ORGIL, ELBERT RENAND T.

SA REFLECTION 1
4AR6

CHAPTER I: Sociology and Architecture

Chapter I of the social anthropology class introduced me to sociology. It
talked about its history and from this I saw how sociology functions in our society.
I learned how it relates to human behavior and interaction. The first chapter
discussions made me realize how imperfect our society is and explained to me
why a certain society functions the way it is. It is in this chapter I realized Society
or Man will continue to evolve, change, and grow. It is natural for people or society
to desire for progress or change that favors them even if it leads to the suffering of
the minorities. What explains this is the concept of thesis, anti-thesis, and
synthesis. In this concept, thesis is the current situation that a certain group wants
to overthrow. That group introduces an alternative or in other terms, anti-thesis.
After the conflict, the resolution or the synthesis follows. The synthesis now
becomes the new thesis and the cycle starts again. As one can see in the cycle,
the society thrives to grow and change. When a certain group of people feels that
there is something wrong with the current situation, it takes action and looks for a
better system that would satisfy their needs and expectations. This cycle occurs
not only in the society, it also occurs in the field of art. In this case, a trend in the
field of arts needs to be changed or evolved. When a trend is at its peak, there
would be artists who would take this trend down and introduce a new trend and
the cycle repeats. This concept happens in architecture which explains why man
continues to see how architectural styles evolve. People’s needs and expectations
change that’s why social change happens. Their taste also changes that’s why art
continues to evolve, architecture continues to evolve, society continues to evolve.
This cycle is never-ending, the only thing that can stop the cycle is the society,
man, the people and that makes us powerful.
Sociology is about patterns on human behavior. And as an architecture
student, I can see the importance of sociology in architecture profession. I think
that patterns in human behavior should be considered when designing. Why?
Because they are the users of the buildings architects design. The way a society
moves and their taste will be the determining factor of their spatial needs.
Sociology plays a big part in determining these things because it studies groups of
people and the society. It studies how people interact. The concepts used in
sociology can be useful to architects since we need to know how people behave.
In this way architects can design spatial relationships better and improve the social
experience of the users.
ORGIL, ELBERT RENAND T. SA REFLECTION 1
4AR6

CHAPTER II: Culture

It is true that culture makes a certain group different from others. It is not
totally different and there are some commonalities. Culture is the way of life of a
community or a society. It explains their behavior and how they interact and
socialize with the other groups.
A unique part of the Filipino culture is the “Mano Po”. It is a gesture that
shows respect to the elders. It is still evident in our culture and I am glad that the
modern society is not leaving it behind unlike the other traditions that became part
of our culture. This gesture shows how the Filipino people value their elders and
their wisdom. There are many other practices that define the Filipino culture. It is
not always the small practices we see in the Filipino culture. An example is when
Filipinos enter a house and leave their slippers in front of the door. This keeps the
floor inside clean. It is a distinct practice that served as an indicator of a Filipino
home. It is funny yet a beautiful thing to know about Filipino homes and families.
Culture can also be specific. Take as an example the different groups in a
school campus. Students have their different set of friends who have different
beliefs. What affects their beliefs and culture are the organizations they join.
Another factor are the things they love to do or their hobbies. For example, a group
of athletic students have a different culture compared to a group of book-loving
students. They might have different views on certain subjects or topics but there
will be still common things in their culture.
Culture is something that keeps the people together, it can be viewed like
that. It can also be something that developed from the same beliefs and practices
that people share. A culture develops as society develops. It is just sad that as
society moves toward progress, some practices that define our culture are left
behind. Culture defines what a society is, its standing or role in among other
societies.