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UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY & POLITICS SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES Sociological perspective introduces the PRELIMS: FIRST QUARTER discipline of sociology, including something...

UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY & POLITICS SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES Sociological perspective introduces the PRELIMS: FIRST QUARTER discipline of sociology, including something about its history, questions, theory, and Society broadly involves social, cultural, and scientific methods, and what distinguishes it political realities. from other social science disciplines. These three facets are referred to as the “social sciences” also known as the THREE THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES “disciplines”. The Functionalist Perspective - stability These disciplines change a person’s and interdependence perspective. The Conflict Perspective - social change ANTHROPOLOGY The Symbolic Interaction Perspective - Provides a window to our past, a mirror for everything has meaning our present, and a lens through which we look to the future. 1. Religion 6. Economy The science or study of man. 2. Government 7. School Man in this context refers to the human 3. Family species in its entirety. 4. Peer The scope of our study of the human species 5. Media includes all human groups, both cultural and POLITICAL SCIENCE biological (Lenkeit, 2008). The systematic study of government and Relates to sociology, it always describes politics. human, human behavior and human It makes generalizations and analyses about societies around the world. political systems and political behavior and uses these results to predict future behavior. GOALS OF ANTHROPOLOGY It has different layers ranging from personal Explain and analyze human cultural to group to governmental. similarities and differences. Assess the cultural development of our GOALS OF POLITICAL SCIENCE species as revealed in the archaeological Document the manifestations and map the record. constellations of power relations within the Analyze the biological evolution of the different layers. human species as evidenced in the fossil record. POLITICAL SCIENCE PERSPECTIVES Explain human biological diversity. Political science perspectives study the tendencies and actions of people, which ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES cannot be easily quantified or examined. Anthropological perspectives are culture, It sticks to the political arena and the realm cultural relativism, fieldwork, human of politics, either dealing with situations with diversity, holism, and bio-cultural focus. The two competing sides or the lateral decisions four main perspectives of Anthropology are that affect the group as a whole. the crosscultural or comparative emphasis, SOCIETY its evolutionary/historical emphasis, its Society is a collection of interacting individuals ecological emphasis, and its holistic sharing the same way of life and living in the same emphasis territory (Saluba et al., 2016). They have many diverse characteristics – customs, SOCIOLOGY religion, politics, economies, families, schools, etc. The study of human social relationships They are bound together by a sense of common and institutions. identity (Haviland et al., 2008). Subject matter is diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the Foundation of Society state, from the divisions of race and STATUS – status is a position in society. People social class to the shared beliefs of a usually behave in accordance with their statuses. common culture, and from social stability to ROLES – Every status has a right and obligation. radical change in whole societies. Every status carries a role, the expectation of what Society is like a theater, it has front stage individuals should do in accordance with their and back stage. particular status. GOALS OF SOCIOLOGY *A status is static; a role is dynamic, shaped by The purpose of sociology is to understand specific situations and persons. how human action and consciousness shape and are shaped by surrounding cultural and social structures. Types of Status it is also a research method. *two complementary reasons: direct exposure and Ascribed Status - Pertains to gender, reading about the practices and rituals of other race, and age; we are born male or female or cultures. into some racial group. Achieved Status - These are attained through our own actions. All other statuses XENOCENTRISM result from what we do. We earn them in ▪ refers to a preference for the foreign. some way. For example, being a student or ▪ belief that one’s products, styles, or ideas are being married. inferior to those originating elsewhere. CULTURE XENOPHOBIA dislike of or prejudice against people from other Culture is “the complex whole which encompasses countries beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, norms, artifacts, fear of losing identity, suspicion of other group’s symbols, knowledge and everything that a person activities, aggression, and the desire to eliminate the learns and shares as a member of society” (Tylor, presence of another group to secure a presumed 1920). purity. Three components that comprise culture go together: ideas, activities, and artifacts. Culture is shared, learned, and symbolic. POLITICS Kinds of Culture MATERIAL CULTURE – it is the physical Politics refers to the “theory, art and practice object that people create. Sociologists use the term of government.” artifacts to refer to the physical objects of material The government is a concrete example of a political culture. institution. Power is manifested in the acquisition of Ex.: clothing, books, buildings, utensils statuses and functions. NON-MATERIAL CULTURE – it is abstract Power is a status granted to individuals or human creations. institutions to properly run the government and Ex.: Ideas, beliefs, rules, family patterns implement the rule of the in a society. Aspects of Culture Symbols THREE BRANCHES OF THE GOVERNMENT Language Values EXECUTIVE – right to execute governance Norms and implement laws. Folkways Ex.: President, Vice President, and Cabinet Members Mores ▪ LEGISLATIVE – make and pass the law for Characteristics of Culture the executive power to implement. ▪ Culture is learned Ex.: Senators and Congressmen ▪ Culture is shared ▪ Culture is dynamic ▪ JUDICIARY – tasked to interpret laws in ▪ Culture is based on symbols accordance with a society’s standards and norms. ▪ Culture is integrated Ex.: Chief Justice and Associate Justice Checks and Balances ETHNOCENTRISM Separations of Power refers to the tendency of each society to place its 14 associate justices cultural patterns at the center of things. It is comparing other cultural practices with those of one’s own and automatically finding those other cultural practices to be inferior. Universal human reaction found in all known societies. CULTURAL RELATIVISM is the idea that all norms, beliefs, and values depend on their cultural context and should be treated as such. As an attitude, cultural relativism promotes a greater appreciation of the cultures one encounters.