Asian Institute of Computer Studies
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MODULE 1
Activities and Assessment ………………………………………28-29
Lesson 1: Defining Culture, Society, and
MODULE 5
Politics …………………………………………………....……………2-5
Lesson 2: Social, Political and Cultural
Phenomena …………………………….…………………....….…5
Lesson 3: Norms of Decency and
Conventionality ………………………………...………………5-6
Lesson 4: Conformity and Deviance ……………………6-7
Activities and Assessment …………………………………….8-10
Lesson 1: Microevolution and Macroevolution..….30-32
Lesson 2: Early human ……………..……………....……....……32
Lesson 3: Paleolithic period……………………………...……32
Lesson 4: Cultural and Sociopolitical evolution……33-34
Activities and Assessment.….……………………………………35-36
MODULE 6
MODULE 2
Lesson 1: Early Civilization ……………………......……....….38-43
Lesson 2: Rise of State ………...….…………………..…....……43-44
Lesson 3: Earliest form of Government.….…...……….44-45
Lesson 4: Democratization …………………….…......………45-47
Lesson 1: Defining Anthropology, Sociology
and Political Science ………………………………….………..…11-13
Lesson 2: Social. Political and Cultural
Change ………………………………………....……………………14-15
Activities and Assessment ……………………………………16-18
Activities and Assessment ………………………………………48-49
MODULE 7
MODULE 3
Lesson 1: Enculturation and Socialization..……....….50-52
Lesson 2: Understanding Conformity and
Lesson 1: Society and Culture …………………………………19-21
Lesson 2: Aspects of Culture …………………………………..21–22
Deviance …………………………...….…………………..…....……52-53
Lesson 3: Mechanism of Social Control.….…...………53-54
Lesson 4: Strain Theory ………………………….…......…...…55-56
Activities and Assessment ………………………………………57-58
1st Quarter Project …………………………………………………59
Activities and Assessment …………….…………..……...…23-24
MODULE 4
Lesson 1: Ethnocentrism and Cultural
Relativism……………………………………………………...….25-26
Lesson 2: Cultural form and Threats …..………...….26-27
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UNIT ONE
MODULE
1
Inclusive dates:
Defining Culture, Society and Politics
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
• Acknowledge human cultural variation, social differences, social
change, and political identities
• Adopt an open and critical attitude toward different social,
political, and cultural phenomena through observation and
reflection.
Overview:
Constant change
No matter what culture a people are a part of, one thing is for certain, it
will change. Culture appears to have become key in our interconnected world,
which is made up of so many ethnically diverse societies, but also riddled by
conflicts associated with religion, ethnicity, ethical beliefs, and, essentially, the
elements which make up culture, but culture is no longer fixed if it ever was. It is
essentially fluid and constantly in motion.
While change is inevitable, the past should also be respected and
preserved. The United Nations has created a group called The United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to identify cultural and
natural heritage and to conserve and protect it. Monuments, building, and sites
are covered by the group's protection, according to the international treaty, the
Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural
Heritage. This treaty was adopted by UNESCO in 1972.
How are culture, society, and politics related in everyday life? Each
person interacts meaningfully with one another as members of society. Culture
encompasses the meaningful processes and products of these social interactions.
People, likewise interact in society as individuals and as groups with duties and
privileges. In the exercise of duties and privileges, a person as a member of
society engages in political activities.
Let us define Culture, Society and Politics
What is Culture?
Culture encompasses religion, food, what we wear, how we wear it, our language,
marriage, music, what we believe is right or wrong, how we sit at the table, how
we greet visitors, how we behave with loved ones, and a million other things. It
also includes both material and non-material he/she possess or acquires.
- Non-material
Are the norms and values as well as the intangible aspects of
his/her experience; music, dance, poetry, and other form of
expressions that showcase his/her creativity and artistry.
- Material
Tangible aspects such as architectural and engineering wonders,
advancement in medicine and breakthroughs in transportation
and communication.
What is Society?
Society came from French société, from Latin societas, from socius ‘companion’
Mid-16th century which means in the sense of companionship or friendly
association with others. According to sociologists, a society is a group of people
with common territory, interaction, and culture who act together for collective
survival and well-being. The ways that people depend upon one another can be
seen in different social feature, such as their economic, communication and
defense system. They are also bound together by a general sense of common
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identity and pride of place. There can be no culture without a society and so far,
there are no known societies that do not exhibit culture. Social groups consist of
two or more people who interact and identify with one another.
Territory: Most countries have formal boundaries and territory
that the world recognizes as theirs. However, a society’s boundaries do
not have to be geopolitical borders, such as the one between the United
States and Canada. Instead, members of a society, as well as nonmembers,
must recognize land as belonging to that society.
Interaction: Members of a society must meet one another. If a
group of people within a country has no regular contact with another
group, those groups cannot be considered part of the same society.
Geographic distance and language barriers can separate societies within a
country.
give and take. They would contribute very little to one another. A society based
exclusively on likeness or uniformity is bound to lose in socialites. Life would be
boring, monotonous, and uninteresting if differences are not present.
4. Interdependence:
Society implies interdependence. It is another essential element to
constitute society. It is not possible for human being to satisfy his desire in
isolation. He cannot live alone. He needs the help of others for his survival.
Society fulfills all the needs of the people. For example, the institution of family
rests on the biological interdependence of sexes. None of the two sexes is
complete by itself and, therefore, each seeks fulfillment by the aid of the other.
This fact of interdependence is very much visible in the present-day society.
Today not only countries but also continents depend upon one another. Likewise,
communities, social groups and nations are also interdependent.
Society possesses the following elements:
1. Likeness:
Likeness is mutuality. Comradeship, intimacy, association of any kind or
degree would be impossible without some understanding of each by the other,
and that understanding depends on the likeness which each apprehends in the
other. ‘Likeness is the one element which must have strongly stimulated the
group feelings in bringing men, women and children together.
5. Cooperation:
Cooperation is also another essential element to constitute society.
Without cooperation, no society can exist. If the members of the society do not
work together for the common purposes, they cannot lead a happy and
comfortable life.
6. Conflict:
Conflict is an ever-present phenomenon present in every human society.
Not only cooperation, but also conflict in necessary for the formation of society.
They must coexist in a healthy society. Conflict is a process of struggle through
which all things have come into existence. Harmony and disharmony, cooperation
and conflict are needed for the society’s growth.
2. The Reciprocal Awareness:
Likeness is generative of reciprocity. Once some are aware of the mutual
likeness, they, certainly differentiate against those who are not like them.
Consciousness of this kind alone could make sense of likeness. All social action is
based on reciprocal response. This alone, makes possible, the we-feeling.
What is Politics?
3. Differences:
Sense of likeness in not always sufficient. No two individuals are alike in
their nature. They differ from each other in respect of their interests, capacities,
abilities, and tendencies etc. These differences do not imply mutual conflict;
instead; by it, the organization of society is further strengthened. Society to run
smoothly there must be some differences. If people were exactly alike their social
relationship would be very much limited. There would be little reciprocity, little
The word politics comes from the Greek word politiká (Πολιτικά), which means
'affairs of the cities'. Politics, in its broadest sense, is the activity through which
people make, preserve, and amend the general rules under which they live.
Politics is the way that people living in groups make decisions. Politics is about
making agreements between people so that they can live together in groups such
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as tribes, cities, or countries. In large groups, such as countries, some people may
spend a lot of their time making such agreements. These people are called
politicians. Politicians, and sometimes other people, may get together to form a
government.
Government is a concrete example of political institution. It exercises
power especially in relation to governance and decision-making. One of the ways
the government leads the group is by making laws and rules which tell everybody
what they can and cannot do. The government makes these laws so that society
will be safe and well-ordered. The law that "you must not drink alcohol while
driving a car" stops people from drunk driving, which could kill people. The law
"you must wear a helmet on a motorcycle" makes sure that people protect
themselves. They can also control people and what happens in a country in other
ways besides making laws. For example, how the government spends its money
makes a big difference in what people will do or what will happen to people. If
the government spends a lot of money on hospitals and nurses, the people will
probably become healthier.
Gender
Socially constructed characteristics of being a male or female. It can refer to the
role of a male or female in society, known as a gender role, or an individual’s
concept of themselves, or gender identity. In general terms, “sex” refers to the
biological differences between males and females, such as the genitalia and
genetic differences. External manifestations of gender, expressed through one’s
name, pronouns, clothing, haircut, behavior, voice, or body characteristics.
Society identifies these cues as masculine and feminine, although what is
considered masculine and feminine changes over time and varies by culture.
Socio economic status
Refers to category of persons who have more or less same socioeconomic
privileges in a society. These privileges are due to inherited wealth and/or the
occupational, status of the breadwinner in the household
Types of social class
Upper Class: elite families that are considered as most productive in
terms of resource generation and oftentimes very successful in their respective
fields of interest.
Two types of elites
•
Traditional Upper class: acquired their wealth through inheritance.
•
New Rich: The Rags-to-riches turns of fortune.
Middle Class: Composed of small business and industry operators mostly
owners and managers, professionals. office workers, and farm owners with
income sufficient enough to provide a comfortable and decent living. OFWs, who
contribute greatly to the remittance economy, are also included in the category.
Lower Class: Unemployed, underemployed, Farm employees. Skilled and
unskilled artisans, service workers or those who belong indigent families or
informal sectors fall on this category. Comparatively speaking, this group is the
largest in terms of number and relatively earns their living through subsistence.
Subsistence lifestyle is manifested through the following condition:
1. Family could hardly eat three decent meals a day.
2. Daily income of the breadwinner could hardly feed the entire family.
3. Breadwinner does not have a permanent job.
Power, as defined in democratic principles, is a status granted to
individuals or institutions to properly run the government and implement the rule
of the law in a society. It is also the ability to achieve a desired outcome,
sometimes seen as the ‘power to’ do something. This includes everything from
the ability to keep oneself alive to the ability of government to promote
economic growth. In politics, however, power is usually thought of as a
relationship; that is, as the ability to influence the behavior of others in a manner
not of their choosing.
Civil society originally meant a ‘political community’. The term is now
more commonly distinguished from the state and is used to describe institutions
that are ‘private’, in that they are independent from government and organized
by individuals in pursuit of their own ends.
Culture, Society, and Politics are essential in understanding human
behavior and social groups. They are interrelated and to some extent reflective of
each other. Interrelatedness can be understood using your own experience.
Below are Information about yourself: your gender, socioeconomic status,
ethnicity, religion, exceptionality, and nationality.
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Ethnicity
Expression of set of cultural ideas held by a distinct ethnic or indigenous
group. This refers to people who collectively and publicly identify themselves as
distinct and unique based on distinguishable cultural features that set them apart
from others such as language, shared ancestry, common origin, customs, and
tradition.
inappropriate, right or wrong. They set limits within individuals may seek
alternative ways to achieve their goals.
Norms are often in the forms of rules, standards, or prescription that are
strictly followed by people who adhere on certain conventions and perform
specific roles. Often, norms indicate a society’s standards of propriety, morality,
ethics, and legality. In the conduct of social interaction, each person has sets of
expectation on how others will respond and react accordingly. These expectations
are commonly known, understood, and agreed upon by the group. Although
conformity to these expectations is not totally absolute, since each member has a
choice in the making, remaking, and unmaking of his or her own culture. Most
often, these expectations relatively become sufficiently regulative and make
behavior in society quite predictable. These expectations comprise what society
regards as the range of the ideal and tolerable (or normal) behavior as opposed to
the range of deviant (or abnormal) behavior that serves as the watershed of
social norms of society.
Religion
Religion is a social-cultural system of designated behaviors and practices,
morals, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or organizations
that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, or spiritual elements.
Exceptionality
Refers to the state of being intellectually gifted and/or having physically
or mentally challenged conditions.
The categories of exceptionality are:
1. Behavior
2. Communication including Autism, Deaf and Hard of Hearing,
3.Language Impairment and Learning Disability
4.Intellectual including Giftedness, Mild Intellectual Disability and
Developmental Disability
5. Physical including Physical Disability and Blind and Low Vision
6. Multiple including Multiple Exceptionalities
Norms of decency and conventionality
Norm of appropriateness and norm of conventionality are the most
adhered norms in society. Norm of appropriateness or decency is commonly
exhibited on the type of clothing a person wears in a specific occasion. This norm
also includes the manners and behaviors that show a person’s refinement and
civility (for instance, how to treat guests accordingly).
In some society, norm of decency also includes the use of appropriate
words and gestures that convey politeness and courtesy. For example, In the
Philippines “pagmamano” and the use of “po” or “opo” is a sign of respect for the
elders, Asian countries value proximity as a sign of intimacy and friendliness
which opposes to Western countries , for them it is improper for a person to be
too close or near a guest when having a conversation.
Norms of conventionality are beliefs and practices that are acceptable to
certain cultures but can be inimical to other cultures. For example, Bagobo
inhabitants of Davao bury their dead within their neighborhood and the T’boli of
South Cotabato hangs corpses of dead infants on trees. While traditional burial
practices like these preserve indigenous culture, they are not approved by other
Nationality
A legal relationship that binds a person and a country. It allows the state
to protect and have jurisdiction over a person. For a people who are legally born
of Filipino parent/s and those naturalized in the country after fulfilling the
requirements of residence are granted the nationality of Filipino citizens or
naturalized Filipino.
Social, Political, and Cultural behavior and Phenomena
Every society has its own norms to follow. These norms serve as guide or
models of behavior which tell us what is proper or improper, appropriate, or
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societies, especially lowland communities that value sanitation and fear the
spread of virulent diseases.
Moreover, respect for one’s religious belief are given paramount
considerations, especially those beliefs that deal with dietary restriction. As such,
Muslim believers are prohibited to eat pork; Hindus are not allowed to eat beef;
Jewish practitioners are only allowed kosher food.
Individuals or groups can shape the norms and values of their society
through the concrete application of their beliefs, norms, and values in their
everyday lives. Through the process of experimenting and appropriating these
norms and values, whether as sets of laws or rules or guiding principles that
regulate actions or as social mechanisms that warrant approval or recognition in
the community.
Informal – refers to the violations to social norms that are not
codified into laws, such as pricking one’s nose, belching loudly, and
spitting on the streets.
Deviance is also seen as a form of power struggle. Determining what is
deviant and what is not is closely tied with the existing power structures of a
society In most capitalist countries, laws often tend to favor the interest of
wealthy and powerful groups. In the Philippines, the existence of political
dynasties and monopolies and the rampant electioneering activities during polls
are considered as manifestation of deviancy and a blatant reflection of the power
imbalance and inequality in Philippine society Rampant political dynasty building
is a tactic of “self-preservation and expansion,” a means of preserving the
political powers of one’s self and family.
Conformity and Deviance
Taboo
Every society has a form of social control, a set of means that ensure
people behave in expected and approved ways. All norms, whether codified or
not, are supported by sanctions: rewards for conformity and punishments for
non-conformity. Nevertheless, most type of social control is not exercised
through the direct influence of other people. Thus, growing up in a society entails
the internalization of norms - the unconscious process of including conformity to
the norms of one’s culture and as part of one’s personality, so that an individual
often follows social expectations automatically and without question. Conformity,
therefore, defined as the state of having internalized norms as part of the social
expectation.
Despite the tendency of social control to enforce conformity as a potent
mechanism in the socialization process, there are forms of behavior that are
relatively or distinctly set away from a norm. This form of behavior can be
referred to as deviant behavior or non-conformity. Deviant and non-conformist
behavioral patterns can be tolerated, approved, or disapproved depending on
societal views.
Deviant is divided into two parts
Formal – includes actions that violate enacted laws, such as
robbery, theft, graft, rape, and other forms of criminality.
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,
hence, it is considered as a manifestation of deviancy. Around the world, an act
may be taboo in one culture and not in another. For example, when it comes to
food. Hindus are prohibited to eat beef since cows are considered sacred in Indi.
Muslims and Jews abstain from eating pork, as pigs are considered unclean.
Drinking alcoholic beverages are not allowed in many religious faith and sectarian
denomination. Among Western countries, dog or cat meat is considered deviant
since these animals are commonly kept as pets and small animals like rodents and
insects are perceived as pests and disease carriers, especially rats because they
are associated to the black death (bubonic plague). However, Africa and Asia
widely utilize these animals as foods or food offering, insects are common fare in
many parts of Asia such as crickets in the Philippines, spiders in Cambodia and
black beetles and cockroaches in Thailand.
Here are some other examples of Taboos:
• Abortion - terminating a pregnancy
• Bestiality or Zoophilia - sexual relations between a human and an
animal
• Bigotry - speaking negatively about someone of another race
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• Blood products - Jehovah Witnesses are forbidden to use blood
products, including blood transfusions
• Cannibalism - a human being eating the flesh of another human being
• Head position - in Indonesia, it is taboo to have your head higher than
an elder person
• Illegal drugs - using or abusing illegal drugs
• Incest - sexual relations between relatives. Different cultures have
different definitions of how close a relative would be considered
taboo.
• Offensive language - obscenity or vulgarity
• Pornography - showing body parts for sexual excitement
These behaviors, regardless to conform or deviate from the traditional norms of
society may contribute to the changes in various aspects of society.
Reference links
MestroAbayan (2012) Pagmamano image retrieved from
https://images.app.goo.gl/chLbNRc8HvNCmfCt5
De Rossi C., Zimmerman K.A. (2017) - Culture retrieved from
https://www.livescience.com/
Barnes and noble – Society retrieved from
https://www.sparknotes.com/sociology/society-and-culture
Mondal P., - Elements of society retrieved from https://www.yourarticlelibrary.co
Examples of Taboos retrieved from https://examples.yourdictionary.com/
Santarita J., Madrid R. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics. 1253 G. Araneta
Avenue, Quezon city, Vibal Group, Inc.
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Important Reminders
•
•
Tear this activity sheet and submit on the scheduled date
along with the other activity (ies) the instructor may have asked the
students to do on a separate paper.
If you are sending something you’ve done online such as MS presentation (s),
pictures, pdfs and alike as an attachment, then you may send them to my email at
____________________________________________ following this format:
(SECTION_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_ACTIVITYNAME (e.g. IC1MA_DELA CRUZ_JUAN
PEDRO_SELF-CONCEPT INVENTORY), or send a digital copy from your flash drive
together with this activity sheet.
Society
Person
ACTIVITY 1:
Trace the relationship
Culture
Each person interacts meaningfully with one another as a member of society. Culture
encompasses the meaningful processes and products of these social interactions. People
interact in society as individuals and as groups with duties and privileges. In the exercise
of duties and privileges, a person as a member of society engages in political activities.
Use the diagram to show how a person experiences culture, society, and politics in your
everyday life. You can use the back of this paper or another set of paper. Your output will
be graded based on this rubric:
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
4 – Good
3 – Adequate
2 – Marginal
Criteria
Politics
1 – No credit /
Process Question
5
4
3
2
How are culture, society, and politics interrelated with one another?
1
Relationship – connections demonstrate correct relationships
between the given terms.
Information – Accuracy of given information
Organization - Different relationships are identified and
organized.
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SOCIETY
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
ACTIVITY 2:
Society, Culture and Politics
Using the picture below identify the concepts that you can associate with culture, society,
and politics. Write your answers on the space provided. You can also use another set of
paper.
Culture
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Politics
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________
Process Question.
From your answers, Give your own definition of Society, Culture and Politics.
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MODULE 1:
Assessment (1 point each) (15 points)
Identification: Identify the following terms being asked and write your answer on the
space provided.
____________________ 11. Social class composed of people who hold the highest social
status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest
political power.
____________________1. An implicit prohibition on something based on a cultural sense
that it is excessively repulsive or, perhaps, too sacred for ordinary people.
____________________12. An action or behavior that violates social norms, including a
formally enacted rule.
____________________2. Set of activities that are associated with making decisions in
groups, or other forms of power relations between individuals, such as the distribution of
resources or status.
____________________13. A social-cultural system of designated behaviors and
practices, morals, worldviews, texts, sanctified places, prophecies, ethics, or
organizations, that relates humanity to supernatural, transcendental, or spiritual
elements
____________________3. Folkways; beliefs or practices that are acceptable to certain
culture/s but can be inimical to others.
____________________14. The identity that is considered with reference to social and
cultural differences rather than biological ones.
____________________4. Type of social influence involving a change in belief or behavior
in order to fit in with a group.
____________________15. Group of people that have the power to rule in a territory,
according to the law. This territory may be a country, a state or province within a country,
or a region.
____________________ 5. Category of people who identify with each other, usually on
the basis of presumed similarities such as a common language, ancestry, history, society,
culture, nation, religion, race or social treatment within their residing area.
____________________6. Manners and behavior that show a person's refinement &
civility.
____________________7. The Social group between the upper and working classes,
including professional and business workers and their families.
____________________8. Term used to describe those whose wealth has been acquired
within their own generation, rather than by familial inheritance.
____________________ 9. The characteristics of a particular group of people, defined by
everything from language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and clothing.
____________________ 10. Group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction,
or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory.
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UNIT ONE
MODULE
2
Inclusive dates:
Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
• Acknowledge human cultural variation, social differences, social
change, and political identities.
• Appreciate the value of Anthropology, Sociology, and Political
Science as social science disciplines.
Overview:
the various facets of human life that explains sociocultural and political practices
of societies around the world across time and spaces. Understanding these
relationship means making sense of the unique situation and linkages that people
establish within and between societies.
A broad swath of people around the world relate with each other in
different ways but a closer examination of these differences also reveal how
people are alike in terms of their biological features and what they do as they
interact with each other. The difference and similarities by which people live, act,
and interact show the numerous aspects of human existence. In the discipline of
anthropology, these diverse but familiar manifestations of humanity are referred
to as culture. For anthropologists, culture is the reference point by which people
organize themselves and make sense of themselves as members of their own
society. For that matter, anthropology regards culture as the “acquired cognitive
and symbolic aspects of human existence, whereas society refers to the social
organization of human life, patterns of interaction and power relationships”
(Eriksen 2001: 4). Analyzing how people culturally differ and what they share
deepens our knowledge of humans as biological and social beings. Being human
and becoming human is to be a social person shaped by culture but tempered or
enabled by their own bodily anatomy. The anthropological discipline offers a
detailed study of human engagements that include family life, child raising,
beliefs and religion, politics, material productions and innovations, laws,
economic life and therelationship between menand women indifferent social
settings and time periods. In a sense, anthropology ask big questions about the
human condition but draws answers from the study of the particular experiences
of people living under different circumstances, be these in a small village deep in
the jungles, a farming settlement, a bustling metropolitan city or a string of
communities across different countries. By looking at the general and aspects of
human social life, anthropology provides explanation of the interrelationship of
What is Anthropology?
The etymology or origin of the term anthropology can be traced back to
two Greek words, ‘anthropos’ and ‘logos. When translated into English,
‘anthropos’ means ‘human’ while ‘logos’ refers to ‘knowledge’ (Eriksen 2001: 2).
In this sense, anthropology can be understood as the ‘knowledge about humans’
(Ibid.). The subject of anthropological study is humanity but unlike other
disciplines in the human sciences, anthropology studies the diversity and
similarity of the way a person live and make connections as social and cultural
beings. Anthropology as a discipline compares cultural and social life primarily
through participant observation, a research method that entails lengthy fieldwork
or immersion in a specific social setting. Through participant observation,
anthropologists’ study the various aspect of society and then compare how that
society differ and reflect other societies. For example, an anthropologist who
studies the sea faring communities of Sama Dilaut in the Sulu Archipelago would
find ways of comparing them to the broader Bajao seafaring cultures across
Southeast Asia or elsewhere in the world. By doing these comparative studies,
anthropology as an academic discipline provides a more grounded, insightful, and
deeper understanding of our common humanity.
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Anthropologist work within the four fields of the discipline. While physical
Anthropologists focus on humans as biological organisms, Cultural
Anthropologists investigate the contrasting ways group of people think, feel and
behave, Biological Anthropologist, mostly archaeologist, try to recover
information about human cultures (often from the past) by studying material
samples, skeletal remains and settlements, Linguist study the nature and nuances
of languages (communication system by which cultures are maintained and
passed on to succeeding generation.
in the provinces, cities, and localities outside the capital. The devolution of power
to the provinces is sanctioned by the local government code of 1991.
Central power is divided into three branches of government: executive,
legislative and Judiciary. The executive branch, which includes the president, vice
president, and cabinet secretaries, serves as the implementer of the laws while
the legislative branch (Senate and House representatives) make and codify the
laws. The Judicial branch interprets the law.
Meanwhile, the local power, which covers the governors of the provinces,
mayors of cities and municipalities, and barangay captains of villages, serves as
implementers of the programs of the government to their respective constituents
What is Sociology?
Sociology is the study of society, a social science involving the study of the social
lives of people, groups, and societies. the study of our behavior as social beings,
covering everything from the analysis of short contacts between anonymous
individuals on the street to the study of global social processes. Sociology's
purpose of understanding how human action and consciousness both shape and
are shaped by surrounding cultural and social structures.It seeks to discover the
general principles underlying all social phenomena and social relationship and to
establish laws of change and growth in social changes. For an instance, many
consider suicide as a personal choice, but sociologist looks differently by
examining the various impersonal social forces at work in such a destructive act.
In short, the discipline tries to provide a vivid awareness of the relationship
between private experience and the wider society.
What is Political Science?
Political science is the body of knowledge relating to the study of the
state and government. It primarily focuses on the “power” that plays a crucial
part in the struggle in which the individuals and their groups may be found
involved according to their capability and degree of interest at all levels – local,
regional, national and international.
In the Philippine setting, for an instance, political power is divided into
two: central power and local power. Central power is focused on the national
government based in Manila; while local power is centered on local governments
https://images.app.goo.gl/JbEUH3owC2fdtxM29
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
https://images.app.goo.gl/JbEUH3owC2fdtxM29
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
Social, Political and Cultural Change
There are three causes of social change
I. Invention
New combination or a new use of existing knowledge. It produces
mechanical objects, ideas, and social patterns that reshape society to varying
degrees. It can be classified into material inventions (Bow and arrow, Mobile
phone, airplane) and social inventions (alphabet, texting, jejemon).
Change is generally pervasive and takes place in culture, society and
politics. Changes in culture bring change in society and human beings; likewise,
changes in society and human beings bring change in culture and politics
(Panopio: 263). These changes are even overlapping and interdependent in
contemporary times due to factors affecting social mobility such as:
Migration - movement of people from one place to another with the
intentions of settling, permanently or temporarily, at a new location
Urbanization - process by which rural communities grow to form
cities, or urban centers, and, by extension, the growth and expansion of those
cities.
Transnationalism - The concept of transnationalism suggests a
weakening of the control a nation-state has over its borders, inhabitants, and
territory. Increased immigration to developed countries in response to global
economic development has resulted in multicultural societies where
immigrants are more likely to maintain contact with their culture of origin
and less likely to absorb into the system
Globalization - the interconnectedness of people and businesses
across the world that eventually leads to global cultural, political, and
economic integration. It is the ability to move and communicate easily with
others all over the world in order to conduct business internationally
II. Discovery
Takes place when people recognized existing elements of the
world they had noticed before or learned to see in a new way. Oftentimes,
discovery contributes to the emergence of a new paradigm or perspective, and
even reshapes and reinvents worldviews.
III. Diffusion
Refers to the spread of culture traits from one group to another.
It creates changes as cultural elements spread from one society to another
through trade, migration, and mass communication. Culture spread through the
process of
a. Enculturation – One culture spread to another through learning.
b. Socialization – Learning through constant exposure and experience to
culture, which ultimately imbibes the latter to the system of values,
beliefs, and practices of an individual or groups.
c. Association – Establishing connection with the culture thereby
bridging areas of convergence and cultural symbiosis.
d. Integration – Total assimilation of culture as manifested by change of
worldviews, attitudes, behavior, and perspectives of looking things.
Let us define each type of change either social, political, or cultural aspects.
Social Change
- Refers to the variation or modification in the patterns of social
organization, of subgroups within a society, or the entire society itself.
This may be manifested in the rise or fall of groups, community or
institutional structures and functions or changes in the statuses and roles
of members in the family. Work setting, church, government, school, and
other sub-systems of the social organization (Panopio: 364)
Political Change
This includes all categories of change in the direction of open,
participatory, and accountable politics. It is the change that occurs in the realm of
civil and political societies and in the structure of relations among civil society,
political society, and the state (Alagappa: 10). Youth awareness and active
participation during elections belong to this type of change. The emergence of
civil society groups as “pressure groups” during crises in Philippine politics, such
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
as the Chief Justice Corona impeachment trial is also a concrete example on how
political change works.
to transport sector but even the prices of basic commodities and
rates of public utilities, such as electricity and water.
Cultural Change
Refers to all alteration affecting new traits or trait complexes and changes
in a culture’s content and structure. These changes are caused by several factors,
such as:
a. Physical environment - Earthquakes, repeated flooding, severe
droughts, and other interruption in the physical environment
drastically alter people’s lifestyles. Disasters like these damage
properties and even claim human lives. People who are displaced by
disasters may have a different way of coping with their new
environment, such as new dietary preferences or consumption (from
lowland to upland and vice versa) as determined by available food
supply in their new neighborhood. Significantly, frequent exposures
to natural calamities make people develop a sense of resiliency, new
perspectives, and coping mechanisms in confronting the changes
caused by nature. For example, those affected by typhoon Yolanda in
Leyte are resettled in safe, elevated areas, which can be far away
from their previous residence. As such, they may need to adjust to
their new environment.
e. Technology – The impact of science and technology on social
institutions like family, school, church, and state is a major stimulus
for change. For example, the invention of computer and internet
access generated software applications like Facebook radically
transformed worldwide interaction even in remote Filipino
barangays, public information can now spread like wildfire,
contributing to rapid diffusion of knowledge and ideas to all corners
of globe; thus providing mass awareness with just a single facility.
b. Population - brought by migration and transnational origins-whether
due to dislocation, deterritorialization or urban explosion - as well as
an increase or decline in population also perpetuate change.
Reference links
Psychologypedia, what is anthropology? Above image is retrieved from:
https://images.app.goo.gl/UvkQsJgEVbeXtyNL9
c. War and conquest – constant fighting for territorial sovereignty and
even recognition of one’s political determination or identity. Wars
significantly reduce population size, provide conditions for war
industry (weapon production) to flourish, and enable the victors to
lord over conquered territories and have the subjugated ones under
its control.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Philippine_government.png
d. Random events – Acts of man that can lead to change. For example,
the oil price hike that bring domino effect in public services not only
Santarita J., Madrid R. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics. 1253 G. Araneta
Avenue, Quezon city, Vibal Group, Inc.
www.ancient .eu>urbanization
en.wikipedia.org>migration
https://www.britannica.com/topic/transnationalism
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
Important Reminders
•
•
Tear this activity sheet and submit on the scheduled date
along with the other activity (ies) the instructor may have asked the
students to do on a separate paper.
If you are sending something you’ve done online such as MS presentation (s),
pictures, pdfs and alike as an attachment, then you may send them to my email at
____________________________________________ following this format:
(SECTION_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_ACTIVITYNAME ) or send a digital copy from
your flash drive together with this activity sheet.
ACTIVITY 1:
Anthropology, Culture and Society
On a separate short bond paper, discuss the diagram below by defining and giving
examples to the terms related to anthropology. Your output will be graded based on this
rubric:
5 – Excellent
4 – Good
credit / unacceptable
3 – Adequate
Criteria
2 – Marginal
5
4
1
3
–
2
No
1
Relationship – connections demonstrate correct relationships
between the given terms.
Information – Accuracy of given information
Organization - Different relationships are identified and
organized.
Process Questions
1. What are the objects of anthropological study?
2. What perspective does anthropology offer to the study of culture and society?
3. Why is it important to know the similarity and diversity of cultures and societies?
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
ACTIVITY 2:
Cultural, Social and Political change
19th Century
Directions: In another set of paper,make a timeline illustration of transportation means
across the eras in the Philippine society depicting their technological, cultural, social, and
political paradigms.Your output will be graded based on this rubric:
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
4 – Good
3 – Adequate
2 – Marginal
Criteria
1 – No credit /
5
4
3
2
1
Following the instruction of the activity.
Visual appeal (measurement, colors, creativity, neatness etc.)
Accurate illustration.
Overall impression.
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20th Century
21st Century
ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
MODULE 2:
Assessment
Essay Writing. In 3-7 sentences, Answer the questions below. Your output will be graded
based on this rubric:
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
4 – Good
3 – Adequate
Criteria
2 – Marginal
5
4
1 – No credit /
3
2
1
Quality of writing (Informative, well organized
etc.)
Grammar usage and Mechanics (spelling,
punctuations, grammatical errors)
Following the instructions.
1.
2.
3.
4.
How diverse is your neighborhood?
Why do you need to know others?
What are some of the driving forces of cultural change in the world today?
How does anthropology, political science, and sociology help you understand
society, culture, and politics?
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
UNIT ONE
MODULE
3
Defining Culture and Society
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
Inclusive dates:
Overview:
• Identify the nature and dynamics of culture and society
• Distinguish key features of the three major approaches to
the study of culture,
• Determine how society and its institutions shape
individuals.
and yet the cultural patterns involved in this trade relation are in integral part of a
culture of the society itself. In most cases, the people’s entire set of social
interaction occurs within a society. All social systems or as a system cutting across
societies, either as part of them or as a system cutting across societies but
dependent upon them (Dash: 42-43)
Human society is characterized by a territorial localized population; the
members of which interact in a network of relationships, which are distinctive,
culturally defined, and limited, and effectively bonded by a common linguistic
patterns and other forms of symbolic representations (Dash: 42)
Society arises only when individuals are knit together in a network of
mutual stimulus and response. In other words, society exists when social beings
behave toward each other in ways determined by their recognition of one
another.
The most important characteristics that distinguish human form nohuman lies in the specific ways in people strive to meet their basic need. They
need these needs for social survival primarily through learned behavior, which is
invented. Generally agreed upon and transmitted through various mediums of
communication; the most prominent of which is the use of language. In general,
culture develops as a response to a society’s conditions and immediate solutions
to the problems of individuals and groups.
Recent studies show that culture is not only present to human beings but
also to other species in the animal kingdom, such as chimpanzees and other
primates. While these studies are on-going, one thing is certain: People can learn
many things, transmit what they have learned to the next generation, and even
control their environment
An individual’s culture is composed of his or her way of life and the
knowledge and techniques that enable him or her to survive and overcome space.
Man is the most recognized member of the animal kingdom to develop and
possess culture. Such culture, either personal or group level, may create
commonality or difference to every member of a given society.
Society and Culture
Simply, society refers to a group of people sharing a common territory,
language, culture and who act together for collective survival and well-being. The
ways in which people depend upon one another can be seen in the features of
their society, such as their economic, communication, and defense system. They
are also bound together by a sense of common identity (Haviland, et.al, 312).
Since culture and society are closely related concepts, anthropology, and
sociology study both.
Although culture and society are interrelated, these concepts are not
exactly the same. A society has more comprehensive sets of culture in the sense
that the group is culturally self-sufficient. This means that diverse culture exists in
a specific society. A society, for instance, may engage o trade with other societies
Social Reproduction or How Societies Persist
If one defines society as “organization of groups that is relatively selfcontained,” then the next question is how societies manage to exist and persist
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
across time and space. The problem of explaining how societies manage to exist
over a long period of time is called reproduction (Louis Althusser). No society can
endure over time if it does not support its very own reproduction. To do this all
societies require the creation of institutions to perpetuate the existence of the
society.
punishing incestuous behavior, sacrifice in religion, and celebration of
Christmas and other religious holidays
c. Artifacts – Man-made products of ideas and activities.
Culture as a concept has been defined in many ways. In capsule form, culture
may be defined as the complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art,
morals, laws, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired, shared and
transmitted by man through interactions within a social group (Taylor:1)
According to Taylor, Culture is:
a. Learned – Can be learned from parents, peers, teachers, leaders. Culture
is not biological or genetic; any person can acquire any person’s culture
(Kelly and Thomas:19). Somebody who recite Rizal’s “Mi Ultimo Adios”
and listens to Beethoven is no more cultural than one who reads Wattpad
stories and prefers Gloc 9.
b. Shared – Although each person is endowed with critical mind to
understand thing as well as cultivate his or her own values and
worldviews, members of the human group also share some basic ideas
about the world and their place in it.
c. Symbolic – Often manifested in language, wherein meanings are socially
constructed. In Ellen Rudolf’s study of the Japanese language culture, she
found out that men and women used language very differently. Both
sexes are expected to be polite; but women used language more polite
than men.
Two types of institution that reproduce the condition of social life:
Ideological State Apparatuses – are institutions that are and used by
society to mold its members to share the same values and beliefs that a typical
member of the society possesses. They may include educational institutions (e.g.
schools), media outlets, churches, social and sports clubs and the family.
Repressive state apparatuses– refer to those coercive institutions that
use physical force to make the members conform the laws and norms society like
courts, police, and prisons.
Culture is “the complex whole which includes beliefs, practices, values,
attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything that a
person learns and shares as a member of society” (Taylor 1920 [1871]). This set of
behavior and the fact that humans are characterized by them by virtue of being
born as “human beings” apart from other creatures in the animal kingdom
suggests the universal nature of the concept. They are behaviors that people
possess which other primates do not. As John Honigmann, an anthropologist, has
pointed out, there are three components that go together that make up culture:
a. Ideas - are thoughts, beliefs, feelings, and rules. Examples of ideas are
aversion to incest, the Holy Spirit, and food-sharing desires among
relatives. Ideas also include ways on how to make things, abstract
concepts such as love, peace and happiness and the Decalogue of
conduct, which is also known as the ten commandments. Ideas may be
directly part of some behavior, the underlying cause or even by product
of it.
Analyzing Culture
The study of culture is a vast, complex task. There are so many aspects of
culture, and although many are widely accepted, not all sociologists agree on the
way that culture should be studied. Let us examine three of the most common
theoretical approaches used to analyze culture:
I. Structural-Functional Theory
This approach views society as a complex, interconnected system.
Think of the human body as an example, where all of our limbs, organs
and other parts all have their own individual functions but also work
b. Activities – The dynamic components of culture. It is what people do as
oppose to what they believe or feel. Such as may include the act of
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
together to create a fully functioning system. Structural-functional theory
proposes that culture functions as the structure in society that exists to
meet human needs. For example, our culture gives our lives meaning and
direction, giving us cues for what to do and how to live. It encourages us
to work together to find resources to help us survive and to make
connections with other people who provide care and comfort.
to their daily needs; for example, building temperate houses in tropical regions or
constructing an ice amusement park in countries like the Philippines.
People can also borrow from other groups if their cultural behaviors are
found to have survival value: a sort of hyper-developed gene flow but with
tremendously magnified results. This means, that some cultures through
experience have developed diverse ways in adapting to their environment, which
is needed to their survival.
II.Social Conflict Theory
This proposes that cultural traits always benefit some members
of a society more than others. This theory is all about inequality and
proposes that laws and norms that are created as part of a culture reflect
the interests of the most powerful members of society. For example, this
is easy to see in American culture. They have a capitalist society that
values competitiveness and material wealth. This benefits those who
obtain material success but hurts those who do not. This results in a
drastic contrast between the richest and the poorest members of our
society.
II. Shared and contested
Various members of a society or group commonly share ideas, activities,
and artifacts. Hence, the behavior of people in a group or society often become
socially and conventionally standardized in form and manner.
Shared culture provides order and meaning in interpreting behavioral
patterns of individual in a society. In this sense, then, cultural behaviors are
considered as a “team player” phenomenon that creates shared expectations and
results. From sociological perspective, people do not only interact together to a
common culture but also to validate it.
Transmission of culture is not simply automatic but largely depends on
the willingness of people to give and receive it. They usually alter ideas, activities,
and artifacts if they no longer give them satisfaction. They can change ideas,
activities and artifacts prior to their transmission and even reject them
afterwards. They may dislike some of their physical features but are powerless to
alter much of it. There is no generation gap for human biological behaviors. Thus,
cultural behaviors are shared by groups of people and depend much on those
groups for validity and transmission, even if people do not always exercise that
privilege.
III. Sociobiology
This proposes that culture is not only socially constructed but is
also affected by human biology. Sociobiologist theorize that certain
cultural behaviors have persisted and even evolved over time due to
biological impulses that prioritize survival and maximize reproduction.
They suggest that some elements of culture, particularly values and
behavioral norms, are created because of human instinct, which is based
on our biology.
Aspects of Culture
III. Learning through socialization or enculturation
Behavior patterns that constitute a specific culture are not genetically ort
biologically determined. Every normal infant has the potential to learn any culture
as he or she grows and survives the various stages of life. Often, the culture that a
child learns and imbibes is a result of chance or simply accidental because of
his/her place of birth. Through the process of socialization or enculturation, the
child eventually acquires the prevailing attitudes and beliefs, the forms of
behavior appropriate to the social roles he or she occupies, and the behavior
I. Culture is dynamic, Flexible and Adaptive
Cultural behavior allows people to fit into and adapt to their respective
environments. For instance, people wear clothes to protect their body from harsh
climate. They also search food for nourishment and survival. In contemporary
societies, where culture is highly developed, people ca even fit their environment
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
patterns and value of the society into which he or she is born. Because culture is
learned rather than transmitted biologically, it is sometimes called man’s social
heritage.
Acquired through learning, cultural ideas, activities, and artifacts are
handed down from generation to generation as a super organic inheritance which
means it is inherently passed through generations. For instance, epic chanting as
a super organic inheritance is passed on to the next generation of chanters
through teaching the craft to younger ones
If culture stems from race, then changes can occur only as biological forms; in
this case, and due to practical purposes, directed progress would be impossible. But
human mind, man not only learns a culture but also has capacity to abandon or set aside
parcels of it in certain conditions and gradually adapt new and often radically different
behavior forms
VII. Requires Language and other forms of communication
Language is shared set of spoken (often written) symbols and rules used
in meaningful ways. Language has been called “the store house of culture.” It is
the primary means of capturing, communicating, discussing, changing, and
passing shared understanding to new generations (and new citizens). Language is
the most important means of cultural transmission, process by which one
generation passes culture to the next. Through the unique power of language,
people gain access to centuries of accumulated wisdom (OU: 10) Without
language, people will not be able to inform others about events, emotions, and
other experiences that they did not experience (Haviland, et. al.: 316
IV. Patterned Social Interactions
Social interaction, as commonly viewed, implies theories of reciprocity,
complementarily, and mutuality of response. For example, A question implies
answer. A statement implies acknowledgement of the communication. A hostile
act is countered or allayed. These samples simply illustrate primary patterns of
social integration. The patterns of social interaction may be viewed
- As inherent characteristics of the participants merely give the opportunity
to be exposed.
- As “emergent” in the sense that they arise in the interaction as a product
There is barely a shade of difference in these two views, one suggesting primarily
a notion of crystallization of individual patterns: the other an unfolding in group
process.
V. Integrated and at times unstable
For a society or group, ideas, activities, and are not only shared; their
arrangement more or less fit together and interlock to form a consistent whole.
For example, technology and its relationship with social and political patterns.
Certainly, the various behaviors we observe are different kinds of cultural
expressions and are acted for different reason and purposes. Nonetheless, they
can be viewed as patterned general responses to the problem of existence. In
other words, the tools available, which include preconditioned impulses and
preconceived ideas or notions, the social behaviors associated with their use,
concepts of ownerships, concepts of leaderships, and even religion must in some
degree be interrelated if the whole culture is to be effective.
Reference links
Hipolito, Dante. Art Circle Gallery (2020). Above image retrieved from
https://www.pinterest.com.mx/pin/822399581924771838/
Santarita J., Madrid R. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics. 1253 G. Araneta
Avenue, Quezon city, Vibal Group, Inc.
Long-Crowell E. Analyzing culture retrieved from
https://study.com/academy/lesson/cultural-analysis-theoretical-approaches
VI. Transmitted through Socialization or Enculturation
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
Important Reminders
•
Society
Culture
•
Tear this activity sheet and submit on the scheduled date
along with the other activity (ies) the instructor may have asked the
students to do on a separate paper.
If you are sending something you’ve done online such as MS presentation (s),
pictures, pdfs and alike as an attachment, then you may send them to my email at
____________________________________________ following this format:
(SECTION_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_ACTIVITYNAME) or send a digital copy from your
flash drive together with this activity sheet.
Belief
Social Interaction
Moral
Social Class
Law
Social Grouping
Art
Social Relation
Habits
Social Stratification
ACTIVITY 1:
Pictionary
Using another set of papers, define the following concepts or words using selftaken pictures and give short description. Your output will be graded based on this rubric:
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
4 – Good
3 – Adequate
Criteria
2 – Marginal
5
4
1 – No credit /
3
2
1
ACTIVITY 2:
Poster Making
Originality
Creativity
Make an illustrative interpretation of the theme; “Society and culture as a
complex whole”. Your output will be graded based on this rubric:
Visual Impact
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
Relevance to the terms used
Description’s quality (relevance to the photo,
Grammar, Punctuations, spelling etc.)
4 – Good
Criteria
Relevance to the theme
Originality
Creativity
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3 – Adequate
2 – Marginal
5
4
1 – No credit /
3
2
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
8. Various members of a culture share ideas, activities, and artifacts.
Answer:___________________
Visual Impact
Color harmony
9. Reproduction is the reason how societies manage to exist over a long period of time.
MODULE 3:
Answer:___________________
Assessment
10. Culture exists when social beings behave toward each other in ways determined by
their recognition of one another.
Answer:___________________
Modified true or false. Write TRUE if the underlined word is correct, if not; change the
underlined word with your chosen answer.
1. Society refers to a group of people sharing a common culture.
Answer:___________________
2. Culture is a “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.”
Answer:___________________
3. Society is composed of ideas, activities, and artifacts.
Answer:___________________
4. Activities are man-made products of ideas and activities.
Answer:___________________
5. Language is shared set of spoken (often written) symbols and rules used in meaningful
ways.
Answer:___________________
6. Society is composed of heritage that can be seen and touched.
Answer:___________________
7. Culture can be transmitted through socialization or enculturation.
Answer:___________________
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
UNIT ONE
MODULE
4
Inclusive dates:
Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
• Distinguish key features of the three major approaches to
the study of culture, society, and politics.
• Value cultural heritage and express pride of place
without being ethnocentric.
Overview:
see a U.S.-style classroom firsthand. But as they experience unanticipated
differences from their own culture, their excitement gives way to discomfort and
doubts about how to behave appropriately in the new situation. Eventually, as
people learn more about a culture, they recover from culture shock. Culture
shock may appear because people are not always expecting cultural differences.
Each Culture differs from another as each defines reality differently. As a
result, some people find it difficult to get along with or understand other people’s
ways of thinking and doing. Moreover, each group tends to believe that its view
of reality is right and proper and anything outside its context is absolutely
opposite
Cultural Relativism
Ethnocentrism
Cultural Relativism is the ability to understand a culture on its own terms
and not to make judgments using the standards of others own culture. The goal
of this is promote understanding of cultural practices that are not typically part of
one’s own culture. Using the perspective of cultural relativism leads to the view
that no one’s culture is superior to another; different cultures should be
accepted, tolerated, and appreciated rather than condemned. Culture must be
viewed and analyzed on their own terms in the context of their own societal
setting. No society has the right to use its own values and norms as yardsticks to
view the traits of another society. In a holistic understanding of the term cultural
relativism, it tries to promote the understanding of cultural practices that are
unfamiliar to other cultures such as eating insects, genocides, or genital cutting.
The view of one’s group is superior compared to another.
Inethnocentrism’s viewpoint, their group is considered as the center or core of
everything. They evaluate and judge another culture based on how it compares to
their own cultural norms. Almost everyone is a little bit ethnocentric. For
example, Americans tend to say that people from England drive on the “wrong”
side of the road, rather than on the “other” side. Another example is the Chinese
people’s feeling of superiority anchored on so-called “middle kingdom complex”,
which they believed that their country is in the center or middle of the world and
those outside their domains are considered barbarians. Ethnocentrism can be so
strong that when confronted with all of the differences of a new culture, one may
experience disorientation and frustration. In sociology, we call this culture shock
A traveler from Chicago might find the nightly silence of rural Montana unsettling,
not peaceful. An exchange student from China might be annoyed by the constant
interruptions in class as other students ask questions—a practice that is
considered rude in China. Perhaps the Chicago traveler was initially captivated
with Montana’s quiet beauty and the Chinese student were originally excited to
There are two different categories of cultural relativism:
- Absolute: Everything that happens within a culture must and should
not be questioned by outsiders.
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
-
Critical: Creates questions about cultural practices in terms of who is
accepting them and why. Critical cultural relativism also recognizes
power relationships.
such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events,
knowledge and practices concerning nature and universe or the knowledge and
skills to produce traditional crafts.
In particular, The UNESCO emphasized the preservation of intangible
cultural heritage. This nonmaterial form of cultural heritage can either be
characterized as traditional, contemporary, and living, inclusive, representative,
and community-base. Also, this type of heritage does not represent inherited
traditions from the past but also contemporary rural and urban practices in which
diverse cultural groups to take part. Whether they are form the neighboring
village, from a city on the opposite side of the world or have been adapted by
peoples who have migrated and settled in a different region, they are all
intangible cultural heritage.
Intangible cultural heritage has been passed from one generation to
another. It has evolved in response to the changes in the community that it
belongs to. It gives a sense of identity and continuity to people and his or her
community. As such, intangible cultural heritage provides a link from mankind’s
past through the present and into the future
Intangible cultural heritage is shared and contributes to social cohesion it
helps individuals have a sense of identity and responsibility. It also gives a sense
of belongingness, making individuals feel part of different communities or society
at large.
Intangible cultural heritage is not merely valued as cultural good, om a
comparative basis, for its exclusivity or it is exceptional value, which qualifies it as
representative heritage. It thrives in its basis in communities and depends on
those whose knowledge of traditions, skills and customs are passed on to the rest
of community, from generation to generation, or to other communities.
Furthermore, this non-material form of cultural heritage is also communitybased. Intangible forms of culture become heritage only when it is recognized as
such by the communities, groups, or individuals that create, maintain, and
transmit it.
However, forms of intangible, cultural heritage have witnessed certain
changes, brought by globalization, technological revolution, and even cultural
homogenization through the years.
There are expression and manifestation of intangible cultural heritage
that are under threat by the lack of support, appreciation, and understanding of
Example of cultural relativism can be seen with the Chinese culture and
their process of feet binding. Foot binding was to stop the growth of the foot and
make them smaller. The process often began between four and seven years old. A
ten-foot bandage would be wrapped around the foot forcing the toes to go under
the foot. It caused the big toe to be closer to the heel causing the foot to bow. In
China, small feet were seen as beautiful and a symbol of status. The women
wanted their feet to be “three-inch golden lotuses” It was also the only way to
marry into money. Because men only wanted women with small feet, even after
this practice was banned in 1912, women still continued to do it. To Western
cultures the idea of feet binding might seems torturous, but for the Chinese
culture it was a symbol of beauty that has been ingrained the culture for
hundreds of years. The idea of beauty differs from culture to culture.
Cultural form and threats
In studying culture, it is important to determine its forms. A good portion
of culture is visible and tangible since it consists of a huge number of products
conceived and manufactured by people. The diversity of culture is a source of
creativity, innovation and renewal and is vital for the continuity of human
development. Tangible cultural heritage includes all material objects, such as
artifacts, buildings or landscapes, tools, furniture, bridges, and any physical
substance which has been changed and used by people. In fact, tangible heritage
provides the physical space for the non-physical expression of culture. The other
form of culture is non-material or intangible. It consists of abstractions that
includes knowledge, beliefs, values, rules for behavior, traditional skills and
technologies, religious ceremonies, performing arts, and storytelling. Both the
tangible and intangible forms of culture, according to the United Nations
Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), are considered as
“cultural heritage”. Cultural heritage does not end at sites, landmarks,
monuments, and collections of objects. It is also includes traditions or living
expressions inherited from our ancestors and passed on to the next generation,
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
people. If intangible cultural heritage is not nurtured, it risks becoming lost
forever, or frozen as practice belonging to the past.
Preserving intangible cultural heritage and passing it on to future
generations strengthens and keeps it alive while simultaneously allowing it to
evolve and adapt. In order to safeguard intangible cultural heritage, it must
remain relevant to a culture and be regularly practiced and learned within
communities and between generations. By doing so, both tangible, if not all,
forms of cultural heritage developed along with the biological and cultural
evolution of early humans until the modern period.
Reference links
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture
Lim, L. Painful Memories for China’s Foot binding Survivors, retrieved from
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=8966942
Crites, James Chinese Foot Binding retrieved from
http://www.angelfire.com/ca/beekeeper/foot.html
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/culturalanthropology/chapter/cultural-relativism/
Santarita J., Madrid R. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics. 1253 G. Araneta
Avenue, Quezon city, Vibal Group, Inc.
27
ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
ACTIVITY 2:
Important Reminders
•
Advantages and Disadvantages
•
Tear this activity sheet and submit on the scheduled date
along with the other activity (ies) the instructor may have asked the
students to do on a separate paper.
If you are sending something you’ve done online such as MS presentation (s),
pictures, pdfs and alike as an attachment, then you may send them to my email at
____________________________________________ following this format:
(SECTION_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_ACTIVITYNAME), or send a digital copy from
your flash drive together with this activity sheet.
Complete the table below by determining at least three advantages and disadvantages of
the terms below.
Advantages
Ethnocentrism
ACTIVITY 1:
Detecting Ethnocentrism
Find foods that is usually prepared and not usually prepared in your community orregion.
Comment on the food and compare them to the food from the others place (please
indicate their name and place). Check if it’s a Strange food (if you’re not familiar or
haven’t tasted this food yet), Good food (you’ve tasted and liked it), Bad food (If you’ve
tasted it and give the reason why you don’t like it). You can use another set of paper.
Kinds of food
Strange food
Good food
Bad food
Reasons
Cultural Relativism
Food 1
Food 2
Food 3
Food 4
Food 5
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Disadvantage
ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
MODULE 4:
Assessment
Test II. Essay writing. Identify at least two (2) Philippine cultural heritage under threat
(one tangible and one intangible). Briefly discuss in 3-5 sentences their threats and its
sources, and then come up with a plan of action on how to handle with these threats.
Test I. Multiple choice. Encircle the letter of the correct answer. (1 point each)
Your output will be graded based on this rubric:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
What is the function of culture?
a. Determine what is proper to eat
b. Established the appropriate clothes to wear
c. Determine who will have approved sexual contact with whom
d. All of the above
The idea that cultural elements can be understood in the culture in which they
are used is known as
a. Cultural universal
b. Cultural relativism
c. Cultural trait
d. Ethnocentrism
The tendency to view the norms and values of one’s culture as absolute and to
use them as a standard to judge the practices of other cultures is known as
a. Cultural universal
b. Cultural relativism
c. Cultural trait
d. Ethnocentrism
Which of the following is not an example of intangible culture?
a. Belief in atheism
b. Belief in God
c. The commandment ‘thou shall not kill’
d. Crucifix
Which of these statements are ethnocentric?
a. I do not like Jazz
b. I believe I my religion
c. My religion is the only religion which embodies truth
d. I do not like pork
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
4 – Good
3 – Adequate
Criteria
Quality of writing (Informative, well organized
etc.)
Grammar usage and Mechanics (spelling,
punctuations, grammatical errors)
Following the instructions.
29
2 – Marginal
5
4
1 – No credit /
3
2
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
UNIT ONE
MODULE
5
Inclusive dates:
Tracing Human Cultural and Sociopolitical Evolution
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
• Analyze key features of interrelationships of biological,
cultural, and sociopolitical processes in human evolution that
can still be use and developed.
• Determine the differences of biological and cultural revolution
• Determine how hominids evolved into modern humans
Overview:
To study and understand the processes of becoming human, it is
important that we look back to the past. Anthropology offers two methods of
doing this study. One is through the close examination of the material remains
that early humans had left behind. The other is through the study of the genetic
codes that were passed on across several generations. Through these
approaches, the story of human evolution can be told. It will be seen that humans
evolved as they made use of their peculiar biological features in harnessing the
natural environment and in propagating themselves widely across the planet as
social beings.
next generation. It occurs when a DNA gene is damaged or changed in such a
way as to alter the genetic message carried by that gene. A Mutagen is an agent
of substance that can bring about a permanent alteration to the physical
composition of a DNA gene such that the genetic message is changed.
B. Migration - the movement of populations, groups, or individuals. In
genetic terms, migration enables gene flow: the movement of genes from one
population into another. In gene flow, two populations mix genes. Over time
there is less distinction between those populations. So, let us say there are two
populations of polar bears that have not met in the recent past. Each population
was existing on their own, separate chunks of land for a very long time. One
population lived to the south and one population lived in the north. There was no
reason, or perhaps no way, to have met before. Then, as the climate started to
change and more of the sea ice started to melt, the polar bears in the south were
not finding the habitats they needed to survive. They started to shift their
population towards the north and met the other population of polar bears. Once
they started interbreeding, the genetic distinctions decreased.
Microevolution Vs. Macroevolution
The tree of life has many branches that all connect to a common
ancestor, and the diversity of life on the tree results from evolutionary processes.
Just as we organize life on earth into hierarchies, we would like to do the same
for evolutionary processes and patterns. Thus, many scientists propose that
evolution can be divided into two distinct hierarchical processes -- microevolution
and macroevolution -- although the distinction between them is somewhat
artificial. Microevolution describes mechanisms that alter the frequencies of
alleles in gene pools within species (Rexnick & Ricklefs 2009).
These mechanisms include:
C. Genetic drift - is change in allele frequencies in a population from
generation to generation that occurs due to chance events. To be more exact,
genetic drift is change due to "sampling error" in selecting the alleles for the next
generation from the gene pool of the current generation. It refers to the change
in a type of genes in a population because of the random nature of reproduction.
In other words, when people who have the gene causing a specific genetic trait to
A.
Mutation - happen just by chance. Somewhere along the line, a change in
a gene or a chromosome shows up as a physical or a behavioral difference in an
individual. Because it affects a gene or chromosome, it can then be passed to the
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
reproduce with people who do not have the gene, the gene can become more
popular or totally disappear from the population. For example, a large group of
red poppies exchanges genetic material with white poppies. Over time, white
poppies become rarer and rarer while red poppies thrive.
D. Natural selection - the process through which populations of living
organisms adapt and change. Individuals in a population are naturally variable,
meaning that they are all different in some ways. This variation means that some
individuals have traits better suited to the environment than others. Giraffes,
lizards, and many other known species adapted to their environments through
genetic changes to their skeletons. This form of natural selection meant that
members of the population who did not develop and present these skeletal
changes died out. For example, giraffes developed long necks to reach food
sources higher up in trees, so members of the giraffe population who did not
develop a long neck died out. At the same time, certain lizards in one region
developed longer leg bones to help it climb up during periods of flood and to
escape predators in the ground; shorter legged lizards of the same population
died out until only the lizards with the long legs survived.
https://images.app.goo.gl/F7QPoTvj66HjjRXBA
Meanwhile, Macroevolution focuses on the formation of new species
(speciation) and on the evolutionary relationship between groups of species. The
term species is often defined as population capable of interbreeding (producing
viable, fertile offspring). Because speciation is a process, it can occur at various
rates. Speciation through the process of adaptive change to the environment as
proposed in Darwin’s Origin of species (1859) is generally considered to occur at a
slow rate. In this model, speciation happens as organisms become more adapted
to their environment. However, speciation can also take place quite rapidly. For
instance, a genetic mutation involving a key regulatory gene can lead to the
formation of a new body plan. Such genetic accidents may involve material that is
broken off, transposed, or transferred from one chromosome to another. Genes
that regulate the growth and development of an organism may have a major
effect on its adult form. Scientist have discovered a certain type of gene called
homeobox that is responsible for the large-scale on the growth and development
https://images.app.goo.gl/L9xPV2M2tfwA1xwP6
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
of organisms. If new body plan is adaptive, an organism will maintain its new form
during long periods of time rather than promote change because of natural
selection.
humans. Some of these ancient primates were relatively small; some, however,
were larger that present-day gorillas.
Early Humans
Humans and their ancestors are distinct among the hominoids for
bipedalism, a special form of locomotion on two feet. Larger brains and bipedal
locomotion constitute the most striking differences between contemporary
people and our closest primate relatives
Tracing the roots of human evolution is done by determining whether a
fossilized hominoid is bipedal (walks on two feet). There are several ways to
determine bipedalism such as looking at the curves of the spine, shape of the
pelvis and shape of the foot bones among others
As far as research can tell, the earliest ancestors of humans hailed from
the australopithecines which were bipedal but had small brain-size in proportion
to their bodies. It is theorized that from one species of Australopithecus, the
Homo habilis evolved. Compared to the australopithecines, the Homo habilis had
exercised higher anilities to learn and was better at processing information than
the australopithecine. In addition, dates of the projected time of existence of the
Homo habilis are close to the dates where early stone tools were discovered.
Following the Homo habilis in the line of human evolution was the Homo
erectus. With an even larger brain, the Homo erectus was more able to adapt to
the environment and provide solutions to problems of survival. The culture of the
Homo erectus is mostly perceived through the tools they made.
https://images.app.goo.gl/byxLmV7sVvf3iSej9
The earliest primate like mammals came into being approximately 65
million years ago when a new, mild climate favored the spread of dense tropical
and subtropical forest in most land areas around the world. The change in climate
and habitat favored mammal diversification, including the evolutionary
development of arboreal mammals from which primates evolved.
Approximately 40 million years ago diurnal anthropoid primates
appeared. Then 23 million years after, at the start of the geological epoch known
as the Miocene, the first fossil apes or hominids began to appear in Asia, Africa,
and Europe. Hominoids are broad-shouldered tailless primates that include all
living and extinct apes and humans. The word hominoid comes from the Latin root
words homo and homi (human being) and the suffix oxides (resembling). As a
group, the first fossil apes were called hominoids because of their resemblance to
https://images.app.goo.gl/iXkfM7b9z36KNnSj6
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
Paleolithic Period
Cultural and Sociopolitical evolution
The Paleolithic period or Old stone age is divided into three divisions,
each with a distinct tradition of tool making. The divisions are labeled according
to the layers of ground the tools were found in:
a. The lower Paleolithic period marked the existence of the Homo
erectus. The Homo erectus sought efficiency and made tools for
specific tasks. During this period, the hand ax and other stone tools
were created. Tools during this period were made by chipping off
flakes from a core of rock, from different angles.
b. The Homo sapiens lived during the Middle Paleolithic period. The
Homo sapiens made more efficient tools, holding, and pulling.
Further specialization of tools was also done by creating, uniform
flakes of rock and detailing each one for a particular task.
c. Lastly, the homo sapiens sapiens lived during the Upper Paleolithic
period. The blade, longer than a flake of rock, was the most distinct
tool developed during this period. The expansion of specialized tools
reflected an increase in the population of the Homo sapiens and their
exploration of new economic activities.
The evolution of cultural and sociopolitical dimensions of humankind
underwent several stages of change for a millennia. It started from the Neolithic
revolution until the development of states and, in contemporary times, the
practice of democracy.
The Neolithic Revolution literally means the New stone age revolution
because of the polished stone tools and the techniques that produced such tools
emerged during this period. More importantly, the Neolithic revolution was a
time of fundamental change; it was the period when food production started. The
invention of food production occurred in several independent parts of the world
under different periods.
Before the Neolithic revolution, humans foraged, hunted, and gathered
food for survival. Food-producing habits began to change about 10,000 years ago.
At first, our ancestor had supplemented the food they produced with food they
obtained from hunting and gathering. However, once agriculture was developed,
substantial changes in the lifestyle of humans took place. For example, human
society could now control the reproduction of plants and animals for different
purposes. Gradually they become less dependent on wild food sources as
domesticated plants and animals have increased in number and improved quality.
People had also started to settle in specific areas they called villages so they can
grow crops and raise animals, which, in turn, lessened nomadic practices. It
should be noted that the cultivation of plants and the raising of animals for food
required less effort than did hunting and gathering, contributing to dependable
food source for larger number of people to live together. Specialized social roles
in the community may have also started to develop during this period.
The Neolithic Revolution also resulted to a change in human attitude
toward the natural environment. People started willfully changing their
environment. Since they are now capable of producing food, they have also
started to create tools using the available resources around them, such as wood,
bamboo, and stone.
Moreover, as people learned the basics of food production and
abandoned foraging, the domestication of animals and crop production became a
common practice in communities. Grains and grasses were experimented for
their edibility. Also, people started cutting timber for their abodes and cleared
https://images.app.goo.gl/jybrW3NC7iMLxPCy9
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
forested areas for settlements. Eventually, communities were built as human
population increases which led to the rise of cities.
https://images.app.goo.gl/jn4aDnCtyzXgi7AW9
Reference links
Nulial T., Sociocultural and Political evolution. Above image retrieved from
https://www.slideshare.net/janenulial1/sociocultural-and-political-evolution
Natural selection retrieved from
https://www.softschools.com/examples/science/natural_selection_examples/26/
Genetic drift retrieved from
https://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-genetic-drift.html
Santarita J., Madrid R. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics. 1253 G. Araneta
Avenue, Quezon city, Vibal Group, Inc.
34
ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
Important Reminders
•
ACTIVITY 2:
•
Tear this activity sheet and submit on the scheduled date
along with the other activity (ies) the instructor may have asked the
students to do on a separate paper.
If you are sending something you’ve done online such as MS presentation (s),
pictures, pdfs and alike as an attachment, then you may send them to my email at
____________________________________________ following this format:
(SECTION_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_ACTIVITYNAME), or send a digital copy from
your flash drive together with this activity sheet.
Biological Timeline
In this activity, the learners should trace the biological evolution of the hominids and
hominin species using a timeline. The learners select the significant events and justify
these events within the period. For instruction, teachers may ask the learners to do the
following:
1. In another set of paper, create and illustrate a timeline of the evolution of hominins.
Draw a straight line in the middle of the paper.
2. Space the events out evenly with the earliest hominin below and the more recent on
the lines that follow.
3. Label each hominin with a boxed title, the date, and a colored drawing representing
the hominin.
4. Write the dates for each event in time order from left to right. Add the details along
the line.
ACTIVITY 1:
The Idea Wheel
Identify the physical markers of hominins as suggested in the illustration provided in the
areas circle A. Explain these characteristics in circle B.
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
MODULE 5:
Assessment
Test II. Essay Writing. In 3-7 sentences, Answer the questions below.
Your output will be graded based on this rubric:
Test I. Identification. Identify the terms asked and write your answer on the space
provided.
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
_______________________1. Characterized by the use of polished stones implements,
development of permanent dwellings, cultural advances such as pottery making,
domestication of animals and plants and the cultivation of grain.
4 – Good
3 – Adequate
Criteria
_______________________2. Characterized by the use of knapped stone tools, although
at the time humans also used wood and bone tools, they learned to build fire, kept record
and communicated through cave paintings.
Quality of writing (Informative, well organized
etc.)
______________________3. Form of terrestrial locomotion where an organism moves by
means of its two rear limbs or legs.
Grammar usage and Mechanics (spelling,
punctuations, grammatical errors)
______________________ 4. Process where new species evolved.
Following the instructions.
______________________5. Evolution that occurs at or above the level of the species. It
may involve evolutionary changes in two interacting species, or it may involve the
emergence of one or more brand new species.
1. Why does studying human evolution necessary?
2. How does Neolithic evolution affect our lives?
36
2 – Marginal
5
4
1 – No credit /
3
2
1
ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
UNIT ONE
MODULE
6
Inclusive dates:
Early civilization and the rise of the state
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
• Analyze how society become a civilization
• Identify and define the world’s earliest civilizations
• Identify the technological developments, as well as
developments in governmental, economic and belief
systems.
Overview:
Characteristics of Civilization
All civilizations have certain characteristics. These include:
1. Large population centers
Large population centers, or urban areasallow civilizations to
develop, although people who live outside these urban centers are still
part
of that region’s civilization. Rural residents of civilizations may include
farmers, fishers, and traders, who regularly sell their goods and services to
urban residents.
The first civilizations appeared in locations where the geography was
favorable to intensive agriculture.It depended on the ability of some agricultural
settlements to consistently produce surplus food, which allowed some people to
specialize in non-agricultural work, which increased the production, trade,
population, and social stratification.
Governments and states emerged as rulers who gained control over larger
areas and other resources, often through the use of writing (which is use for the
codification of laws and record keeping) and religion to maintain social hierarchies
and consolidate power over larger areas and populations.
2. Monumental architecture and unique art styles
All civilizations work to preserve their legacy by building large
monuments and structures. The ancient monuments are used as a symbol
of their culture and political power. Buildings are not the only monuments
that define civilizations, there are also distinct artistic stylesrepresenting
native animals carved in a stone is also included.
Early Civilization
The word civilization come from the Latin word civis, which refers to a
person who lives in a city; and civets, which refers to the urban community in
which one dwells. As defined by anthropologists, civilization refers to societies in
which large numbers of people live in cities. The inhabitants of the cities are
socially stratified and governed by a ruling elite who work through centrally
organized political systems called states.
As Neolithic villages grew into towns, the world’s first cities developed.
This happened between 4500 and 6000 years ago, first in Mesopotamia (modern
day Iraq) then in Egypt’s Nile Valley, and Indus Valley (today’s Pakistan and India).
In China, civilization started 5000 years ago. Independent of these developments
in Eurasia and Africa, the first American and Indian cities appeared in Peru
approximately 4000 years ago and in Mesoamerica about 2000 years ago.
3. Shared communication
Shared communication may include spoken language; alphabets;
numeric systems; signs, ideas, and symbols; and illustration and
representation.
Written language in particular allows civilizations to record their
own history and everyday events—crucial for understanding ancient
cultures. The world's oldest known written language is Sumerian, which
developed in Mesopotamia around 3100 BCE. The most familiar form of
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
early Sumerian writing was called cuneiform and was made up of
different collections of wedges (triangle) shapes. The earliest Sumerian
writing was record-keeping. Just like written records of modern
civilizations, Sumerian cuneiform kept track of taxes, grocery bills, and
laws for things like theft.
4. Infrastructure and administration
All civilizations rely on government administration—bureaucracy.
Perhaps no civilization better exemplifies this than ancient Rome.
Romans used a variety of methods to administer their republic and,
later, empire. Engineering, for instance, was a key part of Roman
administration. Romans built a network of roads so that communication
between far-away territories was as efficient as possible. Roads also
made travel by the Roman military much easier.
Roman leaders relied on a series of legal codes for administration.
These codes helped structure laws between different parts of Roman
territory, as well as between rich and poor, men and women, slave and
free. Roman laws included restrictions on marriage, ownership of land,
and access to professions such as priesthoods.
One of Rome’s most lasting contributions to Western Civilization
was the establishment of legal culture itself. Roman law was largely
public, and jurists created such formalities as legal language and
procedure that would define European law for centuries. In fact, “Roman
law” describes the legal system used throughout Western Europe through
the 18th century.
The key to the development of civilizations is the division of
people into classes. This is a complex idea that can be broken down into
two parts: income and type of work performed. Changing classes has
traditionally been difficult and happens over generations. Classes can
mean groups of people divided by their income. This division is
sometimes characterized as “economic class.” Modern Western
Civilization often divides economic classes into wealthy, middle-class, and
poor. In medieval civilizations of Europe, there were fewer economic
classes. Kings and queens had enormous amounts of money and land,
merchant economic classand serfs or people who worked the land and
had almost nothing.
10 oldest ancient civilizations
1. The Mesopotamian Civilization
5. Division of labor
Civilizations are marked by complex divisions of labor. This
means that different people perform specialized tasks. In a purely
agricultural society, members of the community are largely self-sufficient,
and can provide food, shelter, and clothing for themselves. In a complex
civilization, farmers may cultivate one type of crop and depend on other
people for other foods, clothing, shelter, and information.
Civilization Name: Mesopotamian civilization
Period: 3500 BC–500 BC
Original Location: Northeast by the Zagros mountains, southeast by the Arabian
plateau
6. Class structure
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
Current Location: Iraq, Syria, and Turkey
Meaning: Land between rivers (ancient Greek)
Major Highlights: First civilization in the world
the three, it was the most widespread, covering an area of 1.25 million
kilometers.
Mesopotamia is generally credited as being the first place where civilized
society truly began to take shape. It was somewhere around 8000 BC that
people developed the idea of agriculture and slowly started to domesticate
animals for both food and to assist in farming.
3. The Ancient Egyptian Civilization
Civilization Name: Egyptian civilization
Period: 3150 BC–30 BC
Original Location: Banks of the Nile
Current Location: Egypt
Major Highlights: Construction of pyramids
2. The Indus Valley Civilization
Civilization Name: Indus Valley civilization
Period: 3300 BC–1900 BC
Original Location: Around the basin of the Indus river
Current Location: Northeast Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India
Major Highlights: One of the most widespread civilizations, covering 1.25 million
km
Ancient Egypt is one of the oldest and culturally rich civilizations on this list. The
ancient Egyptian civilization, a majestic civilization from the banks of the Nile, is
known for its prodigious culture, its pharaohs, the enduring pyramids, and the
Sphinx.
This civilization flourished in areas extending from what is today northeast
Afghanistan to Pakistan and northwest India. Along with Ancient Egypt and
Mesopotamia, it was one of three early civilizations of the ancient world, and of
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
4. The Maya Civilization
Civilization Name: Maya civilization
Period: 2600 BC–900 AD
Original Location: Around present-day Yucatan
Current Location: Yucatan, Quintana Roo, Campeche, Tabasco, and Chiapas in
Mexico and south through Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, and Honduras
Major Highlights: Complex understanding of astronomy
5. The Chinese Civilization
Civilization Name: Chinese civilization
Period: 1600 BC–1046 BC
Original Location: Yellow River and Yangtze region
Current Location: Country of China
Major Highlights: Invention of paper and silk
The Yellow River civilization is said to be the beginning of the entire Chinese
civilization as this is where the earliest dynasties were based. It was around 2700
BC that the legendary Yellow Emperor began his rule, which later led to the birth
of many dynasties that went on to rule mainland China.In 2070 BC, the Xia
dynasty became the first to rule the whole of China as described in ancient
historical chronicles. From then on, there were a number of dynasties that held
control during different periods of time until the end of the Qing dynasty in 1912
AD with the Xinhai Revolution. This marked the end of more than four millennia
of ancient Chinese civilization. By this time, however, the Chinese had given the
world some of its most useful inventions and products such as gunpowder, paper,
printing, the compass, alcohol, cannons, and many more.
The ancient Maya civilization flourished in Central America from about 2600 BC
and has been much talked about because of the calendar it introduced. Once
established, the Mayan civilization went on to prosper and become highly
sophisticated with a booming population of about 19 million at its peak. By 700
BC, the Mayans had already devised their own system of writing which they used
to create solar calendars carved in stone. According to them, the world was
created on August 11, 3114 BC, which is the date from which their calendar
begins. The supposed end date was December 21, 2012.
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6. The Ancient Greek Civilization
Civilization Name: Greek civilization
Period: 2700 BC–479 BC
Original Location: Italy, Sicily, North Africa, and as far west as France
Current Location: Greece
Major Highlights: Concepts of democracy and the Senate, the Olympics
7. The Persian Civilization
Civilization Name: Persian civilization
Period: 550 BC–331 BC
Original Location: Egypt in the west to Turkey in the north, and through
Mesopotamia to the Indus river in the east
Current Location: Modern-day Iran
Major Highlights: Royal road
The ancient Greeks may not have been the oldest civilization, but they are
doubtlessly one of the most influential. Even though the rise of ancient Greece
came from the Cycladic and Minoan civilizations (2700 BC–1500 BC), there is
evidence of burials in the Franchthi Cave in Argolid, Greece, dating back to
around 7250 BC. The history of this civilization is spread over such a long period
of time that historians have divided it into different periods, the most popular of
them being the Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic periods. These periods saw a
number of ancient Greeks come into the limelight, many of whom changed the
world forever and are still being talked about to this day.
There was a time when the ancient Persian civilization was, in fact, the most
powerful empire in the world. Though only in power for a little over 200 years, the
Persians conquered lands that covered over two million square miles. From the
southern parts of Egypt to parts of Greece and east to parts of India, the Persian
Empire was known for its military strength and wise rulers.
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8. The Roman Civilization
Civilization Name: Roman civilization
Period: 550 BC–465 AD
Original Location: Village of the Latini
Current Location: Rome
Major Highlights: Most powerful ancient civilization
Original Location: South-central region of pre-Columbian Mexico
Current Location: Mexico
Major Highlights: Nahuatl became the major language
Roman civilization emerged around the sixth century BC. Even the story
behind the foundation of ancient Rome is the stuff of legend and myth. At the
height of its power, the Roman Empire ruled over a huge chunk of land, and all
the present-day Mediterranean countries were part of ancient Rome.
Early Rome was governed by kings, but after only seven of them had
ruled, the people took control over their own city and ruled themselves. They
introduced a council known as the Senate which ruled over them. From this point,
Rome was referred to as the Roman Republic.
Rome also saw the rise and fall of some of the greatest emperors in
human history, like Julius Caesar, Trajan, and Augustus. But eventually, the
empire became so vast that it was simply not possible to bring it under single
rule. In the end, the Roman Empire was overrun by millions of barbarians from
the north and east of Europe.
The Aztecs came on to the scene pretty much around the time when the
Incas were emerging as powerful contenders in South America. Around the 1200s
and early 1300s, the people in present-day Mexico lived in three big rival cities –
Tenochtitlan, Texcoco, and Tlacopan. Around 1325, these rivals created an
alliance and the new state came to dominate the Valley of Mexico. Back then, the
people preferred the name Mexica to Aztecs. The rise of the Aztecs was within a
century of the fall of another influential civilization in Mexico and Central America
– the Mayans.
10. The Incan Civilization
Civilization Name: Incan civilization
Period: 1438 AD–1532 AD
Original Location: Present-day Peru
Current Location: Ecuador, Peru, and Chile
Major Highlights: Largest empire in South America in the pre-Columbian era
9. The Aztec Civilization
Civilization Name: Aztec civilization
Period: 1345 AD–1521 AD
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
yearly. Increased crop yields, resulting from agricultural innovations,
contributed to the high population densities of ancient civilization.
When farming became permanent, populations in farming
villages rose. Often, areas near bodies of water were developed into
agricultural lands. However, with the development of irrigation systems
even dry areas were able to participate in food production (Kottak, 2000)
b. Diversification of labor – In a Neolithic village without irrigation or plow
farming, every family member participated in the planting crops. High
crop yields made possible by new farming methods and increased
population permitted a sizable number of people to pursue nonagricultural activities on a full-time basis.
Ancient public records document a variety of specialized workers.
For example, an early Mesopotamia document from the old Babylonian
city of Lagash (modern day Tell al-Hiba, Iraq) listed artisans, craftsmen,
and people who store crops in the temple of granaries as examples of
specialized workers in ancient Babylonian civilization. Other workers
included were coppersmith, silversmiths, sculptors, merchants, potter,
tanners, engravers, butchers, carpenters, spinners, barbers,
cabinetmakers, bakers, clerks, and brewers.
Through specialization came the expertise that led to the
invention of new ways of making and doing things. In Eurasia and Africa,
civilization ushered during the Bronze age, a period marked by the
production of tools and ornaments made of bronze. Metals were in great
demand for the manufacture of tools used by artisans and farmers, as
well as weapons. Copper and tin were smelted, or separated from their
ores, the purified and cast to make plows, swords, axes, and shields. Later
on, such tools were made from smelted iron. In wars, stone knives,
spears, and slings could not stand up against metal spears, arrowheads,
swords, helmets, and armor.
Early civilizations also developed extensive trade systems to
procure the raw materials needed for their technologies. In many parts of
the world, boats provided great access to trade centers, transporting large
loads of imports and exports between cities at less cost than if they had
been carried overland.
The Incan Empire was the largest empire in South America in the pre-Columbian
era. This civilization flourished in the areas of present-day Ecuador, Peru, and
Chile and had its administrative, military, and political center at Cusco which lies
in modern-day Peru.
The rise of cities
If a person grew up in a rural village in Mindanao decided to move to
Makati, he or she would experience a different way of life. The same would be
true for a Neolithic villager dweller who moved into one of the first cities in
Mesopotamia 5500 years ago. Below are the four basic changes that mark the
transition from Neolithic village life to life in the first urban centers:
a. Agricultural Innovation – Changes in farming methods distinguished early
civilizations from Neolithic villages. For example, the ancient Sumerians
built an extensive system like dikes, canals, and reservoirs to irrigate their
farmland. Through an extensivewater infrastructure, they were able to
control water resources at will – water could be held and then run off into
the field, as necessary.
Irrigation was an important factor that increased crop yield.
Freedom from seasonal rain cycles allowed farmers to harvest more crops
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
strong, centralized control. Other ancient sites where centralized
government exists include the Mesopotamian city-states od Sumer, Ur.
Lagash, and Nippur.
Another indicator of the existence of centralized authority is
writing, or some form of recorded information. Through written
documents and artifacts, central authorities disseminated information
and stored, systematized, and transmitted memory and information for
political, religious, and economic purposes.
c. Social stratification - The rise large, economically diversified populations
presided over by centralized governing authorities brought with it the
fourth cultural characteristic of civilization: social stratification or the
emergence of social classes. For example, symbols of special status and
privilege appeared in the ancient cities of Mesopotamia, where people
were ranked according to the kind of work they did or the family into
which they were born.
People who stood or near the head of government were the
earliest holders of high status. As time passed by, the possession of
wealth and the influence it could but became in itself a requisite for high
status, as it is in some contemporary cultures.
Earliest form of Government
A king and his advisors typically headed the earliest city governments. Of
many ancient kings in the world, it was Hammurabi (the Babylonian king who lived
in Mesopotamia between 3700 and 3950 years ago) who issued a set of laws now
known as the Code of Hammurabi. It prescribed the correct form of legal
procedures and determined penalties for perjury and false accusations. It
contained laws applying to property rights, loans and debts, family rights, and
even damages paid for malpractice by a physician. It defined fixed rates to be
charged in various trades and branches of commerce and mechanisms to protect
the poor, women, children, and slaves against injustice.
d. Central government – The mergence of a governing elite also
characterized early civilizations. The challenges new cities faced because
of their size and complexity required a strong central authority. The
governing elite saw to it that different interest groups, such as farmers or
craft specialist, provided their respective services and did not infringe on
one another.
Just as they do today, governments of the past ensured that cities
were safe from their enemies by constructing fortifications and raising an
army. They levied taxes and appointed tax collectors so that construction
workers, army, and other public expenses could be paid. They saw to it
that merchants, carpenters, and farmers who made legal claims received
justice according to standards of the legal system. They guaranteed safety
for the lives and property of ordinary people and assured them that any
harm done to one person by another would be justly handled. In addition,
surplus food had to e stored for times of scarcity, and public works, such
as extensive irrigation systems or fortifications, had to be supervised by
competent, fair individuals.
Evidence of centralized authority in ancient civilization comes
from sources, such as law codes, temple records, and royal chronicles.
Excavation of city structures themselves provides additional evidence
because they can show definite signs of city planning. The precise
astronomical layout of the Mesoamerican city Teotihuacan attest to
The code of Hammurabi retrieved from https://images.app.goo.gl/yVwh1xg8vNm7RRY59
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
Democratization
While some civilization flourished under a single ruler with extraordinary
governing abilities, other civilizations possessed a widespread governing
bureaucracy that was very efficient at every level. The government of the Inca
empire is one such example.
The Inca civilization of Peru surpassed every other civilization of the
Americas and most of those of in Eurasia. An emperor, regarded as the divine son
of the Sun God, headed the government. Under him came the royal family, the
aristocracy, imperial administrators, and lower nobility, and below them the
masses of artisans, craftsmen, and farmers.
The Inca empire was divided into four administrative regions, them
further subdivided into provinces, villages, and families. Agricultural and
harvesting. Teams of professional relay runners carried messages up to 250 miles
in a single day over a network of roads and bridges that remains impressive even
today.
The growth or early cities in the ancient times and the presence of strong
central authority have improved human civilization that evolved for millennia.
The idea of democracy took shape and was seriously put into practice
before it collapsed and was replaced by more authoritarian and asymmetric
forms of government in Ancient Greece. Democracy is a system of government
which embodies, in a variety of institutions and mechanisms, the ideal of political
power based on the will of the people. It is said that democracy is the highest
human achievement in political development because it gives the people a
collective voice in the art of governance. Democratization is a process which leads
to a more open, more participatory, less authoritarian society.
The degree of democracy is formally defined based on two measurable
factors according to Robert Dahl:
a. Political equality - the degree of citizen participation in the political
process.
b. Political Freedom - the degree of acceptance of public contestation.
The goal of democratization is the establishment of “free and fair
elections” (Dahl 2000). It also serves as opportunity in which the various civil
liberties and political rights (freedom of expression, freedom of association,
freedom of the press, suffrage, eligibility for candidacy, etc.), which represent
components of the two above-mentioned factors are tested. The increased
interest in democratization among academics, policy makers, and activists alike is
in large part due to the strengthening of international norms that associate
democracy with many important positive outcomes, from respect for human
rights to economic prosperity to security.
Democratization is the building of political institutions, common interests,
and a new form of legitimating. Consolidating a democracy requires building
political parties and alliances capable of establishing credible national agenda and
control of the military, making the security forces accountable to electoral
The Indian Caste system (example of social hierarchy) retrieved from https://images.app.goo.gl/
fGKPVXVQLh57gMi66
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
representatives, and crafting a constitutional arrangement (voting rules,
distribution of powers, checks on arbitrary action) that will seem fair, open and in
the interest of all major sectors, including old and new elites. Thus,
democratization emerges from political process of clash and compromise and
consensus building (Friedman, 1994).
right of the Council of Elders (Areios Pagos). However, the higher offices of the
city remained in the hands of the elite since it is doubtful whether more than one
fifteenth of the citizens belonged to the pentakosiomedimnoi (five hundred
bushel producers), or the knights, from whom the nine archons were elected.
Even the very right to vote was not universal, since it belonged to those who were
enlisted in some family group (genos) and many Athenians at that time did not
belong to a genos (Fotopoulos, 1992).
Authoritarianism is characterized by a significant concentration of
economic and political power. The land belongs to the a few big landowners
whilst the poor farmers who cultivated it, called Hectemoroi, were obliged to pay
as rent one sixth of their produce. According to research, the relationship of the
Hectemoroi was not simply the result of economic pressures and debts; it
expressed a traditional social status of inferiority which came into existence
during Greek dark ages (1100-800 B.C.), when the weak and the poor offered
their services to the powerful in return for their protection.
Athenian democracy took another 20 or 30 years before election by lot
was first introduced for the archons (with the exception of the office of the
general, which required specialized knowledge and experience) in 487 B.C. and
for the property criterion, which excluded the lower strata from higher offices to
be abolished after the Battle of Plataia, in 479 B.C. Finally, almost another 20
years had to pass for the Areios Pagos (whose members still belonged to the two
richer classes) to be deprived of its privileges, which were transferred to the
Assembly of the People, the Council of the Five Hundred, and the jury courts (461
B.C.) (Fotopoulus, 1992)
However, all the Hectemoroi who could not pay their rent – or, in
general, all debtors who could not pay their loans – lost their freedom. Political
power was still weak since real power rested to a few influential families who
controlled economic and military power. The few political offices (nine archons,
the council of the Areopagus, etc.) belonged, according to one theory, to a
hereditary ruling class, the noblemen. However, according to another theory,
some property criterion had already ben introduced before Solon ruled Athens.
Yet one thing is certain: The right to be elected to the higher offices was
monopolized during that period by the upper social and economic classes
(Fotopoulos, 1992)
The completion of Athenian democracy was associated with the era of
Pericles when both political and economic democracy reached their peak. Greek
political democracy reached its climax when the polis or city state became
autonomous (it sets its own laws); self-judging (jury courts decide on every
dispute); and independent (the Assembly of the People makes all important
decision). These three characteristics, according to the ancient historian
Thucydides, make a city free (Fotopoulos, 1992)
Important steps towards economic democracy were accompanied by
corresponding political reforms. The Assembly of the People (ecclesia), in which
all citizens participated irrespective of income, acquired the right to elect the
leaders (archon) and the deputies (we are not dealing here with the disputed
historical fact that Solon founded the Council of 400 Deputies Vouli, as mentioned
by Aristotle) as well as the right to scrutinize the archons, a previously exclusive
Thereafter, democracy gradually emerged as a working system of
governance. However, it was during the 20th century that democracy became the
normal form of government which any nation is entitled, be it in Europe, America,
Asia, or Africa (Sen, 1999)
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
The idea of democracy as a universal commitment is quite new, and it is
quintessentially a product of the 20th century. The rebels who forced restraint on
the king of England through the Magna Carta saw the need as an entirely local
one. In contrast, the Americans who fought for independence and the
revolutionaries in France contributed greatly to an understanding of the need for
democracy as a general system. Yet the focus of their practical demands
remained quite local – confined, in effect, to the two sides of the North Atlantic,
and founded on the special economic, social, and political history of the region
(Sen, 1999).
Reference links
Characteristics of civilization retrieved from
https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/key-components-civilization/
Democratization retrieved from
https://www.ide.go.jp/English/Research/Topics/Pol/Democratization/overview.html
10 oldest ancient civilization retrieved from https://www.ancienthistorylists.com/ancientcivilizations/10-oldest-ancient-civilizations-ever-existed/
Santarita J., Madrid R. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics. 1253 G. Araneta
Avenue, Quezon city, Vibal Group, Inc
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
Important Reminders
•
Criteria
•
Tear this activity sheet and submit on the scheduled date
along with the other activity (ies) the instructor may have asked the
students to do on a separate paper.
If you are sending something you’ve done online such as MS presentation (s),
pictures, pdfs and alike as an attachment, then you may send them to my email at
____________________________________________ following this format:
(SECTION_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_ACTIVITYNAME), or send a digital copy from
your flash drive together with this activity sheet.
Criteria
2 – Marginal
5
4
3
2
2. Diversification of labor
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
1
Accuracy of given information
Visual Impact
3. Social stratification
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
ACTIVITY 2:
Knowledge Test
Explain the following changes in societies that mark the transition from Neolithic village
life to the development of first urban centers. Your output will be graded based on this
rubric:
4 – Good
3 – Adequate
2 – Marginal
1
1 – No credit /
Creativity
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
2
1. Agricultural Innovation
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
Draw the map of the world on another set of paper an Identify the places where
the earliest civilizations are located .Your output will be graded based on this rubric:
3 – Adequate
3
Grammar usage and Mechanics (spelling,
punctuations, grammatical errors)
Mapping
4 – Good
4
Quality of writing (Informative, well organized
etc.)
ACTIVITY 1:
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
5
1 – No credit /
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
4. Existence of centralized government
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________
MODULE 6:
_______________________3. This process includes the building of political institutions,
common interests, and new forms of legitimating.
_______________________4. Food Production was believed to have started in this
period.
_______________________5. It is considered
Assessment
Test I. Essay Writing. In 3-7 sentences, Answer the questions below.Your output will be
graded based on this rubric:
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
4 – Good
3 – Adequate
Criteria
2 – Marginal
5
4
1 – No credit /
3
2
1
Quality of writing (Informative, well organized
etc.)
Grammar usage and Mechanics (spelling,
punctuations, grammatical errors)
1. What is civilization? What are the characteristics of a civilization? Based on this
characteristic, did the Philippines develop into a civilization? Explain your answer.
2. How did democracy help improve the lives of people/ what are the key features of a
democracy?
Test II. Identification. Identify the terms asked and write your answer on the space
provided.
_______________________1. It refers to societies in which large numbers of people live
in cities.
_______________________2. Babylonian king who issued a set of laws between 37003950 B.C.E.
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
UNIT ONE
MODULE
7
Inclusive dates:
Overview:
Individuals and society
At the end of this module, you are expected to:
• Identify norms and values to be observed in interacting with
others in society, and the consequences of ignoring these rules
• Assess the rules of social interaction to maintain stability of
everyday life and the role of innovation in response to
problems and challenges.
•
•
For an individual to become a functional member of society, he or she
should have a meaningful interaction with thee various social structures and
institutions of society - that is, a pattern of relationship among the basic
components of a social system.
The most potent representation is the process of socialization.
Socialization is a form of interaction by which people considered the essential link
between the individual and society. In fact, socialization slows the individual to
learn he norms, values, languages, skills and beliefs, and other patterns of thought
and action that are essential for social living (Robertson, 1987: 115)
A non-concomitant and non-conformist attitude or behavior pattern of
an individual towards society produces deviance because it primarily violates
significant social norms and as a result disapproved by a large number of people.
Thus, social control is imposed as an effective means of ensuring that people
generally behave in expected and approved ways. It all starts on the socialization
process, which ideally ensures that every individual internalizes and follows the
norms of society.
epics of his or her forebears by listening to the stories of his or her elders in the
community.
Enculturation, therefore, occurs when cultural knowledge is passed onto
the next bearer who will perpetuate and ensure the continuance of their tradition
and practices. Enculturation is also a diffusion of one’s culture to another through
diverse means, namely: learning, imposition by force, and conquest, among
others.
Meanwhile, socialization takes place when prospective culture bearers
learn their culture’s body of knowledge and skills through education or
conscientization, training, exposure, and experience. In pre-modern societies,
socialization is an evolving process from apprenticeship to expertise in handling a
certain craft, e.g. pottery making and metallurgy. Overall, enculturation and
socialization results to
❖
Identity formation – An individual’s identity is formed through his
interaction with other people. A person’s socializations with individuals or
groups allows him or her to imbibe certain characteristics and interest that
contribute to his or her identity (Newman 2012). For example, the centuries
of Philippine Chinese exposure to Filipino culture made them imbibe facets
of Filipino character in the same way Filipino learned to love Chinese
culture like food (e.g. preference for noodle-based cuisine like pancit)
Enculturation and Socialization
In pre-modern societies, learning often takes place through a nonfragmented and integrated process of passing knowledge from one generation to
another. For instance, an Ifugao child learns how to plant rice by becoming an
apprentice to his father, a skilled farmer, not from a structured and formalist
agricultural school. In the same way, a child from Bukidnon learns the treasured
❖
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Norms and values – On the other hand, norms are culturally determined
rules that guide people regarding what is right, wrong, proper, or improper.
Norms create predictability in daily affairs and interactions, making it easier
ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
to live with other members of society (Newman, 2012). These norms are
fundamental to the establishment of social order in any society (Newman,
2012).
Norms did not exist out of thin air. They were initially designed and
created by people who benefitted from their existence or suffered from their
absence (Coleman, 2000). Through the practice of such norms, a order was
established – an order which allows those who created the norms to benefit from
the resulting status quo.
People are subjected to norms when they become part of society. As
such, they are also subjected to the sanctions and rewards of a society’s norms –
whether rewards for adherence to a norm or punishment for a violation of a
norm (Coleman, 2000).
On the other hand, values are standards people use to determine
desirable goals and outcomes (Hewitt and Hewitt, 1986 in Newman, 2012).
Values are criteria on which people base their judgments regarding behaviors and
decisions. In the Philippine setting, values are often used as parameters in
separating what is considered normal and moral from taboo and predatory.
Some examples of Filipino habits and practices that are considered normal
and moral include the following:
- Respect for elders.
- Caring for one’s parents during old age.
- Eating together as one family during meals.
- Praying the rosary and attending mass during Sundays (for Catholics).
- Observing the five pillars of Islam (for Muslims).
- Sense of volunteerism during emergencies and disasters in the
community.
In the Philippines, there are two most popular norms.
I.
Norm of appropriateness – wearing decent and appropriate
clothes for a particular occasion or event
II.
Norm of tact and courtesy – When somebody makes a mistake or
slips in his or her words and actions, we do not laugh or make fun
of the person in order not to embarrass him or her and, at the
same time, express our respect and courtesy.
Filipinos are also noted for their excellent handling of human relations because
they significantly value personhood and human goodness. On the other hand, the
most important values that Filipino possesses are:
• Value of industry – Filipinos take pride in their work because they toiled
hard for it, regardless whether in some instances, they fail along the way.
Filipinos credit success to love of one’s work and hardworking
•
Reciprocity of debt of gratitude (utang na loob) – shown through good
will and thoughtfulness and being mindful and helpful to someone during
trying times. Filipinos, utang na loob cannot be repaid by money or
treasure. Utang na loob is priceless value that sustains and strengthens
human relations beyond the individual, family, society, and even nation.
❖
Statuses and roles– Status is any position that an individual can occupy in
society (Newman, 2012). It is not a ranked position, but simply a label that
implies certain roles that must be performed (Newman, 2012). For example,
one can be a student, a singer, or a computer genius at the same time. While it
is true that some statuses are acknowledged and recognized as prestigious
(e.g. chief justice, Hollywood star, etc.), there are of course exceptions to the
rule. During the Chou dynasty in China, court scholars were admired and
respected for their contributions in the development of Chinese civilization;
yet the court scholars were considered a liability and even charged of causing
instability in the succeeding Ch’in dynasty that unified China into an empire.
Although some statuses are generally recognized as prestigious, prestige like
Meanwhile, examples of taboos and predatory practices include the following:
- Engaging to pre-marital sex and extra-marital affairs
- Involving one’s self to crime and illegal activities such as drug pushing and
trafficking
- Stealing neighbor’s property
- Testifying falsely in court proceedings.
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
beauty is certainly relative or subjective (for example, a preschooler may think
that being a fireman holds a lot of prestige; or a comic book fan may see an
illustrator with tremendous prestige).
Every person can be simultaneously holding various statuses at any point
in time. For instance, a person can be a sibling, student, a citizen of a country,
and a fan of basketball all at the same time (Kottak, 2012; Newman, 2012). In a
specific situation, when a person’s different roles, his or her actions will reflect
which status is more important in that certain circumstances at that given time
(Newman, 2012).
However, there are times when people find it difficult to decide which of
their different statuses is the most important. This is especially true when
multiple statuses provide numerous benefits to the individual. Thus, role
conflict occurs when two statuses, both applicable to the situation, require
distinct and divergent roles from the individual. For example, being a politician
is a prestigious status because it gives recognition to the individual as a public
leader, who is expected to be a public servant who is willing to share his or her
resources to his or her constituents, so he or she could maintain his or her
resources to his or her status and power in society. Balancing the status of a
public leader or powerful politician and public servant sometimes create a role
conflict.
In some situations, statuses do not have to compete for importance as
only one or few may be relevant to the situation (Kottak, 2000). For example, a
girl in geometry class will not consider her being a member of the school’s
swimming team to be of much help in answering her teacher’s question about
the perimeter of a building. In the same way, a math geek will not mind being
called an introvert or anti-social by his peers every time he prepares for the
school’s much anticipated Math Olympiad.
Two types of status
a. Ascribed status – Given at birth or assigned later in life (e.g. age, sex,
ethnicity, and membership in a family)
However, the distinction between ascribed and achieved statuses is not
always clear (Newman, 2012). For example, although winning an election
could be considered as an achieve status, those who won because they
belonged to a politically elite family may have won because of their family
name, not through their efforts to seek election.
Understanding Conformity and Deviance
Conformity is where individuals attempt to change his/her behavior
because of the desire to conform with the defined social norm.
Different types of conformity according to Kelman (1958).
1. Compliance (group acceptance) - Occurs when an individual accepts
influence because he hopes to achieve a favorable reaction from another person
or group. He adopts the induced behavior because he expects to gain specific
rewards or approval and avoids specific punishment or disapproval by conformity.
2. Internalization (genuine acceptance of group norms) - This occurs
when an individual accepts influence because the content of the induced
behavior—the ideas and actions of which it is composed—is intrinsically
rewarding. He adopts the induced behavior because it is congruent or consistent
with his value system.
3. Identification - This occurs when an individual accepts influence
because he wants to establish or maintain a satisfying self-defining relationship to
another person or group. Individuals conform to the expectations of a social role
(e.g. Nurses, police officers.)
4. Ingratiation - This is when a person conforms to impress or gain
favor/acceptance from other people. It is similar to normative influence, but is
motivated by the need for social rewards rather than the threat of rejection.
Example group pressure does not enter the decision to conform.
b. Achieved status –Acquired willfully and consciously through effort,
talent, decisions, and accomplishments. (e.g. being someone’s
Boyfriend or Girlfriend, Being the top student in one’s class, and
being a black belter in Karate.
Nonconformity of an individual would mean deviation from the
acceptable social norms which is known as social deviance. Social Deviance refers
to any behavior that differs or diverges from established social norms.
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Mechanism of social control
Many books in sociology define deviance in broad terms, ranging from
defiance or violation of societal norms to breakage of conventions and realms of
morality. However, deviance centers on occurrences that violate mores. Mores
are one of the components of norms that are often taken very seriously by society
and sometimes codified as laws (Newman, 2012).
Mores are strong norms that are regarded as morally significant and
violations of them are considered a serious matter (Robertson, 1987:62). The
word “mores” originated from a Roman term that means the “most respected and
sacred custom.” For instance, an individual who walks down the street wearing
nothing is considered violating one of the most important universal mores – the
requirement that people should cover their genitals and buttocks in public. In a
way, this applies to most modern societies where decency is equated with
appropriate clothing. But in the pre-modern world, society valued nakedness as a
manifestation of beauty and even strength. As a whole, mores are crucial in the
maintenance of a decent and orderly society.
So far, there is no existing list of universal deviant behaviors across
cultures because deviance is basically socially constructed and only determined by
members of society (Newman, 2012). In short, deviance is characterized for its
contextualized nature and relativity. Within a particular culture, deviance may be
perceived and interpreted according to circumstances or preconditioned notions.
Take sexual intercourse for example. The act is considered deviant in many
cultures in Europe and Asia, especially those which strictly adhere to JudeoChristian percepts, if it is done outside the formal rite of matrimony. In contrast,
pre-modern societies in Africa and some parts of northern Sahara practice
“deflowering” ceremonies to prospective brides prior to marriage. In the same
way, sexual treaties like the famous Kama Sutra that are legally and religiously
read in India can appear pornographic and deviant representations of sex for
other cultures.
The most popular form of deviance is the commitment of crime, which is
defined as the violation of norms that have been formally enacted into criminal
law. Criminal deviance itself is varied ranging from minor violation of traffic rules
to serious offenses like murder and rape. In modern societies, juvenile
delinquency is also considered a deviant crime being a violation of legal standards
by children or adolescents.
Deviance is checked through social control to ensure that norms and
conventions are safeguarded, and order preserved. Society controls individual
ideas and behaviors through the following mechanism.
Labeling theory – This theory states how members of society label others,
whether they are deviant or not. (Newman, 2012). People label others as deviant
when they defy or do not conform to social norms. Bob-conformity provides
offensive signals to holders of norms; non-conformity is often tantamount to
disagreement and disapproval
Being labeled a deviant entails numerous consequences throughout an
individual’s life. After a group of people has labeled an individual as a deviant,
members of a community or society often treat the individual negatively and with
feelings of hate, mistrust, or fear (Cohen, 1966 in Newman, 2012). Moreover, a
person’s chance of acquiring socially acceptable roles and relationships with other
people becomes limited when he or she is labeled as deviant.
Gossip – This is often practiced in small-scale communities where people
know each other personally. Because small-scale communities heavily rely on
“getting along” with each other, outburst or confrontational situations are not
ideal. By gossiping or talking behind someone’s back and spreading rumors about
him or her, society reinforces what norms should be followed and punishes the
deviants by putting them to shame. Lastly, gossip is also used to level the playing
field – especially when the subject of gossips are successful people – by putting
achievers to shame or putting them to the same level as others. (Haviland, Prins,
Walrath, and McBride, 2008).
Laws – Laws are formal codes of conduct that are met with negative
sanctions (i.e. punishment) when violated (Haviland, Prins, Walrath, and McBride,
2008). Laws are meant to guide the daily lives of members of society by providing
clear definitions of relationships among individuals, including expectations on how
people should behave in particular contexts. Importantly, the law dictates to
whom authority is given. Only those who exercise authority are recognized by the
members of society to practice coercion in the exercise of sanction (Haviland,
Prins, Walrath, and McBride, 2008). Lastly, laws change as well. Old laws can be
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
revised or discarded according to the changing needs of a society. For example,
the Hammurabi laws codified for Babylonian citizenry underwent revisions in the
succeeding laws imposed by Assyrians, Chaldeans, and Persians in the
Mesopotamian city-states.
4. Civil Rights- These are rights specified under the Bill of rights. (Freedom
of speech, right to information) Rights enjoyed by an individual by virtue of his
citizenship in a state or community.
5. Economic Rights- rights to property, whether personal, real or
intellectual. (Right to use and dispose his property, right to practice one’s
profession, right to make a living)
6. Political Rights- rights an individual enjoys as a consequence of being a
member of body politic. (Right to vote and right to be voted into public office)
Human Dignity, Rights and the common Good
Whether the individual conforms to the norms imposed by the majority of
the society or otherwise, he or she should be given the appropriate space to
express himself or herself and possibly participate in democratic processes.
Societies through the years have crafted political or legal mechanisms to protect
its members. One of these mechanisms is the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights (UDHR) of 1948, which states in its Preamble that “the inherent dignity” of
all members of the human family is the “foundation of freedom, justice, and
peace in the world. “Thereafter, the idea of human dignity has been at the heart
of the major human rights instruments, beginning with the two international
covenants on human rights adopted in 1966: the International Covenant on Civil
and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights (ICECSR), as well as in most treaties banning torture, slavery,
inhuman and degrading treatments, and discriminations of all sorts (Andorno).
Human Rights are natural rights of all human beings whatever their
nationality, religion, ethnicity, sex, language and color. We are equally entitled to
our human rights without discrimination.
1. Natural Rights- rights inherent to man and given to him by God as
human being. (Right to live, love and be happy)
“These rights derive from the inherent dignity if the human person” (ICCPR and
ICESCR, Preambles). This means that basic human rights are inherent to every
person, thus, basic human rights cannot be taken away by authorities or
governments.
In the Philippines, the government has devised various mechanisms to advance
human dignity and protect the rights of every Filipino. In fact, a department has
been instituted to perform its mandate to put forward the common good of every
Filipino.
The Commission on Human Rights (CHR0 of the Philippines was created in
1987 through Executive order No. 163. An independent national human rights
institution, the CHR ensures that the human rights of individuals, especially the
marginalized and vulnerable, are protected, promoted, and fulfilled – based on
equality and non-discrimination (CHR).
Human dignity is also recognized by the Philippine government as
manifested in Section 11 of Article II of the 1987 Constitution. Section 11 notes
that the state values the dignity of individuals and guarantees that human rights
will be upheld. Moreover Section 12 of Article III of the Constitution “prohibits the
use of torture, force, violence, threat, intimidation, or any other means which
vitiate the free will and mandates the compensation and rehabilitation of victims
of torture or similar practices and their families”
2. Constitutional Rights- rights guaranteed under the fundamental charter
of the country (rights against unreasonable searches and seizure, rights
safeguarding the accused.)
3. Statutory Rights- rights provided by the law making body of a country
or by law, such as the right to receive a minimum wage and right to preliminary
investigation.
The Philippines also follows international human rights laws and
conventions and the UDHR, including the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and other cruel,
inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
Moreover, the Philippine government has also passed laws that ensure
the protection of human rights of people.
These laws include:
A. Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012 or Republic Act (RA)
NO. 10364 - Aims to eliminate the trafficking of people, especially women and
children. It gives protection and support to victims of trafficking and punishes
those who commit the crime. It also aims to protect people from violence,
exploitation, stop involuntary migration and servitude. More importantly, it aims
to rehabilitate victims of illegal trafficking and exploitation.
in order for them to meet their daily needs (for example, paying bills and buying
food).
Merton’s theory was further expanded by the study of Richard Cloward
and Lloyd Ohlin who pointed that the criminal type of deviance can be result not
only from the lack of culturally approved means to achieve success but also from
the availability of unconventional means to do so. For instance, a youth who has
substantial opportunities to achieve success through legitimate means can be
expected to do so, while those who have relatively more illegitimate opportunities
are likely to use them. Thus, Cloward and Ohlin attempted to explain delinquency
in terms of the relative opportunity structure available to various categories of the
youth.
B. Human Rights Victims Reparation and Recognition Act of 2013 or
Republic Act (RA) No. 10368. - “provides for the reparation and recognition of
victims of human rights violations” during the dictatorship of Ferdinand E. Marcos,
from September 21, 1972 to February 25, 1986. This law recognizes the “heroism
and Sacrifices” of Martial law victims who were tortured, summary executed, and
experienced enforced or involuntary disappearance, among others. Aiming to
restore the dignity and honor of Martial law victims, RA 10368 acknowledges the
moral and legal duty of the government to give reparation to the victims and/or
their families “for the deaths, injuries, sufferings, deprivations and damages they
suffered under the Marcos regime”
Strain Theory
Robert Merton claimed that the operation of society actually encourages
crime and other types of deviance, especially by people in certain situations. This
theory states that deviant behavior occurs when people experience strain or
tension when culture imposes goals that individuals should achieve, but the social
environment makes it hard or challenging for individuals to meet such goals
through a legitimate manner. Put in another way, when a society’s balance,
deviant behavior occur.
A good example is the popular notion that “poverty breeds crime.” This
presupposes that the very existence of poor people within the social structure
leads to deviance. In the Philippines, for instance, lawlessness is always blamed to
poor people because the prevailing social conditions force them to commit crimes
Members of society react to strain in five different ways:
a. Conformity (Hopeful poor) – Individuals still accept cultural goals and try
to achieve them through culturally approved methods. For instance, many
poor people in the Philippines generally accept their fate although many
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
are still hopeful that sending their children in school will uplift them from
impoverishment.
b. Innovation (Surviving poor) – Individuals still accept cultural goals but go
about in achieving it in a culturally disapproved way. For example, some
poor people resort to illegal activities (like stealing other’s property) in
order to survive.
c. Ritualism (Passive poor) – Individuals still live in society and follow it
culturally approved ways, but they no longer try to achieve cultural goals.
For instance, some poor people have already accepted – and content –
that they are poor. Resigned to their social condition, they live peacefully
with their neighbors and do not pose as threats to the latter.
d. Retreat (Retreating poor) – Individuals no longer desire to achieve cultural
goals and have abandoned the culturally approved ways of achieving
those goals. For example, some poor people no longer have the desire to
improve their lot. They commit illegal activities and crime to earn a living.
e. Rebellion (Resisting poor) – Individuals challenge the existing culturally
accepted goals by coming up with new ones and also challenge the
prescribed means in achieving cultural goals. For instance, some poor
people resist the prevailing notion of poverty. They use their
resourcefulness, ingenuity, and innovation to improve their lives. They
also follow decent and legal means.
Reference links
Human dignity and rights retrieved from
http://www.lawphil.net/statuses/repacts/ra2013/ra_10368_2013.html
RA 10364 retrieved from http://www.gov.ph/2013/02/06/repblic-act-no-10364
RA10368 retrieved from http://www.gov.ph/2013/02/25/repblic-act-no-10364
Santarita J., Madrid R. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics. 1253 G. Araneta
Avenue, Quezon City, Vibal Group, Inc
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
ACTIVITY 3:
Important Reminders
•
Strain Theory
•
Tear this activity sheet and submit on the scheduled date
along with the other activity (ies) the instructor may have asked the
students to do on a separate paper.
If you are sending something you’ve done online such as MS presentation (s),
pictures, pdfs and alike as an attachment, then you may send them to my email at
____________________________________________ following this format:
(SECTION_LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME_ACTIVITYNAME (e.g. IC1MA_DELA CRUZ_JUAN
PEDRO_SELF-CONCEPT INVENTORY), or send a digital copy from your flash drive
together with this activity sheet.
Create a scenario which shows the “reaction” of the students towards the process of
achieving their goal (pass the class with high grades)
Reaction
Conformity
ACTIVITY 1:
Innovation
Identifying deviance
Determine which among the following activities can be considered deviant behavior.
Write D if it is a Deviant and N if it is a Norm.
________1. Walking naked in public places like parks and malls.
________2. Reading books in a school library.
________3. Answering long distance calls in a phone booth.
________4. Wearing sexy clothes during religious ceremonies.
________5. Driving at the wrong side of the road.
________6. Playing with younger sibling during weekends.
________7. Indulging in alcohol and dangerous drugs.
________8. Tagging along with criminals.
________9. Listening attentively to the keynote speaker during a public forum.
________ 10. Visiting a sick friend in the hospital.
Ritualism
Retreat
Rebellion
ACTIVITY 2:
Identifying deviance
Give at least 10 common law-breaking activities or actions that most people do not
consider serious, and the legal penalty in your area for each violation.
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Scenario
ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
MODULE 7:
Assessment
Test I. Essay Writing. In 3-7 sentences, Answer the questions below. Your output will be
graded based on this rubric:
5 – Excellent
unacceptable
4 – Good
3 – Adequate
Criteria
2 – Marginal
5
4
1 – No credit /
3
2
1
Quality of writing (Informative, well organized
etc.)
Grammar usage and Mechanics (spelling,
punctuations, grammatical errors)
Following the instructions.
1. Can learning take place in a society without the process of enculturation and
socialization? Explain your answer.
2. How does social status and roles determine a person’s level of interaction in a society?
3. How effective are social controls in checking and managing deviant behavior?
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ASIAN INSTITUTE OF COMPUTER STUDIES (AICS)
1st Quarter Project
Relevance to the theme
Development of Advocacy Materials
Overall impact (message and visual impact)
Directions: Create a Slogan, a Jingle, and a Poster on how to protect Human dignity,
Rights and the Common good. You will be graded according to the rubrics below
5 – Excellent
4 – Good
3 – Adequate
2 – Marginal
1 – No credit /
unacceptable
For the Jingle
In 2-4 minutes, make a video of your Jingle performance that shows how we can
encourage others to protect human dignity, rights and common good, and pass it through
messenger, e-mail or flash drive together with its lyrics.
For the Slogan
In a 1/8 illustration board create a slogan with the theme: Protecting human dignity,
rights and the common good.
Criteria
5
4
3
2
Criteria
1
Creativity (thoughts and efforts used)
Content (Message)
Relevance to the theme
Execution (precision and discipline)
Craftsmanship (attractive in terms of neatness and
construction)
Relevance to the theme
Video Quality
Grammar
Originality
Overall impact (message and visual impact)
Audience impact (overall performance)
For the Poster
In a 1/8 illustration board create a poster which shows ways on how we can protect
human dignity, rights and the common good.
Criteria
5
4
3
2
1
Creativity (thoughts and efforts used)
Graphic Clarity ( content is in focus, easily viewed/identified)
Craftsmanship (attractive in terms of neatness and
construction)
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5
4
3
2
1