UCSP Module 1 PDF

MODULE 1: The Social Sciences and the Three Faces of the Social LESSON 1.1 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics: Some key Observations LESSON 1.2 The Social Sciences: Sociology, Anthropology, and Political Science LESSON OBJECTIVES At the end of the module the learner will be ab...

MODULE 1: The Social Sciences and the Three Faces of the Social LESSON 1.1 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics: Some key Observations LESSON 1.2 The Social Sciences: Sociology, Anthropology, and Political Science LESSON OBJECTIVES At the end of the module the learner will be able to; ▪ identify the nature, goals and perspectives of anthropology, sociology and political Science ▪ compose an essay about different Social ,Political , and Cultural phenomena ▪ appreciate the value of disciplines of anthropology, sociology and political science as social sciences. INTRODUCTION Welcome to module 1 of UCSP! In this subject you will understand the importance of studying the different facets of social science also known as discipline. This is part of formal and systematic studies of our society. Society involves social (actions and interactions), cultural (practices and traditions), and political (power relations) realties. Each discipline provides unique ways of seeing social details. Regardless of their distinctive angles of looking, they share a common goal: To understand the social and explore the unrevealed driving force of our society. PRELIMINARY ACTIVITY Write at least 10 sentence paragraph that describes how your gender (male or female) may be the reason for the kind of social person you are today. Kindly highlight the significant opportunities and constraints you encounter in facing the social world. 1 _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________ LESSON 1.1 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics: Some key Observations CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS AS CONCEPTUAL TOOLS Culture, society, and politics are concepts. They exist in the realm of ideas and thoughts. They cannot be seen or touched but they can influence the way see every individual as social beings. Concepts are created and have been used to have a firm grip of phenomenon. Concepts are initially invented as icons to represent phenomena and in the process assist their users to describe an aspect of social relation to the concerned phenomena. Concepts are very interesting, as conceptual tools they allow us to form other concepts, or relate concepts to each other. Weber (1946, p.151) admitted that concept is one of the great tools of all scientific knowledge. For example: Culture, with the concept of culture, anthropologists are able to explore and make sense of the complex processes and dynamics that characterize by great variety of “ways of living” practiced and observed around the world. STUDENT AS SOCIAL BEINGS The way we live our lives or the way we are being controlled to live our lives is the powerful force that shapes who we are. The categories that we possess as individuals such as male/female, rich/poor, tall/short, and even the problematic effect of the color of our skin are evidences of the operation of these social forces. For example: Gender, the society determines your value or your worth as a member of your society. Of all social labels attached to members of society, gender appears to be the most fundamental, intrusive and limiting, The personal positions that members of a society attach to being a male or female reflect this insight As boys or girls, we have been assigned appropriate colors, toys, clothes and even our careers to pursue. Simply speaking, the totality of our sociality has already been constructed for us. SOCIAL REALITIES: BEHAVIOR AND PHENOMENON There are times that we find ourselves in a situation unlike other situations. We personally encounter different ways of doing things, behaving, and making sense of events. We have questions in our mind such as, why do people do such thing? What makes it normal and acceptable to some people in some places and unacceptable to others in other places? This questions are brought to us by comparing other people lives to our own. Study the situation below to further explore different issues 2  SITUATION BEHAVIOR AND PHENOMENA 1. Carlo graduated last year. Despite being blessed with a several job offers, he chose to remain jobless and hang istambay around with is barkada. Together they love to istambay in the town plaza at night. 2. As a businessman, Mang Tomas used to give “padulas” or lagay to his lagay main suppliers in order to have a faster transaction. 3. Carla, is a member of the Seventh- Day Adventist Church she is strongly food taboos prohibited from eating pork and food with blood. 4. Terry is openly gay. He lives with his Same-sex partnership partner Kevin. 5. Rene was given a passing grade by his math teacher even his performance Use of go-between/padrino fails the subject, because his teacher is a childhood friend of his mother. Situation 1 is a behavioral example. Istambay is usual scene in the streets. It is a behavioral feature of most young people who feel that the company of other people is more meaningful and exciting than staying at home. Situation 2 and 5 are in the same category: they are both set of practices. Situation 2 is about bribing (giving money in exchange of a promise to do something) while situation 5 is about the use of influential mediator. Situation 3 is related to a group-based practice made possible and stronger by a set of beliefs in connection with health and religion. Situation 4 is form of lifestyle associated with a specific sexual preference and romantic arrangement. VALUES AND BELIEFS AS BEHAVIOR MOTIVATORS Based from the situation above, you can observed that human behavior whether individual or group is propelled by powerful motivators. Within the perspective of the social sciences, these motivators may be in the form of values and beliefs. VALUES are people or group’s principles or standards of behavior and are considered as judgement of what is important in life. These are important and lasting beliefs shared by members of culture about what is good or bad and desirable or undesirable. 3  BELIEFS is something one accepts as true or real. Beliefs takes the form of firmly held opinion or conviction regardless of the lack of verifiable evidence. It can be based on tradition, faith, and experience, SOCIAL DYNAMICS: SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL CHANGE SCENARIO PHENOMENON 1. Mara loves taking “selfies” It became her habit after her brother gave her a selfieing latest version of cellphone. 2. Caren is the mayor of one town. Her daughter is one the bogy captain of her Political dynasty municipality after her 3 consecutive terms and his husband is the Governor of the province. 3. Mina is a college student living in Legaspi city. Both of her parents are Transnational families OFWs working in Canada. 4. Vicky, a youth volunteer finds the 2020 a busy year due to the pandemic (COVID Youth volunteerism 19).She helps in the preparation of relief goods and donates part of her money to buy necessary goods for relief distribution. 5. Paolo had been absent in his class Video gaming most of the time because of playing Mobile legends. Scenario 1 and 5 on selfies and video gaming are recent behavioral pattern due to advancement of technology. Scenario 2 on political dynasty is a familiar and reflects the durability of certain cultural and political practices. Scenario 3 represents emerging pattern of family relations. Scenario 4 is about volunteerism which appears to be a personal expression of a political principle by an increasing number of people. What is common among the scenarios is that they may all considered as manifestations of cultural and political changes New technological platforms facilitating communication , self-expression, and interaction represent the cultural change, while possession and expressions of power represent the political change. 4  LESSON 1.2 THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: SOCIOLOGY, ANTHROPOLOGY, AND POLITICAL SCIENCE ANTHROPOLOGY Anthropology is derived from two Greek words, Anthropos and logos which means studies of human and the respective cultures where they were born. Anthropology is considered as the father of all social and behavioral sciences like sociology, economics and psychology. Anthropology focuses on human diversity around the world. Anthropologists look at cross-cultural differences in social institutions, cultural beliefs and communication styles. They often seek to promote understanding between groups by “translating “each culture to the other. Franz Boas - The father of American anthropology His work is associated with the movements known as Historical Particularism and Cultural Relativism. SOCIOLOGY Is derived from the Greek word socius meaning companion and the Latin word logos which means study. Is the study of society, social institutions, and social relationships Is interested in describing and explaining human behavior, especially as it occurs within a social context. Studying sociology is practical and useful for us human beings, because we gain understanding of how the social world operates. Sociology enables us to see the “strange” in the familiar (Macionis 2010), meaning detaching ourselves from common explanations by taking a new look at society. Auguste Comte (1798–1857)— French Philosopher often called the “father of sociology”—first used the term “sociology” in 1838 to refer to the scientific study of society. He believed that all societies develop and progress through the following stages: religious, metaphysical, and scientific. 5 POLITICS Politics is associated with how power is gained and employed to develop authority and influence in social affairs. It can also be used to promulgate guiding rules to govern the state. It is also a technique to promote collaboration among members of a community, whether from civil or political organizations. CONCEPT OF POLITICS Politics is allied with government which is considered as the ultimate authority. It is the primary role of the government to rule society by stipulating and transmitting the basic laws that will supervise the freedom of its people. To better understand the concept of politics study the figure below. POWER ORDER Is the ability Is attained JUSTICE to influence through Is felt in a others. It obedience society with gives on the rules order. authority to set by lead. leaders. POLITICAL SCIENCE Is the systematic study of government and politics. It makes generalizations and analysis about political systems and political behavior and uses the result to predict future behavior. Includes the study of political policy, international relations, foreign policy, public administration and the dynamic relations between different parts of society. Political science works with other fields of social sciences, including sociology and anthropology, in understanding how government performs and how politics and governance work together. Aristotle is regarded as the father of political science. He was a great Greek philosopher. He was the first one to give a working definition of political science. He believed that political science was a powerful and dynamic branch of science. 6 jkkk Culture, society, and politics are concepts. The way we live our lives or the way we are being controlled to live our lives is the powerful force that shapes who we are Anthropology, sociology and political science are different facets of social science that help human being understand culture, behavior and the political system around the place where we live in. CONGRATULATIONS! You have already finished the first module in UCSP.I hope you have learned a lot. If you have questions kindly contact me. Please answer the worksheets for some exercises. Checked by: SpJ 01-25-21 Checked:mpbsayson-01272021 7