THE STO.

NIÑO FORMATION AND SCIENCE SCHOOL-NIGHT CLASS

San Roque, Rosario, Batangas
School Year 2020-2021
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

UNIT 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

LESSON 1: POLITICS, GOVERNANCE AND OTHER KEY CONCEPTS

 Political science deals with the study of power in the society, politics and government.
 The Greek formulated the word politics during the 4th and 5th century.
 Politics was inseparable from life in the polis or place or state shared by a certain group of people. This concept of politics
may be as old as the first organization created by man.
 According to Aristotle and Plato, humans are not self-sufficing so they find the need to come together as a community. From
this union comes the need for politics and governance to maintain order within a society.

Plato Aristotle
 Social contract theorists like Thomas Hobbes, Jean Jacques Rousseau and John Locke during the 17th and 18th century Europe
stressed the hypothetical state of nature that was devoid of any kind of government. This state of nature is often violent and
chaotic; therefore, people enter themselves into a social contract or a written or unwritten binding agreement among the
people that bids for the creation of a government and the consequent use of politics for the achievement of peace and order.

Thomas Hobbes Jean Jacques Rousseau John Locke

 Political science is the academic discipline that deals with the key issues and concepts in politics.
 Niccolo Machiavelli is widely accepted as the father of modern political science because of his discussion on maintaining
power in his books The Prince and Discourses. But even before Machiavelli, both Plato and Aristotle had already provided
broad discussions on the central concepts in politics such as the concept of justice ( what and who is morally and politically
right), power ( source of authority), the right type of constitutions and governments( different types of governments and
states), political structures( different ideologies in a state) and right and virtuous leadership (who should lead in a certain
political system.

Niccolo Machiavelli
 Key fields in politics include power relations in society, forms of government, political behavior and with the cultural turn of
the 20th century the inclusion of political structure and the civil society’s role in the government.
 While politics deals with power in society in general, governance specifically deals with power in government and how this
institution exerts power for the benefit for the society. Today, the discussion of politics and governance in political science
has been divided in different fields of interests namely, political theory, political methodology, comparative politics,
international relations and law.
 Political theory deals with the different perspectives and ideas regarding politics and governance of different political
philosophers from the ancient times like Aristotle to Niccolo Machiavelli.

1|Page RIO JAENA T. DIMAYUGA

TEACHER IN PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND
GOVERNANCE
 THE STO. NIÑO FORMATION AND SCIENCE SCHOOL-NIGHT CLASS
San Roque, Rosario, Batangas
School Year 2020-2021
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

 Political methodology is more concerned upon the application of political concepts into research and policy making almost
similar to the applied nature of public administration.
 Comparative politics is about comparing various political systems and different constitutions among different countries
through time. This type of study is not new for it was made by Aristotle and Plato during the golden age of ancient Greece in
their influential works, Aristotle’s Politics and Plato’s The Republic, when they compared various forms of governments.
 International relations bear resemblance to comparative politics, but instead of comparing, it concentrates on establishing
and maintaining relations among countries through time. And by relations, those who are studying this field attempt on
maintaining peaceful and diplomatic relations among countries.
 Law is another central concept in politics and governance. Law is basically any written statement that limits or guides the
behavior of a certain group. Politics, as the art and science of government , highlights the role of the law in organizing and
stabilizing individual interests to prevent the overlapping individual needs and promote collective gains in society.
 The knowledge of politics and governance therefore is a critical attribute of a citizen belonging to a certain state. In ancient
Greece, anyone who was ignorant of the laws and the political processes of the polis was considered an idiot primarily
because the democratic structure of the polis where every male was expected to participate in decision-making and politics.
Today, knowledge of politics and governance not only helps in the participation of an individual in the state but it also helps
in safeguarding an individual against bad government practices and abuse.

UNIT 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

LESSON 2: NATURE, FORMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF POWER

 Power in the natural sciences can be easily established through a single equation, which signifies the quantifiable nature of
physical power. Power in the society, and by extension, the social sciences, on the other hand, is more complicated because it
is continuously being molded by the dynamic nature of society and the objective and subjective capacity of man.
 Dahl (1950) defined power in society as the ability of a person A or institution A to make person B or institution B do
something that person B or institution B , on his/her/its own, would not do. From the said definition, power in society spans a
broad spectrum of meaning that includes force, authority, influence and most of the time, coercion.
 In addition, in society, there are different forms of power- from authoritative power to economic power. There are also many
ways in which power can be expressed by individuals or institutions. Likewise, expressing power may range from the
simplest of human interaction, such as when parents tell their children what they should and should not do, to the grandest,
such as when government imposes policies for the welfare of its constituents.
 The extents of the consequences of power are dependent upon the different ways, degree and the aims by which power is
expressed in society. For instance, political power in a state is exercised by the government. Through this power, the
government is able to create and enact laws that promote peace and order in society and influence various processes such as
those affecting the economy for the benefit of its constituents as well.

TAXONOMY OF POWER
1. Compulsory power- the 2. Institutional power- the 3. Structural power- basically 4. Productive power- similar to
direct control of one actor of indirect ways in which an actor looks at the position and the structural power that looks into
the conditions and actions of affects another. An example is roles of the various actors in the relative position of the
another. the use of rules or the law to relation to each other. actors, the social production of
impose order. Examples are coach to player, their roles, and how the roles
boss to worker wherein the affect the actor’s perception
position of each player toward and actions. However,
another provides them roles productive power focuses not
and responsibilities that they on the direct structures
play even without coercing the provided and accepted by each
other. actor but on the discourses
between the actors in which
power is negotiated.

 According to Aristotle in his Politics, there are situations where power in government is corrupted by the personal and selfish
goals of individuals. Because of these egoistic goals, individuals pursue laws and intervene with social services to achieve
personal rather than communal gains. This is true throughout the history of man wherein various individuals identified by
Thomas Carlyle (1841) as “Great Men” of history, such as dictators and despots like Pol Pot and Adolf Hitler who used the
power vested on them by their respective governments to pursue personal ambitions over the welfare of their people.
 In studying politics, we must be aware and accept the fact that power as a central concept, is a dynamic and has different
forms, depending on who is imposing power, and how the power is expressed.

UNIT 1: BASIC CONCEPTS OF POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

LESSON 3: FORMS OF GOVERNMENT

Monarchy

Tyranny Democracy

2|Page RIO JAENA T. DIMAYUGA

TEACHER IN PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND
GOVERNANCE
 THE STO. NIÑO FORMATION AND SCIENCE SCHOOL-NIGHT CLASS
San Roque, Rosario, Batangas
School Year 2020-2021
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Forms of
Republic Unitary State
Government

Federal State
Aristocracy
Autocracy

 The history of mankind has shown that the government, as the physical manifestation of political power in society, is also
prone to the dynamic changes in society. This explains why government takes different forms.
 The form of government is essentially determined by the number of rulers, the way power is exercised by these rulers, and
the ideologies that guide the government.
 It was in ancient Greece that the forms of the government that we know today were founded, such as democracy ( the rule of
the people or the many), oligarchy ( the rule of the privileged few) and tyranny ( the rule of one individual).

At present, there are different terms being used to refer to different types of regimes like constitutional, monarchy, guided democracy
and communist rule but they are basically under democracy, oligarchy and tyranny.
 It is interesting to note that Aristotle considered the three forms of government as examples of bad governments. In Politics,
he included the “ good” version of each from of bad government.
 Kingship or monarchy for Aristotle is the good version of tyranny because the leader rules the people with wisdom and
virtue, unlike tyranny where the leader is possessed with extreme desire to improve and empower himself/herself rather than
promote welfare to his/her constituents. Aristocracy, as the rule of the privileged few, is seen by Aristotle as the good version
of oligarchy because those who are in power belong to the upper class, thus assumption of virtue.
 Polity is the good version of democracy. While polity is essentially the same as democracy as the rule of the people in
general, it stresses however the involvement of the middle class in ruling, which is its crucial character. The middle class is
important because according to Aristotle, they make up most of the society; thus they represent a greater interest.
 Other forms of government are as follows:
1. Monarchy vs. Republic. Both forms have an individual holding the power as head of state. While Monarchy is ruled by
king and is hereditary, a republic is usually ruled by a president chosen by the people through election.
2. Autocracy vs. Democracy. In Autocracy, power is held by a single, self-appointed ruler; its absolute form being the
dictatorship. In democracy, on the other hand, power resides with the people as they have the ability to select their leader and
directly or indirectly involve themselves in politics and governance.
3. Unitary State vs. Federal State. A unitary state has a central government holding power with the capability to delegate or
take back authority and function to and from lower levels or offices. A federal state has a central government with the main
function of uniting several self-governing states or regions. The central government in federal state cannot duly interfere or
immediately alter the laws of the members of the state
 Theocracy is also another form of government that is composed of the joint rule of the church and the state or the domination
of the state by the church

PERFORMANCE TASKS
MODULE I: BASIC CONCEPTS OF POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

A.Directions: Look for ten (10) words associated to Politics, Governance and other Key Concepts. Explain each word on the space
provided.

P A S A A P O R J K L S H D S S L
O L O V E O C O V G R E E C E L S
L F A M R W E E N Z V L I N C E N
I T P T A E T U T N G T A N F O H
T R E V O R E R G A P O L I S W A
I P O M H L K S F R T T S A N F S
C G O V E R N A N C E S A X W S Z
S S G S D F A R R E D I E S J A C
S C I L O P E V I T A R A P M O C
H Y F T R S D C V N M A G D J S L
3|Page RIO JAENA T. DIMAYUGA
TEACHER IN PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND
GOVERNANCE
 THE STO. NIÑO FORMATION AND SCIENCE SCHOOL-NIGHT CLASS
San Roque, Rosario, Batangas
School Year 2020-2021
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

B. Directions: Write an acrostic poem of the word POWER.

P-

O-

W-

E-

R-

C.Directions: In box 1 identify a person who has a power over you; in box 2 a person whom you have a power
over. Describe what would happen if one does not respect power or misuses it. Write your answer on the lines
beside the boxes.

__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
_________

YOU

______________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________

D. TRIPLE-TABLE MATCHING TYPE. Match the different forms of government according to their corresponding leaders and
characteristics. Write the proper combination in the space provided below the table.

FORMS OF GOVERNMENT LEADER CHARACTERISTICS

A1. Monarchy A2. Representative A3. The church and the state go hand in
hand.

B1. Revolutionary B2. Religious Leaders B3. A type of government that is ruled
through the use of arms.

C1. Aristocracy C2. One Leader C3. The people have the right to vote and
decide for the welfare of the state.

D1. Democracy D2. Military D3. Decision-making and ruling only

belong to a certain group of people.

E1. Theocracy E2. A group of people E3. A group of people or an individual

represents the people in government.

F1. Republic F2. The people F3. The king has authority over all his
constituents.
4|Page RIO JAENA T. DIMAYUGA
TEACHER IN PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND
GOVERNANCE
 THE STO. NIÑO FORMATION AND SCIENCE SCHOOL-NIGHT CLASS
San Roque, Rosario, Batangas
School Year 2020-2021
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

Components:

A1-_____________-_____________ B1-_____________-_____________

C1-_____________-_____________ D1-_____________-_____________

E1-_____________-_____________ F1-_____________-_____________

E. POSTER MAKING. Imagine you were asked to create a new form of government that could effectively address the concerns of
governance in the country. Express it through a poster. Provide a brief description of the government you have created, how it will
work and what will it be called.

WRITTEN TASKS
MODULE I: BASIC CONCEPTS OF POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE

I. COMPLETION
Directions: Write the appropriate word/words in the blank to complete the idea of the statements.
1. Politics was inseparable from life in the __________ or place shared by a certain group of people.
2-3. Aristotle and Plato stated that humans need to come together as a community, from tjhis union comes the need for __________
and __________ to maintain order within a society.
4. Comparing various__________ and different constitutions among differents countries through time is the focus of Comparative
politics.
5. In ancient Greece, anyone who was __________ of the laws and the political processes of the polis was considered idiot.
II. MATCHING TYPE
Directions:Match the words in Column A to the words in Column B
Column A Column B
___6. Aristotle a. The Republic
___7. Niccolo Machiavelli b. The Prince
___8. Thomas Hobbes c. Politics
___9. Plato d. Social Contract
___10. John Locke e. chaotic
III. ENUMERATION
A.Central concepts in Politics
11-15
B. Different Field of Interest of Political Science
16-20
C. Social contract theorist during 17th and 18th century
21-23
D. Ancient Greece philosophers
24-25
IV. BINARY RESPONSE
Directions: Read the following statement. Write POWER if the statement is true if NOT, underline the word that makes the statement
false put the correct word/words in the blank before each number.
____________1. The political power in a state is exercised by the government.
____________2. Power in government is corrupted by the personal and selfless goals of individuals,
____________3. Government imposes policies for the welfare of its constituents.
____________4. Use or rules and law to impose order is an example of compulsory power.
____________5. Politics, as a central concept, is dynamic and has different forms.
V. IDENTIFICATION
Directions: Identify what is being asked.
____________6. The indirect ways of control in which actor affects another.
____________7. Power which focuses on the discourse between actors in which power is negotiated.
____________8. It basically looks at the position and the roles of various actors in relation to each other.
____________9. Direct control of on actor of the conditions and actions of another.
____________10. This is similar to structural power that looks into relative position of the actors.
VI. COMPLETION
Directions: Directions: Write the appropriate word/words in the blank to complete the idea of the statements.
Power in the 11. ____________ sciences can be easily established through a single equation, which signifies the quantifiable
nature of 12.____________ power.
According to Aristotle in his 13.____________, there are situations where power in government is 14.____________ by the
personal and selfish goals of individuals. Because of these egoistic goals, individuals pursue laws and intervene with social services to
achieve 15.____________ rather than communal gains.
VII. ENUMERATION
A. Four Major types of power
5|Page RIO JAENA T. DIMAYUGA
TEACHER IN PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND
GOVERNANCE
 THE STO. NIÑO FORMATION AND SCIENCE SCHOOL-NIGHT CLASS
San Roque, Rosario, Batangas
School Year 2020-2021
SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL DEPARTMENT

16-19
B. “Great Men” identified by Thomas Carlyle
20-21
C. Included meaning of power based on the definition of power by Dahl
22-25
VII. ESSAY
Answer the questions briefly.
1. What do you think of the concept of leadership of Filipinos in general? Defend your answer.
2. Will theocracy work in the Philippines?
3. What could be the best type of government for the Philippines? Justify your answer.

6|Page RIO JAENA T. DIMAYUGA

TEACHER IN PHILIPPINE POLITICS AND
GOVERNANCE