UNDERSTANDING

CULTURE, SOCIETY
AND POLITICS
 Social change
• Refers to variations or modifications in the
patterns of social organization, of sub-groups
within the society, or of the entire society
itself. Examples of social change include the
industrial revolution, the abolition of slavery,
the civil rights movement and women's
suffrage movement.
 Three (3) Causes of Social Change
1. Invention- defined as a new use of existing
knowledge.
a. material inventions (e.g. mobile phone, airplane,
bow and arrow)
b. social inventions (alphabet, texting, jejemon)
2. Discovery- is an addition to the store of verified
knowledge.
3. Diffusion- spread of culture traits from one group to
another through trade, migration, and mass
communication
 Human Variation
• Human Variability or Human Variation is the
range of possible values for any measurable
characteristics, physical or mental, of human
being. Differences can be trivial or important,
transient or permanent
 Common Human Variations
1. Sexual Orientation- (asexual, bisexual,
heterosexual, homosexual, pansexual,
polysexual
2. Human genetic variation- Sex (male, female),
skin or eye coloring, complexion, hair color,
body hair.
3 Body shape and size- height (shortness,
dwarfism, tallness, gigantism), body type
(thinness, obesity).
 Cultural Variation
Cultural variations exist not only among
societies but also within societies. Among the
major sources of cultural variation within the
society are the unique cultural practices of
various subgroups.
A _ O_ _
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_A__T
_I__K__T
 SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL
BEHAVIOR AND PHENOMENA
• Every society has its own norms to follow. These
norms served as guides or models of behavior
which tells us what is proper or improper,
appropriate or inappropriate, right or wrong.
Example
• Saying "thank you“. It is expected that we express
appreciation for helpful, supportive, and kind
behaviors.
• chewing food with one's mouth closed
 When daily resistance of people against a social
norm or regulation breaks into a moral panic, it
turns into a form deviance. Moral panic are social
currents that mobilize the majority of the people
to condemn certain acts and groups that are
considered to be threats to social order. Deviant
acts are often the root cause of moral panics.
Deviance
Encompasses a variety of forms of human conduct
that have been defined or reacted to by the
members of society.
Two (2) types Deviance
Formal Deviance – includes actions that violated
the enacted laws such as robbery, theft, graft,
rape, and other forms of criminality.
Informal Deviance – refers to the violations to
social norms that are not codified into laws
such as pricking one’s nose, belching loudly, or
splitting on the streets, among others.
• Deviance is also seen as a form of power struggle.
• In most capitalist countries, laws usually tend to
favor interest of wealthy and powerful groups.
• In case of the Philippines, the existence of
political dynasties and monopolies and the
rampant electioneering activities during poles is
considered a manifestation of deviancy and a
blatant reflection of the power imbalance and
inequality in society (Cragun).
• Taboos related to food are also manifestations
of deviancy. Though these practices may be of
case to case basis since what one society may
viewed as deviant may not be true to others,
which perceived it as normative, traditional, or
desirable. In the same way cultural food and
cultural food habits vary cultural and religious
food prohibitions also differ to some extent
(Meyer-Rochow 2009)
• Hindus are prohibited to eat beef since cow is
considered sacred in India.
• Muslim and Jews abstain from eating pork, as pig
are considered “unclean”. These types of meat,
however, are widely consumed by members of
other cultures and religion.
• Drinking alcohol beverages are not allowed in many
religious faith and sectarian denominations. Blood
and alcohol, for instance, are taboo for Muslims.
• Other food taboos are more cultural than
religious.
• Among Western countries, for instance, the
consumption of a dog or cat meat is viewed as
deviant since these animals are commonly
kept as pets. A practice that is directly opposite
to some subgroups in Africa and Asia who
widely utilized these animals as food or food
offerings during rituals.
• Similarly, food taboos also vary for small animals
like rodents (rat and mice) and even insects,
which are perceived as pests and disease-carriers
in many Western cultures. However, these
creatures are common fare in many parts of Asia
and Africa. Insects are even popular staples in
Southeast Asia such as crickets in the Philippines,
black spiders in Cambodia, and black beetles and
cockroaches in Thailand (Cragun).
 Culture
• Sociologists suggest that culture has five defining
features:
• Culture is learned
• Culture is shared
• Culture is transmitted
• Culture is cumulative
• Culture is human
• These five defining features of culture are important in
understanding both the complexity of culture and how
groups maintain their uniqueness over time.
• Culture can be divided into two major
segments: material culture, which includes
tangible artefacts, physical objects, and items
found in a society; and non-material culture,
which includes a society’s intangible and
abstract components, such as values and
norms
 Five Components of Culture
• 1. Technology is one component that makes our life easier. We can have
volume production of goods that can be used by us through this
component.
• 2. Symbols are cultural representations of reality. They give meanings to
events and things like a statue, handshake, college ring, flag etc.
• 3. Language is the most powerful of all human symbols as it allows us to
communicate with one another. It also conveys our beliefs and culture.
• 4. Values are ideas. They determine our character. They are the standards
by which we assess goodness, acceptability, beauty or desirability.
• 5. The fifth component is norm. Norm is a rule that guides our behavior. It
gives concrete terms how we should behave – what we should do and
what we should not do.
 Classification of Norms :
• 1. Mores distinguish right from wrong.
• 2. Folkways distinguish between right and rude. They are referred as customs.
They are measurements of behavior but not approved by society.
• 3. Laws are written rules of conduct enacted and enforced by government.
• 4. Taboo is an activity that is forbidden or sacred based on religious beliefs or
morals. Breaking a taboo is extremely objectionable in society as a whole.
Around the world, an act may be taboo in one culture and not in another.
• Examples are:
• 1. Mores laws: child abuse, rape, carnapping, etc.
• 2. Folkway laws: jaywalking, counterflowing, etc.
• 3. Law: Driving while drunk, theft, murder, and trespassing are all examples of
laws. If violated, the person violating the law could get reprimanded, pay a
fine, or go to jail.
• 4. Taboos: abortion, addiction, cannibalism, offensive language, slavery, etc.
• Difference between Culture and Society
Society – consists of people who interact to
share a common culture.
• Culture – consists of beliefs, behaviors,
objects and other characteristics common to a
particular group or society.
• Values, Norms, Folkways, Mores, Laws, and Sanctions
• Values are beliefs about ideal goals and behaviours that serve as standards for social life
EX: Canadians viewed government-sponsored health care as on of the most important
defining features of their society
• Norms are culturally defined rules that outline appropriate behaviours
EX: A Canadian norm is our belief that it is rude to speak while your mouth is full
• Folkways are informal norms that suggest customary ways of behaving
EX: walking on the left side of a busy sidewalk
• Mores are norms that carry a strong sense of social importance and necessity
EX: extramarital affairs
• Laws are a type of norm that is formally defined and enacted in legislation
EX: In Canada, it is illegal to steal your neighbour’s lawnmower or to cheat on your taxes
• Sanction is a penalty for norm violation or a reward for norm adherence
EX: Getting an A on an test is a reward because you studied and answered all the
questions, getting and F on a test is a penalty because you never studied and only
answered 5 of the 25 questions
• Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
• Ethnocentrism – a tendency to view one’s own culture as superior to all others
• Cultural relativism – appreciation that all cultures have intrinsic worth and should be evaluated and
understood on their own terms
• Cultural shock – a feeling of disorientation, alienation, depression, and loneliness experienced when
entering a culture very different from one’s own
• Oberg listed a four-stage model to understand a person’s progression through feelings culture shock:
– Honeymoon
– Crisis
– Recovery
– Adjustment
• Oberg’s research demonstrates that although people need time to adjust to new cultural standards,
they will adjust
• Language and Culture
• All human beings communicate through symbols – a symbol is something that stands for or represents
something else
• A language is a shared symbol system of rules and meanings that governs the production and
interpretation of speech
 Political Identities
• Are political arguments that focus upon the interest and perspectives
of groups with which people identity. Identity politics includes the
ways in which people’s politics may be shape by aspects of their
identity through loosely corrected social organizations.
• Examples include social organizations base on race, class, religion,
gender, gender identity, ethnicity, ideology, nation, sexual
orientation, culture, information preference, history, musical, literary
preference, medical conditions, professions or hobbies.
• The term identity politics and movements linked to it came into being
during latter part of the 20th century. It cam be most notably found in
class movements, ethnic movements, gay, lesbian and bisexual
movements, disability movements, ethnic movements and post
colonial movements.
ACTIVITY 1
Directions: Identify the cultural elements of the
Philippines and the USA then select a partner and share
your answers with each other.
ACTIVITY 2
Directions: Complete the table by writing the significant
contributions of the specified administrations to the
different sectors of the country.
 EVALUATION

• Answer the following questions.

• 1. Explain social dynamics as social, political,
and cultural change.
• 2. How can we improve our awareness on the
social, cultural and political changes?
ASSIGNMENT

Write a short essay on what constitutes

our sociality as human beings?
 References
• https://www.reference.com/world-view/examples-social-
change-1fabeebed74b9037
• https://www.britannica.com/topic/social-change
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_politics
•
https://www.livescience.com/21478-what-is-culture-definitio
n-of-culture.html
. Retrieved on November 1
• http://www.cicb.net/en/home/examples. Retrieved on
November 1
• https://www.bing.com/search?q=religion+definition&qs=AS&
pq=religion&sk=AS1&sc=8-8&cvid=61B6FB81D858419683F79
FCFD731AAF2&FORM=QBRE&sp=2
• Origins of Culture and Its Defining Features
• No one can really determine when culture began, for two primary reasons. First, very little material evidence survives from thousands of years ago. Second, much of culture is
nonmaterial and so cannot be preserved for future consideration
• Sociologists suggest that culture has five defining features:
• Culture is learned
• Culture is shared
• Culture is transmitted
• Culture is cumulative
• Culture is human
• These five defining features of culture are important in understanding both the complexity of culture and how groups maintain their uniqueness over time
• Culture can be divided into two major segments: material culture, which includes tangible artefacts, physical objects, and items found in a society; and non-material culture, which
includes a society’s intangible and abstract components, such as values and norms
• Values, Norms, Folkways, Mores, Laws, and Sanctions
• Values are beliefs about ideal goals and behaviours that serve as standards for social life
EX: Canadians viewed government-sponsored health care as on of the most important defining features of their society
• Norms are culturally defined rules that outline appropriate behaviours
EX: A Canadian norm is our belief that it is rude to speak while your mouth is full
• Folkways are informal norms that suggest customary ways of behaving
EX: walking on the left side of a busy sidewalk
• Mores are norms that carry a strong sense of social importance and necessity
EX: extramarital affairs
• Laws are a type of norm that is formally defined and enacted in legislation
EX: In Canada, it is illegal to steal your neighbour’s lawnmower or to cheat on your taxes
• Sanction is a penalty for norm violation or a reward for norm adherence
EX: Getting an A on an test is a reward because you studied and answered all the questions, getting and F on a test is a penalty because you never studied and only answered 5 of the 25
questions
• Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
• Ethnocentrism – a tendency to view one’s own culture as superior to all others
• Cultural relativism – appreciation that all cultures have intrinsic worth and should be evaluated and understood on their own terms
• Cultural shock – a feeling of disorientation, alienation, depression, and loneliness experienced when entering a culture very different from one’s own
• Oberg listed a four-stage model to understand a person’s progression through feelings culture shock:
– Honeymoon
– Crisis
– Recovery
– Adjustment
• Oberg’s research demonstrates that although people need time to adjust to new cultural standards, they will adjust
• Language and Culture
• All human beings communicate through symbols – a symbol is something that stands for or represents something else
• A language is a shared symbol system of rules and meanings that governs the production and interpretation of speech
• Identity is often thought of as the expression of an individual's belief system and social affiliations. Various factors can construct an identity, including race,
nationality, where a person lives and a person's gender and sexuality. Political identity is almost always associated with a group affiliation and describes the
ways in which being a member of a particular group might express specific political opinions and attitudes.
• Partisan Politics
• Political identity frequently refers to a specific political party affiliation or partisan identity. For many voters, belonging to a political party is not simply a
voting decision. In the U.S., being a Democrat or a Republican is an important expression of a person's views on life; partisan affiliation signifies
membership in a group that defines a worldview and a core set of common values. As political parties benefit from political identity of this kind -- since it
makes for very loyal and reliable voters -- parties seek to cultivate partisan loyalty among their members.
• Race and Identity
• Political identity can also be shaped by race. For example, in the U.S., prior to the passage of the13th Amendment, race determined whether a human
being could legally be another's property. Until the dismantlement of legal segregation in the 1950s and ‘60s, race often determined whether citizens could
vote, with whom they could associate, where they went to school and other fundamental aspects of life. Moreover, between 1924 and 1965, race
determined who was and was not eligible to immigrate to the United States. Scholars such as Aziz Rana state that racial inequalities in housing,
employment, criminal justice and other areas continue to shape American life along politicized racial lines.
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• Class and Identity
• Another possible factor that shapes political identity can be economic class. Peoples’ interests, outlook and life prospects are frequently conditioned by
their economic circumstances. For instance, factory workers may be very different from one another in a variety of ways, yet they share a very basic set of
common experiences that comes from their shared condition as factory workers. As workers, they have in common a set of interests, hardships and goals.
The same is true of hedge fund managers, farm laborers, nurses, high school teachers and university professors. As the political theorist Adolph Reed
argues, membership in an economic class is an important form of political identity.
• Colonialism and Identity
• A fourth example of political identity occurred under colonialism. Many colonial societies operated by distinguishing the identities of “native subjects,” who
enjoyed fewer rights and liberties from European “settlers.” Sometimes this identity was race-based, such as in Belgian Rwanda. Often, as in British India
and French Algeria, colonists used their ideas of custom and culture as a basis for distinguishing “the native” as a kind of political identity and subject that
required European governance.
• Kokology Test
•
1.) Imagine there're horribly threatening monsters angrily rampaging the city, what do you think is the cause of them anger;
why the monsters are so furious?
a. They're hungry and looking for food
b. They're looking for their lost love
c. Just because they are ugly monsters with high temper
d. They're angry with this desperate world
2.) You are walking in the art gallery, you are relaxed and stop at one picture. You stop and stare at this picture for a long
time, amazed and fascinated. What kind of picture is that?
a. Self-portrait
b. Parody version of something
c. Abstract
d. Painting of nature
3.) If you have a magical eraser that can erase anything:
a. Erase yourself
b. Erase your lover
c. Erase the third party
4.) Again, you are in the art gallery, the same one as before. While you are looking at that picture, a guy standing next to
you is about to say something. What is that might be?
a.) "What a beautiful painting, you think?"
b.) "How do you like this painting?"
c.) "Excuse me; do you know what time is it now?"
d.) "You know, I'm the one who painted this picture"
5.) You are in 5 stars hotel room with a blue sky view. You fell asleep and take a nap for a couple hours. What do you expect
to see outside the window once you wake up?
a. Midday sun shines above the marine blue sea
b. Dark blue sea reflexes stars on the sky
c. Cold blue sea barely see in the mist
d. The sun is setting at the end of the line where sky and sea has met
---------------------------------------------------------------
• Now, it's time to check your answer:
1.) The question stands for the dark side of yourself and cause of pressure in your life
If you choose
a. You are on a diet and feel a bit suffer from it
b. Love is the main cause of the pressure in your life
c. You feel unsatisfied with your own appearance
d. You are pessimistic person
2.) The question stands for your attractiveness
If you choose
a. You are self-confidence
b. You are talkative and have a sense of humor
c. You are creative person
d. You are gentle and well-manner
3.) The question stands for how you handle the problem in your love life
If you choose
a. You always run away from the problem in your love life
b. You respect love and see it as a beautiful thing
c. You don't like to let the problem goes on and effect with your life. You love to solve it right away
4.) The question stands for the way you act when you met someone for the first time
If you choose
a. You are friendly and love to get to know and have new friends
b. You will consider carefully before get to know someone
c. You are independent and see no importance of getting to know new friends
d. You always get excited to know someone and try to make them impressed in you
5.) The question stands for what do you want from love
If you choose
a. You want a high-voltage love
b. You believe the importance of honesty between lovers
c. You want your lover to be your best friend
d. You are looking for a perfect love. Ideal and romantic
• So what constitutes us in a society?
• Well, human beings, simply that. Human beings create communities from
families, from communities we develop jobs or work so that we develop
skills. From there we teach each other these skills and start creating
hierarchy, every community needs a leader to help govern a community.
As the community develops into towns, then cities, then state, to
countries and nations. We then need a government or sovereign rule to
stabilize the growing population and ensure happiness amoung the
people. It’s the individuals, you, your family, father and mother, brother
and sister, aunt and uncle, grandparents, neighbors, friends, all contribute
something in our lives that helps shape our experience in life and our
community. Out of our society are traditions, culture, beliefs, worldviews,
philosophy, religion, and history. Now we could easily say that culture or
religion shapes our society but doesn’t constitute it.
SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL
BEHAVIOR AND PHENOMENA
SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL
BEHAVIOR AND PHENOMENA