AGUSAN NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL

SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

T. SANCHEZ ST. BUTUAN CITY

Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

CHAPTER I : THE SOCIAL SCIENCES AND THE THREE FACES OF THE SOCIAL

Social Science
– It is a branch of science that deals with human behavior in its social and cultural aspects.
– It aims at understanding all aspects of society as well as finding solutions to deal with social problems.
Discipline – a particular area of study.

Social Sciences
Sociology
Disciplines
Anthropology
Political Science Goal : To understand the Social

> Sociology – the study of social life, social change and

the social causes and consequences of
human behavior.
– it expands awareness and analysis of
social relationships, cultures that shape
our lives.

>Anthropology –a social science that is concerned with human culture

– it is the study of people throughout the world, their evolutionary history, how they behave,
adapt to different environments, communicate and socialize with one another.

>Political Science - it is the study of power: how it is created, exercised, justified, and challenged.
– is a social science which deals with systems of governance, and the analysis of political
activities, political thoughts, and political behavior.

Lesson 1: Understanding Culture, Society, And Politics: Some Key Observations

 Culture, society, and politics

- are concepts/ideas
- cannot be seen/ touched
- influences the way we see and experience our lives as social beings.

Culture - the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs of people at a particular time.
Society - people in the country having shared customs, laws, and organizations.
- It involves social, cultural, and political realities.

Social forces – a force that changes society in some way and influences society as a whole.
(e.g. sex, gender, religion, class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation)

 Our sociality is defined by the very categories that we possess, the categories assigned to us by society.
 These “labels” function as tags with which our society read our worth and value.
 These categories are socially constructed.
 Social Realities: Behavior and Phenomenon

 The five situations above show that human behavior, whether individual or collective, are propelled by
powerful motivators. These motivators are in the form of values and beliefs which are considered to be
behavior motivators.

Values – collective principles/ standards of behavior and are considered as judgment of what is important in life.
Belief – is something one accepts as true or real regardless of the lack of verifiable evidence.

Scenario 1: Selfies is a recent behavioral pattern due to infiltration of technology.

Scenario 2: Reflects the durability of certain cultural and political practices. Signs of Cultural
Scenario 3: Emerging pattern of family relations. and Political
Scenario 4: Personal expression of a political principle Changes
Scenario 5: Normal behavior pattern among the younger member of the society.
Lesson 2: The Social Sciences: Sociology, Anthropology, and Political Science

The Socials as “Driver of Interaction”

The study of society can be accomplished in 3 different ways:

(1) Mapping the social forces and its effect on social actors
(2) Rehearsing the structures and components of cultural practices and traditions
(3) Exposing the asymmetrical power distributions among members of social communities

Three disciplines of Social Sciences:

Sociology
- born in Europe during the Industrial Revolution
- highlights the external influences that facilitate human action
- focuses on social forces: (e.g. sex, gender, religion, class, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation)
- social forces are rules, norms, and expectations

 Social map – refers to a person’s specific economic and political location.

 August Comte (1798–1857) - Father of Sociology
 Emile Durkheim – introduces the concept of social fact (social phenomenon)
- he argued that the more socially integrated a person is—connected to society,
possessing a feeling of belongingness—the less likely he or she is to commit suicide.

Anthropology
- It is called the “child of colonization” because discoverers of new territories were always
accompanied by missionary documenters (i.e ethnographers)
- focuses on human diversity around the world
- looks into cross-cultural differences to promote understanding between groups
- highlights the role of cultural structures in organizing human relations
- seeks to uncover principles of behavior that apply to all humanities
- anthropologist look for “culture universal”
- “equal but different” principle

 Social inequality – occurs when resources in a given society are distributed unevenly
 Ethnography – can either be a research design where people are observed in their natural environment
 Diversity - is seen in bodily shapes, customs, clothing, speech, religion.

Forms of Diversity
 Cultural Diversity – means a range of different societies and people of different origins, religions, and
traditions all living and interacting together.
 Social Diversity – refers to the gaps between people as measured by the presence or absence of
certain socially desirable traits.

Political Science – systematic study of government and politics. It makes generalizations and analyses about
political systems and political behavior and uses these results to predict the future.

 Social Change – used to indicate the changes that take place in human interactions and interrelations.
 Social Activisim - consists of the the efforts to promote, inhibit, or (re)direct social, political, economic
or environmental issues with the desire to make improvements in society and correct social injustice.