices.** 4. **Culture is Learned** - It is not inborn, it is learned 5. **Culture is transmitted among members of society** - The cultural ways are learned by persons from persons. - Many of them are **\"handed down\"** by elders, parents, teachers, and others (of a somewhat older generation), while other cultural behaviors are **\"handed up\"** to elders. 6. **Culture is continuous and cumulative** - **no culture ever remains constant or changeless.** - It is subject to slow but constant change. 7. **Culture is gratifying and Idealistic** - Culture provides proper **opportunities for the satisfaction** of our needs and desires. **\ ** **FUNCTIONS OF CULTURE** 1. **CULTURE DEFIINES SITUATION** - Each culture has many subtle **[cues]** which define each situation. It reveals whether one should prepare to fight, run, laugh, or make love. 2. **CULTURE DEFINES ATTITUDES, VALUES & GOALS** - Each person learns from his/her culture what is good, true, and beautiful. Attitudes, values, and goals are defined by the culture, and the individual normally learns them as unconsciously as he or she learns the language. 3. **CULTURE DEFINES MYTHS, LEGENDS, AND THE SUPERNATURAL** - We cannot understand the behavior of any group without knowing something of the myths, legends, and supernatural beliefs they hold. Culture also provides the individual with a ready-made view of the universe. 4. **CULTURE PROVIDES BEHAVIOR PATTERN** - The individual need not go through painful trial and error to know what food can be eaten or how to live among people without fear. **People find a ready-made set of patterns awaiting them which they need only to learn and follow.**