UCSP Lesson 1: Defining Culture, Society, and Politics PDF

# UCSP ## Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics ### Lesson 1: Defining Culture, Society and Culture 1. **Natural Science and Social Science** The study of culture, society, and politics are parts and parcel of a larger body of knowledge with integration of systematic processes and scie...

# UCSP ## Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics ### Lesson 1: Defining Culture, Society and Culture 1. **Natural Science and Social Science** The study of culture, society, and politics are parts and parcel of a larger body of knowledge with integration of systematic processes and scientific methods called, **Social Science**. ## Defining Culture, Society and Culture It includes anthropology, sociology, political science, economics, psychology, and geography as its branches. It is also the field of human knowledge that deals with all aspects of the group of life of human beings; therefore, it is subject to change with the changes of the human behavior. Social scientists use empirical research methods to investigate all sorts of interpersonal and intrapersonal behaviors. ## Defining Culture, Society and Culture Social Science goes side by side with **Natural Science** as both branches of Science. It is a branch of science that deals with the natural world: Its processes, elements, and composition. However, social science is a branch of science primarily focuses in human society and social relationships. Consequently, the main difference between natural science and social science is that natural science studies natural events whereas social science studies the human society. ## Sociology Individual behavior may differ when he will be included into a group thus, making this event a remarkable beginning of one of the pioneer disciplines under Social Sciences. Sociology is one of the disciplines that tends to answer the social and political issues in the Modern Period. ## Sociology Etymologically, Sociology came from the Latin word *socius*- means companion and Greek word *logos*- means to study. It is a systematic study of human relationship along with human society and interaction. ## Auguste Comte (1798-1857) He focused on improving the development of the society and how it operates. He introduced **Positivism** through his book entitled *Course on Positive Philosophy* (1830-1842) and *Systems of Positive Polity* (1851-1854). ## Auguste Comte (1798-1857) He said that the use of scientific methods to present the laws in which societies and individuals interact would propel in a new "positivist" age of history. It allowed sociologists to study society scientifically through evidences, experiments, and statistics to clearly see the operations of the society. ## Karl Marx (1818-1883) Is a German philosopher and economist. He made *Communist Manifesto* (1848) with Friedrich Engels (1820-1895). This book presents Marx's theory of society, which different from the point of view Comte. He disagreed with Comte's positivism and believed that societies developed and progressed because of the struggles of different social classes over the means of production. ## Emile Durkheim (1858-1917) The professionalization of sociology made it through in the University of Bordeaux in 1985. He defended sociology as a separate and independent field from psychology. His notable works are *The Division of Labor in Society* (1893) which tackles the transformation of a society from a primitive state into a capitalist, industrial society. He also published a work titled *Suicide* (1897). ## Max Weber (1864-1920) Is another pioneer in the field of sociology. He emphasized the role of rationalization in the development of society. It refers essentially to the disenchantment of the world. As the world progressed, people began to justify and adopt scientific and rational attitude towards understanding the workings of the world. With this view, modern people become so rigid on science. With prevalence of the scientific processes, he introduced **bureaucracy** as an application of a scientific way of life. As bureaucracy efficiency possesses supreme value, other values such as personal relationship and intimacies are gradually rejected. ## Areas of Sociology It can be said that social science disciplines are interrelated to one another because of the nature and the core of its focus. Thus, the following are the scope that encompassed by sociology. - **Social Organization** - **Social Psychology** - **Human Ecology** - **Applied Sociology** - **Population Studies** - **Social Change** - **Sociological Theory and Research** ## Culture Is generally defined as the sum of an individual's way of life, ranging from the food he or she eats, the clothes he or she wears, and the house where he or she lives. It also includes both the material and non-material things that he or she possesses or acquires. Non-material things are norms and values as well as the intangible aspects of his or her existence: music, dance, poetry, and other forms of expressions that showcase his or her creativity and artistry. Culture also includes fads and fashion trends, manners and taboos as well as scientific knowledge and technology that manifest through tangible aspect, such as architectural and engineering wonders, advancement in medicine, and breakthroughs in transportation and communication. ## Culture Aside from culture, students are also encouraged to understand and appreciate the importance of society and politics. Society is generally defined as an organized group or groups of interdependent people who share a common territory, language, and culture, and who act together for collective survival and well-being. The ways that people defend upon one another can be seen in different social features, such as their economic, communication, and defense systems. They are also bound together by a general sense of common identity and pride of place. In reality, there can be no culture without a society and so far there are no known human societies that do not exhibit culture. ## Politics "Politics refer to the" theory, art, and practice of government. " behavior The political institution is a relatively stable cluster of statuses, general norms, and role behavior which are involved in the acquisition and exercise of power and decision-making in society. The institution that sets up the social norms and values as to who will possess the monopoly of legitimate use of physical force within a given territory, how that power is acquired and maintained, and how that power is organized and exercised, comprises the state. ## Politics The government is a concrete example of a political institution. It exercises power especially in relation to governance and decision making. Power is manifested in the acquisition of status functions. For instance, the president or the prime minister serve as the head of the government. He or she functions as the chief executive and the commander-in-chief, especially in policy-making and other matters related to governance and imposition of laws. He or she leads the military during war and the cabinet during peace. He or she designates roles for cabinet members to undertake. He or she is given power to approve or veto decisions made by the cabinet or the legislative body. He or she is also given a check and balance power which means he or she can order the review of other branches of government if they are not executing their functions properly. ## Politics Power, as defined in democratic principles, is a status granted to individuals or institutions to properly run the government and implement the rule of the law in a society. The president or prime minister and the member of the cabinet are granted with executive power, which is the right to execute governance and implement laws. Meanwhile, members of the legislature, which include senators and congressmen, are given the legislative power to make and pass the laws for the executive power to implement. Likewise, the members of the judiciary are tasked to interpret laws in accordance with a society's standards and norms. With these ascribed roles and functions to perform, it is expected that all branches of the government (executive, legislative, and judiciary) work harmoniously to maintain the balance of power. ## GENDER Society division of humanity into two distinctive categories based on sex. Gender serves as a guide on how male and females think and act about themselves, the way they interact with others, and how they perform their various roles in society. While sex chiefly centers on biological differences, gender is the culturally-learned differences between men and women. Hormonal distinctions as well as diverse levels of sexual arousal segregate men from women as these indicators provide clues on one's maleness or femaleness. These are sex differences. On the contrary, the level of masculinity-femininity varies from one culture to another especially on how society dictates one's productive and reproductive roles, or gender roles. For instance, in the Judeo-Christian world, men are perceived to be superior than women; thus, they are ascribed more vigorous occupational roles like plowing the field or doing menial jobs as opposed to women who are relegated to homemaking and child-rearing. ## SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS Socioeconomic status refers to the category of persons who have more or less the same socioeconomic privileges in a society. These privileges are due to inherited wealth and or the occupation status of the breadwinner in the household. The types of social class/status operate in varying forces and combination at different times within a society or in diverse societies. In the Philippines, three types of social classes are identified: upper, middle, and the lower classes. (The other categorization is classes A, B, C, D, and E) ## SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS The upper class consists of elite families. They are considered the most productive in terms of resource generation and oftentimes very successful in their respective fields of interest and endeavors -be it in agriculture, industry, business, and government. The elite has two general types: the new rich are those who have humble beginnings and often experienced rags-to-riches turn of fortunes Hard work and industry ultimately pushed them to the upper strata of society after amassing wealth, allowing them to enjoy the lifestyle of the traditional upper class. On the other hand, the tradition upper class is made up of descendants of powerful elite families who acquired their wealth through inheritance or birthright. ## ETHNICITY As the most potent cultural concept, ethnicity is the expression of the set cultural ideas held by a distinct ethnic or indigenous group. An ethnic group refers to people who collectively and publicly identified themselves as distinct and unique based on distinguishable cultural features that set them apart from others, such as language, shared ancestry, common origin, customs, and traditions. Based on the 2000 census of the National Statistics Office (NSO), the eight major ethno-linguistic groups in the Philippines are the Tagalog, comprising 28.1% of the population; Cebuano 13.%; Ilocano 9%; Bisaya/Binisaya 7.6%; Ilonggo/Hiligaynon 7.5%; Bicol 6%; Waray 3.4%; others 25.3%. ## RELIGION Religion is an organized system of ideas about the spiritual sphere or the supernatural, along with associated ceremonial or ritualistic practices by which people try to interpret and/ or influence aspects of the universe otherwise beyond human control. In the 2000 census, Catholics comprised 82.9% of the population. Religion in the Philippines comprises of Catholic (Roman Catholic, Aglipayan), Islam/Muslims, Evangelical, Iglesias Ni Kristo, and other Christians denominations like Protestants groups and other unspecified. ## EXCEPTIONALITY Exceptionality, as used in this context, refers to the state of being intellectually gifted and/ or having physically or mentally challenged conditions concerning personality/ behavior, communication (learning disability, speech impairment, and hearing problems), intellect (mild intellectual and mental development disabilities) physical appearance (blind-low vision), or a combination of more than one specific exceptional or disability (MinEd:2). ## Nationality nationality is the legal relationship that binds a person and a country. It allows the state to protect and have jurisdiction over a person. For people who are legally born of Filipino parents and those naturalized in the country after fulfilling the requirements of residence are granted the nationality of Filipino citizens or naturalized Filipino. For instance, a Philippine-born Chinese who eventually assumed citizenship as naturalized Filipinos fall on this category. They comprise 4% of the Philippine population today. ## Anthropology 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. With the scope of the discipline, it encompasses a group of more specific and specialized fields. Physical anthropology focuses on the biological and evolutionary framework of humanity. It focuses on greater information and details about human evolution. Other branches that deal with social and cultural interactions of human groups are categorically belongs to social anthropology, cultural anthropology, psychological anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. ## Branches of Anthropology The discipline of anthropology has diverse branches that studies different levels of expertise within the bounds of human social, cultural, and physical background. ## Cultural Anthropology The study of people with their variations and progress in terms of culture. It also deals with the description and analysis of the forms and styles of social life of past and present ages. ## Linguistic Anthropology The study of language mainly but not exclusively among humans. It also deals with the study of communications origin, history, and contemporary variation. ## Archaeology The study of past human cultures through their material remains. It also the study of past human culture through the recovery and analysis of artifacts. ## Biological Anthropology The study of humans as biological organisms including their evolution and contemporary variation. ## Applied Anthropology They analyze social, political, and economic problems and develop solutions to respond to present problems. ## Political Science The etymology of Political Science came from two ancient words. The word political came from the Greek word "Polis" meaning city state and science comes from the Latin word "Scire" which means to know. Political Science is a discipline in social science concerned primarily in the state, government, and politics. It focuses widely in political theory and its practice and the analysis of political systems and behavior. ## Areas of Political Science 1. **Political Theory-** It deals with the accumulation of principles identifying with the basis, structure, conduct, and operations of the state. 2. **Public Law-** It pertains to laws or ordinances with control the framework of public governance. 3. **Public Administration-** It serves as an academic discipline that studies civil service and governance. 4. **Public Dynamics-** It is an aspect of Political Science which are concerned with the relationship of different societal forces that dictate political opportunities and actions. 5. **Government and Business-** It gives importance to the regulatory and governmental functions to corporate, or business entities concerning the national economy. 6. **Legislatures and Legislation-** The term legislation is a complex mechanism that can be extended as a discipline. It tries to explain the process, composition, and organization of the legislature. 7. **International Relations-** It includes inquiries into the nation-states foreign policy in their mutual ties on the various forces-geographic, technological, psychological and political that contribute to shaping such policy. 8. **International Law-** It is a system of agreements and treaties that entails responsibilities of one state into another. 9. **Comparative Government-** It is a discipline that studies and analyzes the general structure of governments of all countries. It includes (executive, legislative, and judicial bodies, their constitutions, laws, administrative organizations, foreign policies, political parties and processes, economic, social and political functions, and their cultures and traditions) ## Importance of Studying Culture, Society and Politics ### On Culture We need to see man's relationship to his environment and to appreciate the contributions of culture in our lives. Banaag (2012) posited that culture can function in different ways and which we can see its importance as well. - **Culture creates man to be creative and resourceful by adapting and integrating himself in the environment to survive.** - **Culture determines the outline of acceptable social behavior such as protocols, good manners, roles, and duties established by folkways, mores, and laws.** - **Culture carries out meanings through different forms of verbal and non-verbal communications.** - **Culture produces tangible objects relevant to man such as instruments, tools, equipment's, structures, and all technological advancements.** - **Culture contributes to the totality of living of humankind as well as on how they can make their lives enjoyable, easier, and comfortable.** ### On Society Societies are formed through social interactions of its members. These members need to understand their roles and functions to propagate patterned behavior in a structured society. Thus, society is important for: - **Human connection and interconnections** - **Symbolizing identity of members** - **Characterizing the boundaries of a territory** - **Representing political interdependence and economic interdependence.** ### On Politics Each society possesses distinctive characteristics of political structure. Political Science deals primarily in the study of government and state processes. Understanding deeply a political life suggests that politics can be reduced to the question of who gets what, when, and how. - **Understand the theories, concepts and knowledge and principles of governance as well as public administration and political dynamics.** - **Manifest the underlying principles of state polices and laws to be abided and respected by all** - **Prepares the students for possible career paths in the legal profession, government service and other professions with high respect to legal matters and procedures.**