UCSP Reviewer (Week 1) PDF

**[Week 1]** **[What is It]** In this part of your journey, we provide something for you to deepen your understanding about culture. Please continue reading with comprehension as you discover further knowledge that will help you out in your quest on the remaining phases of this lesson. Since our...

**[Week 1]** **[What is It]** In this part of your journey, we provide something for you to deepen your understanding about culture. Please continue reading with comprehension as you discover further knowledge that will help you out in your quest on the remaining phases of this lesson. Since our course is Understanding Culture, Society and Politics, we can deepen our understanding of ourselves as members of society by studying these three specialized fields, namely: anthropology for culture, sociology for society and political science for politics A lot of us are likely confused with the difference between sociology and anthropology. Confusion might come from their commonalities as the two are dealing with society and culture. Both of them study human behavior and the different factors that affects our social relations. Since these two fields are most likely similar to each other, let us first draw out its differences To find out the difference between anthropology and sociology, let us study the similar and various concepts between each field below: -- -- -- ------------ ---------- ---------- ---------------------- -------- -- ------------ ---------- -- a European Revolution in Europe to colonize entire considered as European European that time, emerging replaced Europeans -- -- -- ------------ ---------- ---------- ---------------------- -------- -- ------------ ---------- -- -- -- -------------- --------------- ------------- ------------- -------------- ------------- --------------- -------- -- -------- -- -- -- -- -- kinship, religion, and institutions and how French of modern American doctrine of "historical that cannot be an overall of social interactions, anthropology, the are required to qualitative refers evolutions, issues, and anthropology the system, language, beliefs, influence life like background, socio- evolution, its beliefs, social social psychology, culture social and human language, how they -- -- -------------- --------------- ------------- ------------- -------------- ------------- --------------- -------- -- -------- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -------------------- --------------- ------ -- -- commonalities people (tradition, more and -- -- -------------------- --------------- ------ -- -- After finding out the difference between anthropology and sociology, let us now proceed with another discipline in social science that plays another important role in our life. Politics impacts our lives directly or indirectly, whether we are aware of its effects or not. If there is a crime that took place, we call a police, and this scheme is part of government. If there was a fire that occured, we call the fire department, and that's also a part of government. Military is government as well, let alone our civil liberty and our rights which have influences on us daily. In school, you were asked to read by heart the Constitution. When you are apprehended by an authority, you asked your violation and insisted on your legal rights. Even inside your house, there are still set of rules that are being enforced and followed. All these things are related to a field called Political Science. ------------- -- -------------------------------------------------------------------- Origin The study of political science was started by the ancient Concepts Political Science is the systematic study of government, politics, Subjects of Inquiry Goals ------------- -- -------------------------------------------------------------------- - - - **Week 2** **CHARACTERISTICS of CULTURE** 1. - Culture does not exist in isolation. It is a product of society. It develops through social interaction. No man can acquire culture without association  2. - Every society has a culture of its own that differs from other societies. The culture of every society is unique by itself. Cultures are not uniform. Cultural elements like customs, traditions, morals, values, and beliefs are not constant.  3. - Culture is not something that an individual alone can possess. Culture, in sociological sense, is shared. For example, people of a society share all 4. - 5. - Cultural ways are learned by people from others. Many of these ways are handed down from elders, parents, teachers, and others (most likely individuals of older generation), while other cultural behaviors are handed up to elders. Transmission of culture is made possible by **language**. Language is the main vehicle of culture. Transmission of culture may take place also through **imitation** as well as through **instruction.** 6. - 7. - Culture provides proper opportunities for the satisfaction of our needs and desires. Our needs, both biological and social, are fulfilled in cultural ways. Culture consists of the intellectual, artistic, and social ideals, and institutions where members of the society profess and strive to confirm. **Week 3-4** **Cultural Relativism and** **Ethnocentrism** **What is Ethnocentrism?** Ethnocentrism is a belief that one's own culture is better than others. They tend to compare, evaluate, and even judge other people's ways based on the values and standards set in one's own culture. Their worldview is based on the beliefs, assumptions, expectations, and values shaped by one's language, behavior, customs, values, religions and other aspects. Due to ethnocentric beliefs, many people are blinded from seeing things in another perspective. Ethnocentric people tend to dislike or make false judgment on other cultures. They tend becoming biased and judge another culture as bad and wrong. Even though we deny it, most of us are ethnocentric at some point in our lives. Some do not even realize that they are being ethnocentric at that moment. Below are some of the examples of ethnocentrism: a. b. c. d. **Cultural Relativism as the Opposite View** Cultural relativism is a belief that cultures are equally complex. There is no such thing as superior or inferior culture. Cultural relativism is very important in studying the culture of other people. It is a way of viewing the beliefs, values, and practices of a culture from its own viewpoint. Another way to say this is that others should understand an individual's beliefs and activities in terms of that person's own culture. - - - To understand better the main difference between ethnocentrism and cultural relativism, an illustration was provided below:  *Hello, I am Ben. I am an* *\ * *Hello, I am Lisa. I am a cultural relativist. I believe that culture of people must be looked at in terms of the world these people inhabit. I try to look at their culture based on what their practices bring in to them. If Eskimos kill their infant sometimes, I believe that there is a practical reason why they do that. That is why for me, culture is relative. There is no right or wrong, and I don't have the right to say if it is good or bad.* **Week 5-6** **Significance of Cultural, Social, Political and Economic Symbols and Practices** **HUMAN CULTURAL EVOLUTION** It is a saying that "human has no contentment". As the environment changes, we continuously grow and find ways to make maximize our effort as we live. It is very evident in the different stages of human cultural evolution: Palaeolithic Period, Neolithic Period, and Age of Metal. The term "Palaeolithic" was coined by archaeologist John Lubbock in 1865. It is derived the from Greek word, *palaios*, which means \"old\"; and, *lithos*, \"stone\", In short, the Palaeolithic Period, which happened 2.5 million years ago, is also known as \"Old Stone Age\". In the Palaeolithic period, the Earth was extremely cold and ocean levels were much lower than they are now. Due to the cold climate, much of the Stone Age is also called the Ice Age. During these years, people were nomads and able to use simple tools and weapons made of unpolished stone. The caves served as their shelter. Similarly, this was the time when people discovered to use the fire, through the use of stone, for their protection against cold temperature and to cook their own food. Human beings in this time were grouped together in small societies such as bands, and subsisted by gathering plants and fishing, hunting or scavenging wild animals. Also in this era, according to study of Dr. Jesus T. Peralta of NCCA, respect is given to age, and individual prowess and ability are recognized. There are no leaders that could be said to be above everybody else and whose commands are obeyed without question. In some cases, one who is known for good decisions is consulted when a problem arises; or well-known hunter will be asked to lead a hunting group. Likewise, the term "Neolithic" also comes from the same archaeologist and from the Greek word "neo" which means new and "lithos" meaning stone or in short, the "New Stone Age" which was happened for about 10,000 B.C. In this period, the Cro Magnon disappeared and the new people who are considered the modern man appeared. The **Neolithic Revolution** is also called as the First Agricultural Revolution. During this period, there was a wide-scale transition of many human cultures from a lifestyle of hunting and gathering to of agriculture and settlement kind of society which eventually led to population increase. People depend on domesticated plants and animals. They learned to create such crafts as pottery and weaving. They likewise developed boat as means of transportation and for fishing as well. From being nomads during the early stage, human began to develop a sedentary type of society of which they built-up villages and towns. Furthermore, they were never contented of their accomplishments. They kept on discovering things for their own convenience. So, they discovered metals, and they gradually abandoned stone as the basic element for their instrument and tools. This period was known as Age of Metals (4000 B.C -- 1500 B.C). The used of metal such as bronze, copper, and iron produced a new historical development from the cradle civilization of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Persia including the India, and China which later spread throughout Asia. There were three stages distinguished within this Age due to the different types of metals that were used: The Copper Age, the Bronze Age and the Iron Age; copper was the first known metal, it is of a low hardness and it was used to make ornaments; bronze is an alloy of copper and tin and it is harder and stronger than copper. Several eastern Mediterranean peoples discovered this metallurgy and progressed rapidly. During this age, agricultural tools were developed with bronze, such as plows and sickles, military weapons like swords, spears and shields, as well as household utensils like jars, bowls and cups. Likewise, a more developed social, cultural, political, and economic system were improved. Tribes, empires, and state were recognized at this point.  **EARLY CIVILIZATION and RISE of the STATE** *Ancient State and Civilization* One of the earliest states and civilizations was found in the Fertile Crescent which is known as the Mesopotamian civilization. The word Mesopotamia is a Greek word for *"Land between two rivers"* which is often referred to as the cradle of civilization. It is the region of the Western Asia located between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. It is known as the Fertile Crescent where the first evidence of agriculture was also found. Here the first human civilizations were taking the earliest steps from hunter-gatherer society into settled community. Moreover, it is in Mesopotamia that the history writing appeared as early as over 5,000 years ago. This invention was so important that it marks the end of the Prehistory, and the beginning of history. One of the first writing systems, the Cuneiform, is one of the most important civilizations in the history of Mesopotamian culture. Every city in Mesopotamia had its own government, rulers, warriors, patron god, and functioned like an independent country. Mesopotamian cities were Ur, Uruk, Kish, Lagesh. There is a temple at the center of each city called a ziggurat (a massive, tiered, pyramid-shaped structure). There was also what we called Mesopotamian warrior-gods (2.400-2.500 B.C.) who govern and protect the people under its government. Military commanders eventually became monarch creating a new structure of government called a Dynasty. It is a series of rulers descending from a single-family line. The Akkadian Empire lasted about 200 years. In the year 2350--2150 B.C, Babylonian Empire overtook Sumerians around 2000 B.C., and they built capital, the Babylon, on Euphrates River. Another ancient states and civilizations was the Egyptian civilization. It emerged more than 5,000 years ago along the River Nile in the north-east of Africa. The Ancient Egyptians lived near the River Nile because of its fertile land suitable for growing crops and domestication of animals. Each year, water from the Nile rose and flooded the area. When the water went back, it left mud that made the fields fertile. Egyptians called their king a pharaoh. The pharaoh was all- powerful: He passed laws, He ruled the country, He owned most of the land, and He controlled trade and led the armies. Egyptians believed that the pharaohs were gods. *Modern State and Civilization* In the European continent, several states and civilization grew tremendously over centuries. In England, around 1500s, most of the people lived in small villages. They paid tithes to their feudal landlords. Henry VII won the War of the Roses in England, which led into what is known as the Tudor dynasty, and begun the development of the English nation-state. In Spain in the year 1492, Spanish monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella took Spain back from the Muslim. It became the era of Spain as a global power. In France, Louis XIV of France created an absolute monarchy. France became the dominant power in Europe. When The French Revolution broke out, it created the modern French nation-state, which sparked nationalism around Europe. In 1914, when various nation-states started to claim their power and superiority over all the nations in the world, the World War I begun until 1918. In 1919, Treaty of Versailles ended the World War I. It divided several multinational empires that led to the creation of several new nation-states. In 1939, the World War II started until 1945. The end of World War II led to the formation of United Nations in 1945. The State of the People: Democratic State In the recent decade after the two World Wars, people are becoming more active in their government and state affairs, in which people become the source of political power and government rules. This evolution in the government is known as the process of democratization, or simply democracy -- the rule of the people. Democratization is the transition to a more democratic [[political regime,]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_regime) including substantive political changes moving in a democratic direction. It may be the transition from an [[authoritarian]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Authoritarianism) regime to a full [[democracy,]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy) a transition from an authoritarian political system to a semi-democracy or transition from a [[semi-authoritarian]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semi-authoritarian) political system to a [[democratic]](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy) political system. What is a democracy? Moreover, a democracy is a form of government where the citizens of the nation have the power to vote. There are several different types of democracies; (1) a representative democracy is a system where citizens choose government representatives among their citizens, (2) direct democracy is when the citizens form a governing body and vote directly on issues, (3) constitutional democracy limits the powers of government through the nation's constitution. **Week 7** **Socialization** Socialization simply means the process of learning one's society and its culture. It is moreover the same as interacting, mingling and being with other people or groups within/ outside of your society. How do you feel in a situation when it seems that you don't belong and you are being isolated? Good thinking! Of course you will feel sad and lonely. That kind of feeling only shows that socialization is important to you \-\-- and to all of us. Through socialization, one learns the culture's language, their roles in life, and what is expected from them. Without socialization, a person will develop different physical and mental disabilities. It is sad to know that individuals with no successful socialization develop mental illness, abnormal or odd behavior and self -isolation. Do you know that there are different groups of people that influence your orientations and perspectives to life? These groups are called **agents of socialization.** These agents play a crucial role in developing yourself as a person and a member of the society. **Family is the first agent of socialization**. Most of the habits, manners, beliefs and the way we think are develop in the family. A huge part of your personality is molded by your family because this is where you spent your childhood. Your family influences you on the way you behave and act as a person. This is when socialization process is crucial and intense. Do you still remember your happy moments in school? Of course you do. **School is another agent of socialization**. Here, you interact or socialize with other people- your classmates, teachers, administrators and others which are outside your family within a society. Your socialization with them has made a lot of experiences in you. It is in the school that your behavior and attitude are shape to become a better member of society. So a part of your personality is developed by this agent. Do you agree? Your circle of friends is also an agent of socialization. It is called **peer group.** Your peers usually have similar ages, social status and share interests. Your peer group influences you on the way you can accept yourself. It is with your peer group that you find yourself belonged. I'm sure you learned a lot from your friends, didn't you? So, you are right when you think that they are also important agent in shaping your personality. **Social media** as agent of socialization plays a crucial role in shaping your personality as well. Majority of us, young and old, are connected through social media. Much of our waking time is spent on using social media. So, this agent of socialization influences your way of life intensively thus doing large part in your personal development. There are other socialization agents who are also important in moulding you as a person: the community, the church and the government. You see? What you are now is a product of socialization**.** You have been socializing from the time you were born until now. Socialization is a continuing process until we die. Socialization is really a **necessity** for it develops you as person. **ENCULTURATION** We are living in a society of many cultures. Culture is the customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits of a racial, religious or social group (merriam-webster. com). These cultures make people different from one another. A group has a set of shared attitudes and practices which are partially or even totally apart from what others have. As an individual grows up in a social group, he/she learns to understand his/her identity. This is where enculturation comes in. Enculturation is the process by which people learn the requirements of their surrounding culture and acquire values and behaviours appropriate or necessary in that culture ([[https://www.definitions.net/definition/Enculturation]](https://www.definitions.net/definition/Enculturation)). According to Stephen A. Grunland and Marvin K. Mayers (1988) (as cited from Hoebel, 1982), enculturation is both a conscious and an unconscious conditioning process whereby man, as child and adult, achieves competence in his culture, internalizes his culture and becomes thoroughly enculturated. Socializing with people plays a great part in achieving it. He/she deals with. An individual also learns from observing the surrounding he/she is in. As a child lives with his family and the community, he/she adapts socially accepted values (e.g. attending to religious obligations, respecting the elders, etc.) At a very young age, a child is instilled with values by his/her parents and family. He / She sees the importance of being together as respected when they eat. Also, he/she learns the foundations of learning; be it reading the alphabet and counting of numbers. In school, he/she learns to be socially educated person as he/she observes and adapts the behavior of other people (e.g. singing the National Anthem, paying respect to the flag, showing respect to teachers and valuing friendship among friends and classmates). A person becomes more civilized as he learns more of culturally accepted behavior and knowledge in school. In a community, a person may be inspired to practice social duties and obligations as observed and learned from those who do great contributions for the welfare of most people. In these practices, one may also become a steward of goodwill. A teenager learns to clothe himself/herself like his/her friends or in great chances, adapts how they behave and act. He / She appreciate the value of friendship, learn to find joy in sharing commonalities and accepts differences in choices and decisions. His / Her confidence in dealing with people can be rooted from a well-maintained relationship with friends. The government upon its imposition of law refines a person's way of living. Through which, he/she learns his civil rights and exercises them righteously. Likewise, he/she learns to respect government policies and abides to them, knowing that every action has limitation. In his/her dealing with religious affiliations, a person's belief in Omnipotent Being is strengthened. This cultivates the idea that everyone like a brother and a sister. Thus, respect towards one another is valued. He or she learns to respect differences in faith. Parents and other authorities are called the initiators of enculturation. As one is enculturated by those initiators, the process is manifested in his/her actions, choices and decisions. If it is not because of enculturation, a person will not become the way he/she in the society. One will not be able to discern what is right from wrong or even make actions to handle problems encountered. Because of enculturation, an individual knows the boundaries of his/her actions, words and ideals. As a learned individual, one becomes accepted by the group he/she belongs with. Enculturation teaches a person of his/her roles in the society. True enough, he/she becomes functional member of the society. **Week 8** **Social Organizations** **CONCEPT OF SOCIAL GROUPS** Everyone belongs to a group; your race, gender, favorite sports team, your college, even the place where you were born were all examples of groups. Sometimes groupings are determined by factors related to who we are (sex, age, race/ethnicity) but in many other cases, they arrive in a somewhat arbitrary fashion. In school, you would likely associate with classmates who share the same interests as you do like having a common hobby or sports affiliation or even fashion sense or even love of a certain type of music. **What is a Group?** A group is composed of two or more persons interacting with each other and guided by a set of norms. It is also defined as specified number of individuals where each recognizes members as distinct from non-members. Basic Classifications of Social Groups **1. Primary Groups** Primary groups are marked by concern for one another, shared activities and culture, and long periods of time spent together. They are influential in developing an individual's personal identity. The goal of primary groups is actually the relationships themselves rather than achieving some other purpose. The examples of a primary group but not limited to be your family and childhood and close friends. The concept of the primary group was introduced by Charles Cooley in his book, Social Organization: A Study of the Larger Mind. (Contreras, Antonio P. et al. "Social Groups". Understanding Culture, Society and Politics. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc. 2016) Sample Groups: Family, Play group, Village/Neighborhood, Work-team **2. Secondary Groups** Secondary relationships involve weak emotional ties and little personal knowledge of one another. In contrast to primary groups, secondary groups don't have the goal of maintaining and developing the relationships themselves. These groups are based on usual or habitual interests or affairs. It includes groups in which one exchanges explicit commodities, such as labor for wages, services for payments, and such. Sample Groups: Nation, Church Hierarchy, Professional Association, Corporation, University classes, Athletic teams, and groups of coworkers. **3. In-group** Belonging to the same group as others who share the same common bond and interests who are more likely to understand each other refers to an in- group. Sample Groups: Sports team, Unions and Sororities **4. Out-group** Those who do not belong to the in-group are part of the out-group, which exist in the perceptions of the in group members and takes on social reality as a result of behavior by in-group members who use the out group as a negative point of reference. **5. Reference Groups** A reference group is a collection of people that we use as a standard of comparison for ourselves regardless of whether we are part of that group. We rely on reference groups to understand social norms, which then shape our values, ideas, behavior, and appearance. This means that we also use them to evaluate the relative worth, desirability, or appropriateness of these things. By looking to reference groups\--be they those of race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, region, ethnicity, age, or localized groups defined by neighborhood or school, among others\-- we see norms and dominant values, and we choose to either embrace and reproduce them in our own thoughts, behavior, and interactions with others; or, we reject and refute them by thinking and acting in ways that break from them. Sample of these groups are parents, siblings, teachers, peers, associates and friends. **6. Network** A network is a collection of people tied together by a specific pattern of connections. They can be characterized by the number of people involved, as in the dyad (by twos) and triad (by threes), but also in terms of their structures (who is connected to whom) and functions (what flows across ties). Networks indeed, are able to do more things and different things than individuals acting on their own could. Networks have this effect, regardless of the content of the connections or persons involved. Nowadays, the giving of information and establishing of connections and various relationships can be done through social networking sites. In this manner, it is easier to form connections, relationships and linkages. Example: Family Members, Friends, Work Colleagues, Classmates There is another strong example of a network that has boomed since the beginning of the 21st century. Since 1979, electronic forms of social networking have boomed, starting with CompuServe and MySpace, and moving to other networking applications such as Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Instagram.