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UCSP Chapter A - Starting point for the understanding of culture, society, and politics

The document explores the interplay between culture, society, and politics, focusing on the social and cultural backgrounds of individuals as social actors. It highlights the significance of understanding human variations, social differences, and political identities within a global context, emphasizing that these categories are socially constructed rather than natural. The document also outlines the fields of anthropology, sociology, and political science, discussing their relevance in examining social phenomena and the complexity of human existence.

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Lesson 1 Starting points for the Understanding of Culture, Society, and Politics
Starting points for the Understanding of Culture, Society, and Politics Topics: 1. Sharing of social and cultural backgrounds of students as acting subjects or social actors, agents, persons 2. Observations about social, political, and cultural behavior and phenomena 3. Observations on social, political, and cultural change 4. Definition of anthropology, political science, and sociology
Objectives: 1. Articulate observations on human cultural variation, social differences, social change, and political identities; 2. Demonstrate curiosity and an openness to explore the origins and dynamics of culture, society, and political identities; 3. Analyze social, political and cultural change.
What makes us human? What are our similarities and differences? How do our society, culture and politics shape our identities?
Sharing time: Your social and cultural backgrounds • Gender • Socio-economic class • Ethnicity • Religion • Exceptionality/non-exceptionality (rare) • Nationality
The categories that we possess as individuals are labels that are ascribed or given to us individually and collectively are a testament to the operation of these forces which leave us unsuspecting of their intrusive and punitive implications in our lives. Students as Social Beings
Our categories as male or female, rich or poor, tall or short, and even the problematic effect of the color of our skin are evidences of the operation of these social forces.
These “LABELS” function as tags with which our society read our worth and value. These categories that we possess are not natural, they are socially constructed.
Our world is already being organized by society. Boys and girls are assigned appropriate colors, toys, clothes, mannerisms, etiquette, careers to pursue, and choice of mate (husband/wife).
In short, our society has already been constructed for us.
Social Realities: Behavior and Phenomenon We personally encounter different ways of doing things, behaving, and making sense of events. Question: “What makes it normal and acceptable to some people in some placed and unacceptable to other places?”
Manifestations of Human Variations through Cultural Diversity, Social Differences, and Political Identities. The creation of the global society plus humans into one plots where almost everything is interlinked and where change in one aspect will affect the other. However, despite the emergence of the idea of “one global society,” there remain visible manifestations of human variations in society.
Cultural Diversity. Culture plays a major role in our day-to-day living. It refers to “that complex whole which encompasses beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of society
Social Differences. The society has various manifestations of social differences based on unique social characteristics or qualities like social class, gender, age, educational attainment, occupation, and the like. In sociology, social differences is usually equated with social stratification, this describes the relative social position of persons in a given social group, category, geographical region, or other social unit.
The Major Types of Social Stratification are: 1. Caste. Hereditary endogamous social group on which a person’s rank and his/her rights and obligations are ascribed or on the basis of his/her birth into a particular group. 2. Class. A person’s position is based upon achievement. 3. Estate. Gives emphasis to birth as well as wealth and possessions. 4. Slavery. Had economic basis wherein the master shows power over slave.
Political Identities. The world is visibly divided into different countries. Each country has its own political system to run its government. A government is the system by which a state or community is controlled so as to put order.
Significance of Studying Culture, Society, and Politics. Social Science is a very complex study. It is divided into different areas according to focus or subject. In this subject, a special focus on the interplay of Anthropology (culture), Sociology (society), and Political Science (political identities and government) will be given focus with the use of trans-disciplinary perspective to understand and explain social issues in the human society.
What is Sociology, Anthropology and Political Science?
Is the holistic “science of man”, a science of the totality of human existence. Anthropology The scientific study of humans and human behavior and societies in the past and present.
1. Physical Anthropology. Physical anthropology or sometimes called biological anthropology mainly concerns about how humans emerged and evolved through time. This is under the study of human paleontology. The second concern of physical anthropology is how human beings differ biologically. This is under the study of human variation. 2. Cultural Anthropology. Cultural anthropology is basically concerned with the differenced of cultures from time to time. Two broad fields of Anthropology:
A. Archeology. This studies past cultures through tangible or material remains. Archeologists help reconstruct the life and culture of the humans in the prehistoric time. B. Anthropological linguistics. This is the anthropological study of languages where experts explain the difference of languages by culture and how it is constructed. 3 main branches of Cultural Anthropology:
C. Ethnology. This is the study of recent or present cultures. These disciplines try to explain the difference of culture before and the recent through vigorous research, example: concept of beauty, marriage practices, etc. 3 main branches of Cultural Anthropology:
This is the study of relationships among people. It is the study of the society and the behavior of people in the society. Sociology. Is the study of society, patterns of social relationships, social interaction and culture of everyday life.
2 major approaches to examine human society: 1. Macro level perspective - Macrosociology examined the social structure, the social institutions, social organizations, and social groups. - Uses the structural functionalist perspective and the conflict perspective in examining the larger social structure. 2. Micro level perspective - Microsociology places more emphasis on the role of the individuals in society. - Uses the symbolic interactionist perspective to look into the interactions between or among individuals in society.
Deals with systems of government and the analysis of political activity and political behavior. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics which is commonly thought of as the determining of the distribution of power and resources. Political Science A branch of Social Science dealing with political institutions and with the principles and conduct of government.
Subfields of Political Science: 1. Comparative Politics It is a subfield which studies the politics within other nations. This subfield tries to compare theories on a specific nation to other nations. 2. International Relation It is a subfield which studies politics among nations. In this subfield conflict, diplomatic affairs, and international law is being studied.
Subfields of Political Science: 3. Political Theory It is a subfield which studies classical and modern politics. This subfield aims to discover what theory suits the characteristics of good politics. 4. Public Administration It is a subfield which studies bureaucracies on how it is functional and how to improve it by certain theories.
Subfields of Political Science: 5. Constitutional Law It is a subfield which studies how laws are made and being applied on a certain nation or state. Its major aims are to study legal systems. 6. Public Policy It is a subfield which studies the interface of politics and economic. It aims to create a plan to develop programs that would be sufficient and adequate to societies.
The Social Sciences and the Three Facets of the Social Society: a. Social – actions and interactions b. Cultural – practices and traditions c. and Political – power relations
SOCIOLOGY ANTHROPOLOGY POLITICAL SCIENCE Facets of the Social Cultural practices Social forces Power relations Merging point of the sociological, anthropological and political relations
SOCIOLOGY CONCENTRATES ON SOCIETY FOCUSES ON CULTURE ANTHROPOLOGY