UNDERSTANDING

CULTURE, SOCIETY AND

POLITICS
WITH MS. NERINETH MAE J. MAKINANO
•Course Title: Understanding
Culture, Society, and Politics
•Course Code: CS_UCSP
 COURSE
DESCRIPTION

This course uses insights from Anthropology, Political

Science, and Sociology to develop students’ awareness of
cultural, social, and political dynamics, and sensitivity to
cultural diversity, an understanding of how culture, human
agency, society, and politics work; and engage them in the
examination of the country’s current human development
goals.
• At the end of the course, students should acquire
ideas about human cultures, human agency, society,
and politics; recognize cultural relativism and social
inclusiveness to overcome prejudices; and develop
social and cultural competence to guide their
interactions with groups, communities, networks,
and institutions.
 1. Understanding Culture,
Society, and Politics

• Defining Culture, Society, and Politics

• Social Political, and Cultural Behavior and
Phenomena
• Social, Political, and Cultural Change
 2. Culture and Society

• Anthropological and Sociological Concepts

• Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
Cultural Forms
 3.Human Bio-Cultural
Social Evolution

• Biological and cultural evolution

• Cultural and Sociopolitical Evolution
• Early Civilization and the Rise of the State
• Democratization
 4. Individuals and
Society

• Enculturation and Socialization

• Understanding Conformity and Deviance
• How Society is Organized?
• Human Rights and Common Good
 5.1. Political and Economic
Institutions and Social and
Cultural Institutions

• Kinship, Marriage, and the Household

• Residency Patterns
• Political and Leadership Structures
 5.1. Political and Economic
Institutions and Social and Cultural
Institutions

• Educational Institutions • Economic Institutions

• Religion and Belief Systems • Social Desirables and Stratification
• Health Institutions • Social Mobility
• Mass Media • Social Inequality
 5.2. Stratification and its Impact to Social
Inequality:Cultural, Social, and Political
Change and Responses to Change

• Definition of Social, Cultural, and Political Change

• Social Contradictions and Tensions
• New Challenges to Human Adaptation and Social Change
• Responding to Social, Political, and Cultural Change
1.What Filipino culture do you
find interesting and valuable?
Explain.
2. How does culture shape
human behavior?
✓ What makes our country
different from the rest of the world
is the culture. In our modern
world, it is important to pay
attention to the interplay of
culture, politics, and society.
• These elements are essential in
understanding human behavior and social
groups against the backdrop of
globalization.
…which strengthens diverse attitudes by weakening the
relevance of ethnicity, locally, or nationhood as sources of
identification and industrialization which resulted in increased
standards and population.
DEFINE CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS.
• Defining Culture, Society, and Politics

1. Culture is defined as the custom beliefs,

social forms, and traits that define a specific
racial, religious, or social group.
• It is generally defined as the sum of an
individual's way of life, ranging from the
food he or she eats, the clothes he or she
wears, and the house where he or she lives.
It also includes both the material and
non-material things that he or she
possesses or acquires.

Material Things

Non-material
Things
Types of Culture:
1. Material Culture
includes all visible parts
These manifestations
and tangible objects. are always present in
2. Non-material Culture any given society.
has intangible objects
or the invisible parts.
 MATERIAL THINGS
NON-MATERIAL THINGS
• FOOD
• CLOTHING AND • IDEAS AND KNOWLEDGE
FASHION • BELIEFS AND TRADITIONS
• BUILDING AND • SYMBOLS AND
PROPERTIES LANGUAGE
• ARTS AND TECHNOLOGY • BEHAVIOR
• RELIGION
 Non-material things are the norms and
values as well as the intangible aspects of
his or her existence: music, dance, poetry,
and other forms of expressions that
showcase his or her creativity and artistry.
 Culture also includes fashion trends, manners
and taboos as well as scientific knowledge and
technology that manifest through tangible aspects, such
as architectural and engineering wonders, advancement in
medicine, and breakthroughs in transportation and
communication.
 Aside from culture, you are also encouraged to understand and appreciate
the importance of society and politics.

2. Society generally defined as an organized group

or groups of interdependent people who share a
common territory, language, and culture, and who act
together for collective survival and well-being.
• The term "society" often refers to a large
group of people in an ordered community,
in a country or several similar countries,
or the 'state of being with other people',
e.g. "they lived in medieval society."
KEY POINTS:

• The ways that people depend upon one

another can be seen in different social
features, such as their economics,
communication, and defense systems.
 KEY POINTS:
• They are also bound together by a general sense
of common identity and pride of place. In reality,
there can be no culture without a society and
so far, there are no known human societies
that do not exhibit culture (Haviland, et. al: 312).
 3. Politics refers to the “theory,
art, and practice of government.”
Politics
(from Ancient
Greek πολιτικά (politiká) 'affairs of
the cities') is the set of activities that
are associated with making
decisions in groups, or other forms
of power relations among
individuals, such as the distribution
of resources or status. The branch
of social science that studies politics
and government is referred to
as political science.
• Politics is the study of governing and how
political power is used. It’s also the process
of making decisions, influencing those
decisions, and making them.
• Politics is a way of making decisions about
how power is used in society.
1.Ensures that everyone in society is treated
fairly and equally.
2.Ensures that people can live their lives in
safety and security.
3.Provides for the common good.
4.Politics helps to create a better future.
KEY POINTS:
The political institution is a relatively stable
cluster of statuses, general norms, and role
behavior, which are involved in the acquisition
and exercise of power and decision-making in
society (Turner, 215).
Politics Is About Compromise

Compromise is an important part of politics and the way

our government works. Compromise is important because it
allows us to work together to find solutions that are fair for
everyone, even if we don’t agree with everyone.

And when we work together for the common good, we can

solve problems that would be impossible to solve alone.
KEY POINTS:
The institution that sets up the social
norms and values as to who will possess “the
monopoly of legitimate use of physical
force within a given territory,” how that
power is acquired and maintained, and how
that power is organized and exercised,
comprises the state (Weber: 216).
1.Culture
2.Society
3.Politics
4.Material culture
5.Non-material culture
KEY POINTS:

Just like cuisine and art all change from

one culture to the next, but so do gender
roles, economic systems, and social
hierarchy among any number of other
humanly organized behaviors.
Cultural variation
refers to the rich
diversity in social
practices that different
cultures exhibit around
the world. Each human
group experiences
different environmental
conditions.
1. Nationality – is the identity that is tied to
being part of a nation or country.
 It refers to a group of people who
share the same history, traditions, and
language and who inhabits a particular
territory delineated by political border
and controlled by a government.
But, can foreigners become
citizens of the Philippines?
• The answer is in the affirmative.
Foreign nationals can
be naturalized and eventually
become Filipino citizens.
Section 1, Article 4 of the 1987 Constitution enumerates
who are the citizens of the Philippines as follows:
1.Those who are citizens of the Philippines at the adoption
of this Constitution
2.Those whose fathers or mothers are citizens of the
Philippines
3.Those born before January 17, 1973, of Filipino mothers,
who elect Philippine citizenship upon reaching the age of
majority, and
4.Those who are naturalized in accordance with law.
2. Naturalization – is the
legal act or process by which
a non-citizen of a country
may acquire citizenship or
nationality of that country.
• Naturalization signifies the act of formally adopting
a foreigner into the political body of a nation by
clothing him or her with the privileges of a citizen.
• Under current and existing laws, there are three
ways by which an alien may become a citizen by
naturalization:
(a) administrative naturalization pursuant to RA No.
9139;
(b) judicial naturalization pursuant to C.A. No. 473, as
amended, and
(c) legislative naturalization in the form of a law
enacted by Congress bestowing Philippine citizenship
to an alien (Edison So v. Republic of the Philippines,
GR. No. 170603, January 29, 2007).
• Administrative naturalization is provided for under
Republic Act 9139, otherwise known as “The
Administrative Naturalization Law of 2000”. The
applicant must be a foreigner who was born,
who studied and has resided in the Philippines since
birth and must be at least 18 years old at the time of
filing the petition.
3. Ethnic Groups – refer to
human population whose
members identify with each
other, usually on the basis of a
presumed common genealogy or
ancestry.
4. Gender – refers to the
socially constructed roles,
behavior, activities, and attributes
that a given society considers
appropriateness for men and
women.
 Unlike sex, which refers to the
biological characteristics of human such
as male or female, gender categories are
more varied, accommodating identities
such as lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, queer, and others.
Social, Political, and
Cultural Behavior
and Phenomena
Social, Political, and Cultural Behavior
and Phenomena
Every society has its own norms to follow.
These norms serve as guides or models of
behavior which tell us what is proper or improper,
appropriate or inappropriate, right or wrong. They
set limits within which individuals may seek
alternative ways to achieve their goals.
Norms are often in the form of rules,
standards, or prescriptions that are strictly
followed by people who adhere on certain
conventions and perform specific roles.
 Norms serve as guide or models of behavior that influence how people
behave. In the Philippines, for example, children are expected to express their
respect to their elders through the act of pagmamano.
 Often, norms indicate a society's
standards of propriety, morality,
ethics, and legality. In the conduct of
social interaction, each person has
sets of expectations on how others
will respond and react accordingly.
 These expectations are commonly
known, understood, and agreed upon
by the group. They also apply to day-
to-day normal activities like routines
and daily chores although there are
some which are only applicable to
specific situations or occasions.
Descriptive norms: “what I think others
do”

Example: “I will get married by age 17

because all girls in my village marry
shortly after reaching puberty.”
 Injunctive norms: “what I think others
approve of”

Example: “I will perform FGM*on my daughter

because the elders in my community say that
FGM is part of our tradition and good parents
ensure their daughters are cut before they
reach puberty so that they can be married
according to our custom.
 Injunctive norms: “what I think others
approve of”

Injunctive norms, also known as normative

expectations, refer to people’s beliefs about what others
approve of or expect them to do. Injunctive norms will
influence behavior when people engage in a practice
because they believe that those who matter to them
expect them to do so, will reward them socially if they do,
and sanction them if they do not.
Outcome expectancies: “how I think people will respond to
my behaviour?”

Injunctive norms are associated with outcome

expectancies, which are a person’s beliefs or expectations
about how others will respond if they engage (or do not engage)
in a certain behaviour. Outcome expectancies can be positive
(rewards) or negative (sanctions).
Reward: “Once my daughter has
undergone FGM, I will be a respected
mother and member of the community.”
Sanction: “If my daughter has not undergone
FGM before she reaches puberty, I will be
considered an irresponsible mother by the
whole community.”
 Moral norms: “what I think is the right
thing to do”

Example: “Children should be children for as long

as they can. Marrying them before 18 is wrong
and I will not marry my daughter until she
becomes an adult.”
Moral norms: “what I think is the right
thing to do”

Moral norms influence behavior when an

individual chooses to engage in a practice
on the basis of what they believe is morally
correct.
KEY POINTS:

“Unlike injunctive norms, people choose

whether or not to follow a moral norm because
they believe it is the right thing to do, not
because they feel they are socially expected to
do so.”
KEY POINTS:

Moral norms are usually followed out of

a personal sense of moral duty, regardless of
the expectations of others. Sometimes
injunctive norms may oppose an individual’s
moral norm.
KEY POINTS:
In these cases, the balance between the
strength of the person’s moral norm (their belief
of what is the right thing to do), and the perceived
strength of the injunctive norm (how serious the
sanctions are for not conforming to the norm) will
determine whether the person chooses to follow
their moral norm or the injunctive norm.
KEY POINTS:
Although conformity to these expectations is
not totally absolute, since each member has a
choice in making, remaking, and unmaking of his
or her own culture. Most often than not, these
expectations relatively become sufficiently
regulative and make behavior in society quite
predictable.