COR 013: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
M8: Exploring Biological and Cultural Evolution: Cultural and Sociological Evolution
Evolution — Gradual process in which something changes into different and usually more complex or
better form
Natural Selection — Process whereby organisms better adapted to their environment tend to
survive and produce more offspring. The theory of its action was first fully expounded by Charles
Darwin.
Biological Evolution — (Genetic) evolution occurs through genetic variation and reproduction, and
involves the transfer of genes from one generation to the next.
Cultural Evolution — Occurs through the development of customs and languages, and involves the
transfer of information either within a generation or across manu generations. Any unit of cultural
information, such as a practice or an idea that gets transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one
mind to another, is called a meme.
Biological Evolution
Traits can be transmitted to a person only from
parents.
Transmission can only occur from one generation
to next.
Cultural Evolution
Traits can be transmitted to a person by many
unrelated people.
Transmission can be written or between
generation and can be widely separated in time
and space.
People cannot choose which genetic traits they
People can choose to accept or reject some
inherit.
cultural traits.
Data transmitted is encoded by genetic materials Data transmitted can assume the form of
(DNA).
written or spoken languages.
Sociocultural Evolution — Is an umbrella team for theories of cultural evolution and social evolution,
describing how cultures and societies have changed over time.
Gerhard Lenski
— An American sociologist known for contributions to the sociology of religion, social
inequality, and ecological-evolutionary social theory.
— His sociological evolution approach views technological progress as the most basic
factor in the evolution of societies and cultures.
Technology — an information about how to use the material resources. Through
the use of technology, societies will develop and evolve better than before.
Technological Evolution — Changes over time in technology that give humans increased control over
their environment.
M9: Try to answer the following questions in your module. :>
CASILANG, John Michael Lloyd
COR 013: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
M10: Becoming a Member of Society and Organizing Society — Enculturation / Socialization
Enculturation
— Process by which a child learns his or her culture. It is the process by which people
learn the requirements of their surrounding culture and acquire values and
behaviors appropriate or necessary in that culture.
— Process which all individuals undergo throughout his whole life it is both conscious
and unconscious procedure starting from birth up to death. In connection to that. it
happens not only when a person goes to school for formal education, but also,
ENCULTURATION happens when through family, peers, and other that socialize with
the person throughout the person's lifetime process whereby the helpless infant
gradually becomes a self-aware, knowledgeable person, skilledin the ways of the
culture into which is born (Anthony Giddens).
— Through ENCULTURATION, a person would be able to leam and understand social
norms. values, language, behavior and other important things about a person's
culture. Because of enculturation, a person would become conscious or informed of
his rights, obligation and privileges as part of community or society (Grunlan and
Meyers, 1988)
Socialization
The Socialization Process
o
o
Humans learn the expectations of society through socialization.
Socialization is different based on race, gender and class.
Consequences of Socialization
1.
2.
3.
4.
Establishes self-concepts.
Creates the tendency for people to act in socially acceptable ways.
Creates the capacity for role taking.
Makes people bearers of culture.
Agents of Socialization
1. Family — Most important agent of socialization. Families introduce children to the
expectations of society.
2. School — Teach children values and customs of the larger society.
3. Religion — Child is not raised in a religious family, it influences morality. It affects the
manner of dressing. speech and manners.
4. Peer Group — Group of persons of roughly the same age who are linked by common
interests. For children, peer culture is an important source of identity.
5. Mass Media and Technology — Shapes our attitudes, values and other basic orientation to
life.
6. Workplace — Major agent of socialization for adults; from jobs, we learn not only skills but
also matching attitudes and values.
CASILANG, John Michael Lloyd
COR 013: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
M11: Becoming a Member of Society and Organizing Society — Conformity and Deviance
Social Control — is the process of creating and maintaining stability in simplest term, the power of
society over individuals. It is important to have social control because it is eliciting certain behavior
which empowers individuals to conform to the norms. Given this, society is known to be a collection of
harmonious relationship between individuals. Without harmony there would be no existing relationship
and there would be no society (Pujan, 2015). Furthermore, the idea of reward and punishments are
used in social control. Rewards are given to individuals who exemplified the values and follow the norms
usually those who conform in contrast, punishments are given to those individuals who deviate from the
social norms.
Conformity
— Behavior which involves change in order to fit in
— Social influence involving a change in belief or behavior in order to fit in
with a group. The term conformity is used to indicate an agreement to the
majority position, brought about either by a desire to 'fit in' or be liked or
because of a desire to be correct or simply to conform to a social role.
Deviance
— Violates social norms, and is usually of sufficient severity to warrant
disapproval from the majority of society. Deviance, like conformity, is
shaped by society. Each society defines what is deviant and what is not, and
definitions of deviance differ widely between societies.
— An act that is considered by public consensus or the powerful at a given
place and time to be a violation of some social rule is called Deviant
behavior.
Robert K. Meton's Deviance Typology
1. CONFORMIST — Accept goal, accept means. These are group of people that follow the norms,
and also trust the system which would help them achieve their goal.
2. RITUALISTS — Reject goals, accept means the people that reject or do not believe in the goals of
the society. However, they still accept the means by doing the same things as what conformists
do. Being a ritualist is a form of deviance, by rejecting the goals of society, individuals deviate
themselves from the norm. But it does not necessarily mean that these people are lawbreakers.
3. INNOVATORS — Accept goals, reject means. They are the opposite of ritualists. Innovators are
the people that accept the society's goal, however, they reject the ways on how to get the
society's goal they are deviant because of their means or action on how achieve goals. Their
different means deviate themselves from the norm, which usually borders on law breaking.
4. RETREATISTS — Reject goals, reject means These are types of people who reject both the goals
and means of the society, which makes them deviant These are people who avoid the establish
goals and avoid the means of what they should do. These people retreat to a kind of lifestyle
that they want to live in, not what the society dictates them to live in.
5. REBELS — Reject goals, reject means. These are people who are not satisfied with the current
system, but instead they are the one who want to create a new goal and means for the society
CASILANG, John Michael Lloyd
COR 013: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
which make the deviant. These people are the people who are extremely dangerous like
terrorists because they want a new goal and means wherein, they are ones who would benefit,
and not the society.
Types of Deviant behavior
1. Infringement Or Violation Against Self
Examples: drug abuse, suicide, alcoholism, smoking, illegal gambling, prostitution
2. Violation on life, Property, Liberty and State
Examples: vandalism, abortion, rebellion, juvenile delinquency, organized crime and syndicate,
graft and corruption.
3. Violation against Sex Code and Laws
Examples: pornography, sexual harassment, sex-transplant, adultery, homosexuality
M12: Human Dignity, Rights and The Common Good
In the conclusion of World War II, people recognized the need of people to have rights in order to
prevent mass killing and the holocaust to ever happen again. People back then realized the importance
of human equality and dignity as the majority of the Jews were tortured and killed. That realization has
become the basis for creating universal rights for humans, it was also clear that the protection of human
dignity is a principal driver toward the establishment of the human rights.
Human Dignity
— All human beings are born free and equal in "dignity and rights". Article 1 of
the Universal Declaration of Human rights (UDHR). Therefore, all human is
entitled to having rights regardless of skin color, age, height, race, and etc.
— Inviolable and it must be respected and protected. The dignity of the human
person is not only a fundamental right in itself, but constitutes the basis of
fundamental rights in international law.
Human Rights
— Inherent to all human beings, whatever our nationality. place of residence,
sex, national or ethnic origin, color, religion, language, or any other status.
We are all equally entitled to our human rights without discrimination.
These rights are all interrelated. interdependent and indivisible.
— As to being part of the modern world, respecting human rights is an
important factor for common good. We should realize that whenever our
human rights are protected so is our human dignity.
Below is the listing of 30 basic human rights listed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which
was created by the United Nations in 1948 to provide a global understanding of how to treat individuals.
CASILANG, John Michael Lloyd
COR 013: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
The Universal Declaration of Human:
1. We are all free and equal. We are all bom free. We all have our own thoughts and ideas. We should
all be treated in the same way.
2. Don't discriminate. These rights belong to everybody, whatever our differences.
3. The rights to life. We all have the rights to life, and to live in freedom and safety.
4. No slavery - past and present. Nobody has any right to make us a slave. We cannot make anyone our
5. No torture. Nobody has any right to hurt us or to torture us.
6. We all have the same right to use the law. I am a person just like you!
7. We are all protected by the law. The law is the same for everyone. It must treat us all fairly.
8. Fair treatment by fair courts. We can all ask for the law to help us when we are not treated fairly.
9. No unfair detainment. Nobody has the right to put us in prison without a good reason and keep us
there, or to send us away from our country.
10. The right to trial. If we are put on trial this should be in public. The people who try us should not let
anyone tell them what to do.
11. Innocent until proven guilty. Nobody should be blame for doing something until it is proven. When
people say we did bad thing we have the right to show it is not true.
12. The right to privacy. Nobody should try to harm our good name. Nobody has the right to come into
our home open our letters or bother us or our family without a good reason. We all have the right to go
where we want in our own country and to travel as we
13. Freedom to move. We all have the right to move to go where we want in our own country and to
travel as we wish.
14. The right to asylum. If we are frightened of being badly treated in our own country, we all have
15. The right to a nationality. We all have the right to belong to a country
16. Marriage and family. Every grown-up has the right to marry and have a family if they want to. Men
and women have the sane right when they are married, and when they are separated the right to run
away to another country to be safe.
17. Your own things. Everyone has the right to on things or share them. Nobody should take our things
from us without a good reason
18. Freedom of thought. We all have the right to believe in what we want to believe, to have a religion,
or to change it if we want.
19. Free to say what you want. We all have the right to make up our own minds, to think what we like
to say what we think, and to share our ideas with other people.
CASILANG, John Michael Lloyd
COR 013: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
20. Meet where you like. We all have the rights to meet our friends and to work together in a peace to
defend our rights. Nobody can make us join a group if we don't want to. 21. The right to democracy. We
all have the night to take in the government of our country. Every grown- up should be allowed to
choose their own leaders.
22. The right to social security. We all have the right to affordable housing, medicine, education, and
child care, enough money to live on and medical help if we are or old.
23. Workers' rights. Every grown-up has the right to do a job, to a fair wage to their work, and to join a
trade union.
24. The right to play. We all have the right to rest from work or to relax.
25. A bed and some food. We all have the right to a good life. Mothers and children, people who are
old, unemployed or disabled, and all people have the right to care for.
26. The right to education. Education is a right. Primary school should be free. We should learn about
the United Nation and how to get on with others. Our parents can choose what we leam.
27. Culture and copy right. Copy right is a special law that protects one's own artistic creation and
writings: others cannot make copies without permission. We all have the right to our own way of life
and to enjoy the good things that art science and leaming bring our own
28. A free and fair world. There must be proper order so we can all enjoy rights and freedom in country
and all over the world.
29. Our responsibilities. We have a duty to other people, and we should protect their rights and
freedom.
30. Nobody can take away these rights and freedom from us.
Common Good
— The sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as
individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily." It is the
greatest possible good for the greatest possible number of individuals. The
common good concerns the life of all. The common good of the whole
human family requires that all societies work together for a just world
where all persons, made in the image and likeness of God are able to reach
their human fulfillment.
CASILANG, John Michael Lloyd
COR 013: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
M13: Groups Within Society
Social Group — It consist of two or more people who interact with one another and who recognize
themselves as distinct social unit (Giddens, 1993).
The understanding of social groups is of primary importance to the understanding of human behavior.
People do not live as isolated creatures. They live in groups. Through the different activities undertaken
within the group, social life is sustained. We are all born into and spend our entire lives within a group.
In the book entitled "Social Organization: A study of the larger mind", Charles Horton Colley classified
group into two: the primary and the secondary group.
Classification of Groups
Primary Group
— Is a small social group whose members share personal and lasting
relationship. Members of the primary spend a great deal time together,
engage in a wide range of activities and leisure time together, and feel that
they know one another well. In short, they show real concern for one
another.
— It plays a significant role in an individual's development. Relationships are
formed in primary groups are often long-lasting and goals in themselves.
They also are often psychologically comforting to the individuals involved
and provide a source of support.
— Concern for one another, shared activities and culture, and long periods of
time spent together. Members share intimate and personal relationships,
often serving as a support and comfort to those involved. The goal of
primary groups is actually the relationships themselves rather than
achieving some other purposes (relationship- oriented).
Examples of Primary Group:
1. Family — Families spend a significant amount of time together, allowing the
members to support, comfort, and encourage one another. Families are
connected for a lifetime and are significant to each member's personal
growth.
2. Friends — They often spend a lot of time experiencing different adventure
together, chatting about personal stories and simply enjoying each- other's
company.
3. Love Relationship — a couple in a love relationship is first brought together as
a result of mutual physical and emotional attraction. They spend a significant
amount of time together, whether that involves learning about one another
or collectively sharing new experience.
CASILANG, John Michael Lloyd
COR 013: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Secondary Group
— Are large cluster of people who have a mutually shared purpose, often
aiming to complete tasks. They are much less likely to be an influence to an
individual's identity it sometimes involves weak emotional and
interpersonal ties compared to the primary group.
— They interact on a less personal level than in a primary group, and their
relationships are temporary. It established to perform function, people's
role is more interchangeable compared to primary group. They are based on
interests and activities.
Examples of Secondary Group:
1. SCHOOL / CLASS — A classroom consists of students and a teacher, in
which the teacher is in charge of creating a structure and environment
that help the students learn. Much less of being emotional with each
other
2. WORKPLACE or PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT — The goal of the structured
environment in the workplace is to fulfill a predetermined assignment.
Characteristics of Primary and Secondary Groups
Primary Groups
Secondary Groups
Personal and intimate relationship
Communication is in-direct
Face to face communication
Duration is temporary
Strong sense of loyalty
Group cohesiveness is weak and are based on
self-interest
Permanence
Decision are based on rationality and rules
Small in size
Structure is formal
Informality and traditional and non-rational
Groups boundaries
decision-making
People in groups create boundaries to maintain a distinction between the "we" of the group and the
“they” outside the group.
“We” — people who are considered part of a certain group.
“They” — who do not belong to a certain group, to describe the we" and the "they" feelings, Willan
Graham Sumner, developed the concepts of "in-groups" and "out-groups"
In-Group
— Groups to which a person belongs. They consist of people in whose
presence the person feels comfortable and with whom he or she shares
common experiences. They have the "we" feeling for they are similar in
certain ways, such as in being poor, being rich, being a Tagalog and other
social variable.
Out-Group
— Groups to which a person does not belong. If you are a member of a club,
those who are not members are out-groups. Individuals do not belong due
CASILANG, John Michael Lloyd
COR 013: Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
to differences with which they do not identify. In other words, out-groups
are "they" group. The out-group includes those people who are excluded
when we use the word "we"
CASILANG, John Michael Lloyd