Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 10– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL CHANGES AND RESPONSES

TOPICS:

1. Defining Cultural, Social, and Political Change

2. Sources of Cultural, Social, and Political Change
3. New Challenges to Human Adaptation and Social Change
4. Responding to Social, Political, and Cultural Change

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Through discussion and the module, the learners are able to:

1. Analyze social, political and cultural change.

2. Recognize the common concerns of intersections of anthropology, sociology, and political
science in relation to change.
3. Identify new challenges faced by human populations in contemporary society
4. Describe how human societies adapt to new challenges in the physical, social, and cultural
environment.

INTRODUCTION
What comes to your mind when you hear the word change? Change is a state of becoming
different from the status quo. Just like humans that experience biological changes through time,
societies are subject to change through the instigation of various factors such as the environment
technology. Social change is a concept used to portray any changes in human social systems (Stets
and Burke, 2003). Social change may happen in any social relationships, social structures,
organizations, and institutions. In general, all changes that take place in human society that has a
domino effect to all social systems are considered a form of social change.
This module discusses some common challenges we are experiencing, and the basic responses
we are doing. The first part provides the meaning of cultural, social and political change. The second
part discusses the sources of cultural, social and political change. The third part now focuses on the
new challenges to human adaptation and social change. Lastly, the fourth part provides responses in
addressing social, political, and cultural change. An activity about will follow afterwards.

Note: Please read and understand the entire module first before answering the activity.

DISCUSSION:

I. DEFINING CULTURAL, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL CHANGE

All the changes that happen in human society are deeply rooted on these three aspects:
cultural, social and political. These three (3) are not mutually exclusive as they are
interrelated structures and processes.
a. Social change - it is the transformation of social institutions over time.
b. Cultural change - it is the transformation of culture or the way people live.
c. Political change - happens when the rulers of a country lose power or when the type
of governance in the country changes. Governance is the kind of system or ideology
used to express authority in a country. It may be a democracy, monarchy, oligarchy,
and others.

A. Social Change According to Different Proponents:

1. Comte, Durkheim, and Spencer – argue that social change constantly happens in an
identical way. This denotes that all societies undergo specific processes and stages
before reaching the complete level of evolution or change as guided by Charles
Darwin’s concept of evolution.
2. Talcott parsons – believes that social change is associated with homeostasis or the
state of balance (equilibrium). This theory supposed that any change in a social
aspect specific social aspect necessitates adjustment in other aspects to avoid
imbalance and maintain social order.
 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 10– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

3. Karl Marx – argues that social change is a proactive state where in people will only
attain social change or development when freedom and equality is already
attained.
4. Tim Dyson – argue that social change is interrelated with the concept of
demographic transition, where in the changes in the composition of the population
results in changes in social structures.

II. SOURCES OF CULTURAL, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL CHANGE

A. Innovation – may be in the form of new scientific knowledge, new beliefs, and additional
inventions.
B. Diffusion
Diffusion involves the process of transferring cultural traits and concepts, see discussions on
Cultural Lag and Cultural Diffusion, Module 3
C. Acculturation and Assimilation
1. Acculturation is the process of learning a culture other than one’s own.
2. Assimilation is a gradual process of culture change that allows for the indistinguishable
cultural similarities between two different cultures.
D. Social Contradictions and Tensions
1. Inter-ethnic Conflicts, Class Struggle, Armed Conflict and Terrorism
2. Gender Issues

III. NEW CHALLENGES TO HUMAN ADAPTATION AND SOCIAL CHANGE

A. Climate change
B. Transnational migration and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs)

IV. RESPONDING TO SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL CHANGE

• Every societal change entail certain reactions, responses, and adaptations. Individuals have
several kinds (positive and negative) to these growing numbers of societal changes, causing
them to establish social movements to defeat or transform what has been already changed.

A. INCLUSIVE CITIZENSHIP AND PARTICIPATORY GOVERNANCE

1. Inclusive Citizenship
• Citizen – refers to the members of a political community that have submitted themselves
to the government, for the promotion of common good and protection of rights.
• If citizens demand to be kept by the State, the citizens likewise have their obligations to
the State, as follows (De Leon, 2011, 214-221):
1. To be loyal to 2. To cooperate with 3 To contribute to the 4. To engage in
the Republic duly-constituted development and welfare of gainful work
authorities3 the State
5. To defend the 6. To uphold the 7. To exercise rights responsibly 8. To register
State Constitution and and with due regard for the and vote
obey the laws rights of others
• Filipino citizens owe allegiance to the Philippines. Thus, citizens, together with the
government, are bound to face state challenges together. Challenges encourage
active State-Citizen active State-Citizen Partnership.
• The Philippine constitution denotes that “the prime duty of the government is to serve and
protect the people. The government may call upon the people to defend the State and,
in fulfillment thereof, all citizens provided by law, to render personal military or civil
service” (Section 4, Article II).
2. Participatory Governance

The opportunity to take part in the political system is such a fundamental tenet of the
democratic system of government that it very existence is rarely is rarely questioned. People
must be able to have their say – to vote, to engage in political debate and let those in
power know their views on issues which concern them. This is what democracy is about.

(Richardson 1983:1 in Aulich, 2009)

 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 10– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

• Participatory governance is important in social dynamics, because it enables the

government to implement relevant policies.
• In a democratic society, citizen participation in politics is encouraged.

3 CATEGORIES OF PUBLIC GOVERNANCE:

a. Civic and Political Governance – deals with issues that are related to human rights.
b. Development Governance - mainly pertains to planning, budgeting, monitoring
and accountability of socio-economic development policies and programs.
c. Participatory governance
• Citizen engagement is the desired outcome or logical end of participatory
governance.
• Participation is a fundamental goal and object of value in and of itself.
o REMEMBER: the right to participate in a society’s decision-making
processes is a fundamental human right.
• Participation can help deepen democracy, strengthen social capital,
facilitate efficiency and sustained growth, and promote pro-poor
initiatives, equity and social justice
d. Preconditions of Participatory Governance
1) Political Efficacy Political efficacy is the “feeling that political and social
change is possible and that the individual citizen can play a part in bringing
about this change”
• High levels of efficacy among citizens are usually viewed as desirable
for the stability of democracy, because in the modern democratic
society, citizens should feel that they have some power to influence the
actions of their government (Schulz, 2005)
2) Political will refers to the extent of committed support among key decision
makers for a particular policy solution to a particular problem.
• Political will exists when 1) a sufficient set of decision- makers 2) with a
common understanding of a particular problem on the formal agenda
3) is committed to supporting 4) a commonly perceived, potentially
effective solution.

B. SOCIAL MOVEMENTS
Social movements consist of large numbers of people, who, through deliberate and
sustained efforts, organize to promote or resist social change. At the heart of social
movements lie grievances and dissatisfactions.
Proactive social movements promote social change because a current condition of society
is intolerable. In contrast, reactive social movements resist changes in society that they
perceive as threatening.
1. Classifications of Social Movements
David Aberle classified social movements into four broad categories according to the
type and amount of social change they seek.
a. Two types seek to change people but differ in terms of the amount of change
desired:
1) Alterative social movements seek to alter only particular aspects of people
(e.g., the Women’s Christian Temperance Union);
2) Redemptive social movements seek to change people totally (e.g., a
religious social movement such as fundamental Christianity that stresses
conversion).
b. Two types seek to change society but also differ in terms of the amount of change
desired:
1) Reformative social movements seek to reform only one part of society (e.g.,
animal rights or the environment);
 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 10– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

2) Transformative social movements seek to change the social order itself and
to replace it with their own version of the ideal society (e.g., revolutions in
the American colonies, France, Russia, and Cuba).
2. Five Stages of Social Movement
MAIN IDEA: they go through five stages as they grow and mature.
1) Unrest and agitation grow because people are upset about some social condition;
at this stage, leaders emerge who verbalize people’s feeling.
2) Leaders mobilize a relatively large number of people who demand that something
be done about the problem; charismatic leaders emerge during this state.
3) An organization emerges with a division of labor with leadership that makes policy
decisions and a rank and file that actively supports the movement.
4) Institutionalization occurs as the movement becomes bureaucratized and
leadership passes to career officials who may care more about their position in the
organization than about the movement itself.
The organization declines, but there may be a possibility of resurgence. Some movements cease to
exist; others become reinvigorated with new leadership from within or from coming into conflict with
other social movements fighting for the opposite side of the issue, (e.g., social movements relating to
abortion).

REFERENCES:

• Aguilar, M., et al. (2016) Society, Culture and Politics. Quezon City: The Phoenix Publishing House
Inc.
• Alejandria-Gonzalez, M. (2019) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics Module. Second
Edition. Makati City: DIWA LEARNING SYSTEMS INC
•
• Andersen, M. L., Taylor, H. F., & Logio, K. A. (2017). Sociology: The essentials. Cengage Learning.
• Basic Concepts: Social Groups: Meaning, Characteristics, Classification. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://cms.gcg11.ac.in/attachments/article/214/unit%202%20social%20group%20features%20
and%20classification.pdf
• Calhoun, Craig (1994). Sociology. 6th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, Inc.
• Farley, John (1990). Sociology. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, Inc.
• Giddens, A., Duneier, M., Appelbaum, R. P., & Carr, D. S. (2016). Introduction to sociology. W.W.
Norton & Company, London.
• Macionis, John (2002). Sociology. Prentice Hall, Inc. New Jersey
• Schaefer, R. T. (2017). Sociology: A brief introduction. Kindle Edition
• Schulz, W. (2005). Political Efficacy and Expected Political Participation among Lower and Upper
Secondary Students. A Comparative Analysis with Data from the IEA Civic Education Study.
Australian Council for Educational Research, 2-34.
 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 10– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

ACTIVITY 10:

NAME/S: DATE:
SECTION: TEACHER:

PERFORMANCE TASK WORK SHEET

General instructions:

1. Please take note that There are three (3) parts to this Performance Task (PT) with a total of
100 points.
2. Read the instructions carefully.
3. Ask your teacher for assistance should you have trouble understanding the parts of the PT.

PART I

A. Instruction: Read and answer the question being asked. (20 points)

“Living in this world means adapting to the numerous changes and situations that will take place. It is
not easy but we have to learn to adapt. However, we have to fight against those changes that can
destroy us and the world that we live in”.

As a youth of today, what do you think is the most challenging situation that you are confronted with,
and how do you deal with it. Write your thoughts in 10-15 sentences. Provide a “title”.

Criteria for scoring:

Organization of thought – 5
Writing style and grammatical construction- 5
Content – 10

B. Instruction: Write on the table any manifestation that you are indeed performing your duties as a
good citizen of your country even just a student. Explain each manifestation. (25 points)
Listed manifestation (3)(2)
Explanation (2)(1)

Duties of a Citizen Manifestation

1. To defend the state
2. To contribute to the development and welfare
of the state
3. To engage in gainful work
4. To cooperate with duly-constituted authorities
5. To exercise rights responsibly
 Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Grade Level/Section: Grade 11/12
Email: email@uc-bcf.edu.ph; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

MODULE 10– UCSP Subject Teacher: Kimberson P. Alacyang

PART II

Instruction: Complete the table below by providing what is asked. Mode of scoring is presented on the
first row. (21 points)

Dimensions 1 Advantage 1 Disdvantage 1 Issue/ Problem 1 Possible Solution on

concerning the the issue/ problem
Dimensions. Real- life mentioned in column 3
situations are welcomed
(1) (1) (2)(1) (3)(2)
Participatory
Governance
Social
Movement
Social Media

PART III

Instructions: Below are quotations on social (culture, society, and politics included) change. Choose
one (1), then, through illustration (such as drawings, slogans, poster- slogans, etc.) interpret the
quotation selected. (35 points)

Criteria for Scoring

Content (Relevance to the selection) (20)(18)(16)
Creativity (15)(13)(11)

“A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on
1
programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom.”― Martin Luther King Jr.
“The secret message communicated to most young people today by the society around them
is that they are not needed, that the society will run itself quite nicely until they - at some distant
point in the future - will take over the reigns. Yet the fact is that the society is not running itself
2
nicely... because the rest of us need all the energy, brains, imagination and talent that young
people can bring to bear down on our difficulties. For society to attempt to solve its desperate
problems without the full participation of even very young people is imbecile.”― Alvin Toffler
“If you go out into the real world, you cannot miss seeing that the poor are poor not because
they are untrained or illiterate but because they cannot retain the returns of their labor. They
3
have no control over capital, and it is the ability to control capital that gives people the power
to rise out of poverty.” ― Muhammad Yunus
“Even today we don't pay serious attention to the issue of poverty, because the powerful remain
relatively untouched by it. Most people distance themselves from the issue by saying that if the
4
poor worked harder, they wouldn't be poor.”
― Muhammad Yunus
“Our freedoms are vanishing. If you do not get active to take a stand now against all that is
wrong while we still can, then maybe one of your children may elect to do so in the future, when
5
it will be far more riskier — and much, much harder.”
― Suzy Kassem