UCSP Lesson 2: Defining Culture and Society PDF

DEFINING CULTURE AND SOCIETY  Analyze the concept, aspect, and changes in/of culture and society  Explain anthropological and sociological perspective in culture and society  Describe society and culture as a complex whole  Identify aspects of culture and society  Why is it import...

DEFINING CULTURE AND SOCIETY  Analyze the concept, aspect, and changes in/of culture and society  Explain anthropological and sociological perspective in culture and society  Describe society and culture as a complex whole  Identify aspects of culture and society  Why is it important to understand culture?  Howdoes culture affect our identity?  Arethere rules in eating in a fast-food restaurant? How about rules in a public transportation vehicle or in an elevator or escalator?  It is the way of life of a social group of a society and of a country.  It is the totality of learned and socially transmitted customs, knowledge, materials and behaviors.  knowledge, beliefs, ideas, habits, attitudes, skills, abilities, values, norms, art, law, morals, customs, traditions, feelings and other capabilities of man  It is the sum of all ideas and beliefs of people  It shapes how people see the world, which is why people’s belief and customs along with how they think, how they act, how they talk, what they create and who they are as a people. 1. Culture is a state or a process of human perfection 2. Culture is an activity recorded and learned in a documentary process 3. Culture is a description of a particular way of life 1. CULTURE ALSO DEFINES WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON  You learn from your family and other people around you the various traditions and customs of society.  You also learn from your school, your friends and peers, and other people you encounter in what is called socialization. 2. CULTURE IS LEARNED BEHAVIOR, THEN EVERYBODY IN SOCIETY CAN LEARN AND SHARE THE SAME  People use this learned culture to understand every individual’s perception, ideas, and values.  Culture is shared because the members of society are able to understand one another based on the standards and expectation set within the society. 2. Culture is NOT BIOLOGICAL. IT IS LEARNED! 3. CULTURE IS BY AND LARGE AN ABSTRACT CONCEPT  It consists of abstract ideas, values and perceptions that inform the way people behave and react in a given situation ex. The language and symbols that people learn. 4. Culture is a human product and that culture is dynamic  It is created by humans through their collective behavior – their thoughts, values, and actions over a long period of time.  Write personal experiences on: 1. How culture defines who you are as a person 2. How you learned the culture that you practice today or how culture was taught to you 3. How culture affects how you talk (language) and interpret symbols 4. How culture has changed over time Howdoes culture change over time? Howdoes culture change over time? And why?  Aspects of culture that are evident across societies.  These universals have something to do with human needs such as food, shelter, clothing, music and arts, sports, courtship and marriage, and rituals and feasts.  SURFACE CULTURE – elements that can easily be noticed or observed by people Ex. Clothing, food, language, practices, rituals, music and arts and literature.  DEEP CULTURE – it makes up the covert elements of culture that require a deeper understanding of the culture itself. Ex. Beliefs, assumptions, perceptions, attitudes, emotions, bias, ethics, customs, philosophy, making decisions and ideologies.  It is somewhat superficial, as it emanates from the understanding of one’s culture, it is explicitly learned by an individual and taught by society.  This surface culture can be changed by learning other cultures from outside influence.  It is implicitly and unconsciously learned, it can be difficult to change. These comprise the core of the culture that directly influence why people do certain things.  Ex. The practice of parents giving their baong pera. There is a cultural understanding here that parents are also teaching their children the concept of independence by giving them money for their needs.  Refers to a system of words and symbols that humans use to express values, beliefs and ideas, as well as to forge relationships and establish some sort of binding understanding between and among each other.  Language binds a culture into one.  Language is crucial to every society.  Humans are the only species in the world that have complex language and thought processes.  Evolution of language  Acronyms: LOL, AFK, IMHO, LMK  Beki language  IMPORTANT: Whatever the language is, as long as there is a common understanding of what words mean, then society can be bounded as one.  We need symbols and language to communicate with others in the society.  Symbols, just like language, must be understood by every member of the society to have a meaning within the culture.  Ex: Codes  It is any object, body language/gesture, or even abstract concept that has no meaning to outsiders, but it has a significant meaning to the people within a culture.  A classic example of Filipino symbolism is the concept of pagmamano, where one puts the hand of an elder onto his or her forehead while bowing slightly.  What if someone from another culture sees the same symbols?  1. No meaning  2. Ascribe different meanings  What symbols do you use to communicate with your peers?  Emojis or emoticons are another example of symbols, which are used on social media or when communicating digitally through text or direct messages.  Other times, emojis can be combined to create complex messages or even a complex sentence.  We ascribe symbolism to colors of our clothing. Have you seen a bride wear a wedding dress in a color other than white?  However, this wasn’t always the tradition for the past centuries where brides would wear colorful gowns.  Norms are acceptable actions within boundaries set by society or culture, they set restrictions as to what people should do or not to do.  Specific standards/rules to guide for appropriate behavior  We are expected to behave in a particular way  Imagine yourself in a shopping mall wearing traditional Filipino clothing.  Would you consider it as breaking norms?  How do you think other people would react when they see you? Conversely, how would you react if you see someone in that situation? 1. FORMAL NORMS – rules and regulations established by social institutions and governments for the people to comply with. Formal norms are further classified into mores and laws.  MORES – are norms guided by standards of morality, and they determine what are acceptable and unacceptable.  LAW – it is codified by the government and backed by the state power to police MORES - Stealing - Lying - Talking behind a friend’s back - “Dibs” - Gossiping - Bullying - Bribery - Monogamous marriage (Beliefs about what is right or wrong in a marriage may differ across cultures) LAWS - Anti-bullying act - Curfew ordinances - Minimum age for employment (to avoid child labor) 2. INFORMAL NORMS – are simple, traditional customs of a culture, which are socially accepted but are not morally significant. They are also called folkways. Ex. Slurping ramen soup in Japan is acceptable as it shows that one has enjoyed the meal Ex: Filipinos eat using their hands 2. INFORMAL NORMS  covering your mouth when you yawn  trying not to smoke downwind of others  making sure you say thank you to the grocery store clerk FOLKWAYS VS MORES Mores have a moral element to it. Morality = right vs wrong FOLKWAYS VS MORES A person who spits on the sidewalk might not be seen as immoral but might be seen as a little rude. =FOLKWAY if someone commits adultery, they are usually considered to have broken a moral code. =MORE  Values are abstract concepts that make judgments on and/or determine what is good and desirable and what is bad and undesirable within a culture.  It may be specific such as giving respect to elders and following rules, or collective such as respect, freedom, and democracy.  Physical objects that manifest culture’s norms and values and other elements of culture.  They are material representations of culture and are, thus, called material culture as well.  Ex. A flag of a country is an artifact of national significance, other artifacts include traditional clothes and jewelry, tools and houses.  A cross is an important artifact for Roman Catholics, who are reminded of Jesus Christ.  Each culture has unique characteristics because it evolves and has developed some variations. Any culture needs to adapt to meet whatever challenges. In this way, the culture survives, and because of it, certain cultural patterns vary and evolve into something unique or vastly different from the patterns of the dominant society.  What happened when we encounter different cultures?  Do you prefer listening to pop music, indie, or Kpop?  Are you a Bloom or an Army?  Do you watch sports like basketball or do you prefer online games?  Do you like wearing vintage clothes or streetwear?  Do you prefer reading comic books or manga?  Smaller culture within the dominant culture of a society.  Only members of the subculture can understand the meaning and delicacies of the language and symbols used by its own members.  Each subculture has its own belief, interest, and means of interaction , yet they still share certain elements of the dominant culture.  It has a distinguished pattern and way of life in some important and noticeable way, yet exists within the dominant culture.  How? It may form around certain shared interests such as hobbies, in the behaviors and interests of the people involved, and in their racial and ethnic background  Teen subculture  Basketball subculture  ML subculture?  Fans of the music industry: OPM music, Kpop, Army, Rock and roll  Anime and manga fans  Vegetarian and vegan communities  Allof these subcultures develop their own understanding of the clichés and quirks of their own. However, they are still part or under one dominant culture  Observe your classmates or schoolmates.  How do the members of each of these groups interact with members in their own circle?  How do they interact with members of other groups?  Hanukah is lesser Jewish festival lasting 8 days from the 25th day of Kislev (in December) and commemorating the rededication of the Temple in 165BC by the Maccabees after its desecration by the Syrians. It is marked by the successive kindling of 8 lights.  a blood sport in which two roosters specifically bred for aggression are placed beak to beak in a small ring and encouraged to fight to the death  It is a subculture that deliberately oppose certain aspects of the dominant culture. Its specific norms, values, and beliefs may challenge or contradict the widely accepted culture of the society.  Example: The growth of ultraconservative groups, such as terrorist organizations and private militia groups. They deliberately oppose peaceful ways of life to instill fear and terror, which they value most in their alternative value system.  It is a subculture that deliberately oppose certain aspects of the dominant culture. Its specific norms, values, and beliefs may challenge or contradict the widely accepted culture of the society.  Example: ◦ The growth of ultraconservative groups, such as terrorist organizations and private militia groups. They deliberately oppose peaceful ways of life to instill fear and terror, which they value most in their alternative value system. ◦ Sexual Liberation Movements  Within society, each individual members is influenced by various factors that cause variation in characteristics, which may be cognitive, physical, social, emotional, and cultural.  Biological factors can be traced back in the evolution of humans as a separate species, such that human genes have adapted to survive harsh environments.  Environmental factors include being able to adapt to the climate, food shortages, pollution, changing quality of life, and other factors that may enhance specific biological or physical traits that the human body may need.  Nationality – refers to where you are born or your place of birth. It has more to do with the relationship between you and your place of birth and can often be seen as ethnic or racially related.  Citizenship – is granted by a government of a country when legal requirements are met, it can be considered as a political status because it shows which country recognizes you as a citizen.  Sex – refers to the biological and physiological traits of male and female. The reproductive organs of the newly born is the determinant of thee sex.  Gender – refers to a social and cultural construct that distinguishes differences in the attributes of male and female and their roles and responsibilities in the society.  Therefore, sex is determined at birth, and gender may change over time.  The Imitation Game  At the time, “hormone therapy was considered a more enlightened, modernized approach to dealing with homosexuality,” screenwriter Moore tells THR.  “Whereas in the 1940s and earlier homosexuality had been thought of as a crime, in the 1950s the prevailing attitude among doctors was that it was a disease. They wanted to cure it.” A. Symbols B. Norms C. Artifacts D. Language E. Values 1. Anything used to stand for something else. 2. Refers to a system of words and symbols used to communicate with other people. 3. It refers to valuable tools for exploring the past and using them to understand the past. 4. Rules or expectations of behavior and thoughts based on shared beliefs within a specific cultural or social group. 5. It is a person’s principles or standards of behavior  Presentat least 3 issues caused by the pandemic and how it has affected people’s “normal lives”. Use the following table to summarize some of your points to help and guide you in your study. Issue caused by the Effects on People’s Reference Pandemic “normal” lives 1. 2. 3.  Criterion Excellent Fair Poor Points 5points 3 points 1 point Analysis The table was The table was The table was very well- well-thought of, not well- thought of, and and the findings thought of, and the findings were somewhat the findings were sufficiently sufficiently were analyzed analyzed insufficiently analyzed Completeness All components The table lacked The table lacked asked for were one component two or more present in the components table Accuracy There were no There were one There were more errors in the to two errors in than two errors analysis the analysis in the analysis TOTAL  https://www.khanacademy.org/test- prep/mcat/society-and- culture/culture/a/cultural-relativism-article  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l- Yy6poJ2zs&t=3s