UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS

WEEK 1

Content Chapter 1: Starting Points for the Understanding of Culture, Society

and Politics
Content Standard The learners demonstrate an understanding of human cultural
variation, social differences, social change, and political identities
Most Essential Topics Lesson1: The Historical Background of the Growth of Social
Sciences
Performance Standard The learners acknowledge human cultural variation, social
differences, social change, and political identities.
MELCs Discuss the nature, goals and perspectives in/of anthropology,
sociology and political science.

Lesson 1 Objectives:
At the end of the lesson, the learners are able to:

1. Adopt an open and critical attitude in the analysis of different social, political and cultural
phenomena.
2. Realize how culture, society and politics work
3. Develop social, cultural and political competence to guide their interactions with groups,
communities and institutions not only in the country as well as the world
4. Write a short narrative about what made him/her different from other people.

Guide Questions:
1. What is the difference between Philosophy and Science?
2. What is science’ process of growth?
3. Who are the forefathers of Sociology? Enumerate their contributions.

MOTIVATIONAL ACTIVITY: YAY OR AWIT:

-Odd and Unique culture from all over the world will be presented, the students will decide if it's
something they think our society could adapt. If they agree they have to say “Yay” and if not “Awit'' will
be their response and give an explanation.

1. In Nicaragua, pointing directions or pointing to someone/something Nicaraguan use their lips.

2. Every September 12 in Russia is a special holiday called Conception Day. This day was made
because the population of Russia particularly the number of females is low, they have to allot
a
special day for couples in order for them to conceive.
3. In Nigeria, they also have a unique way of showing their respect to the elders. Females have to
kneel
 in front of the elders while the males have to lay down on the ground
4. In Spain, to ward off evil spirit and bad omen they have a special festival where Adult dressed
in an evil spirit costume and jump off at babies. This tradition is known as baby jumping
5. One of the tribes in Brazil, Sateré-Mawé has a special initiation for twelve-year old boys. In
order to test their manliness, they have to put their arms in a gloves full of bullet ant’s sting –
vicious insects from Brazil.
6. Japan has a unique tradition called Hara-kiri or known as Honorable Suicide. This was
popular
during ancient times. Whenever a person committed shameful acts instead of being humiliated
or publicly executed, they perform the Hara-kiri, in order to preserve their honor.
7. In the Philippines, specifically the Hanunuo Mangyans, they practice “Kutkot”. This is a
tradition where after a person dies they will dig up his/her remains after a year. The family
must
clean the skeleton and put on new clothes. The remains will stay at the family’s house for
another
year then finally, deliver the departed one to a cave.
8. In the Philippines, specifically in Basilan, Zamboanga, and Sulu people have a very
controversial practice called Pag-Sunnat. This is a tradition equivalent to the tradition of
circumcision of male genitalia, this time it is for the female genitalia. The difference of pag-
Sunnat to male circumcision is that it is more of a ritual and no mutilation process.

LESSON 1: The Historical Background of the Growth of Social Sciences

1. Differences between Philosophy and Science

PHILOSOPHY
● is based on analytic understanding of the nature of truth
● it asks the questions: “What is the nature of truth?”, “How do we know what we know?”

SCIENCE
● is based on empirical data, tested theories and carefully contrived observations
● it seeks to discover the truth about specific causes of events and happenings in the natural
world
● it is inductive: it proceeds from observing particular cases and moves toward generalizing the
properties common to these cases to other similar cases under the same specified condition

2. The Unprecedented Growth of Science

Scientific Revolution
● the Scientific Revolution was a time of improvements and change for our ways of thinking and
how our world was run.
● Remember: People before then had their religion dominated their lives and had a hard time
transitioning to believing the facts the scientists discovered and proven. 
Industrial Revolution
● People went from being agricultural to industrial. This meant people moved out of the farms
and
out of the country…huge numbers of people moved into the cities. Many people were forced to
move to the cities to look for work. They ended up living in cities that could not support them.

Democratic Revolution
● a political science term denoting a revolution in which a democracy is instituted, replacing a
previous non-democratic government, or in which revolutionary change is brought about
through democratic means, usually without violence

3. The Birth of Social Sciences as a Response to the Social Turmoil of the Modern
Period

Sociology
● a branch of the social sciences that deals with the scientific study of human interactions, social
groups and institutions, whole societies, and the human world
● it also addresses the problem of the constitution of the self and the individual in relation to
larger
social structures and processes
● it is a science that studies the relationship between the individual and the society as they
develop
and change in history

Auguste Comte (1798-1857)

©en.wikipedia.com

● a French philosopher and mathematician

● founding father of Sociology
● he coined the term “sociology” but he originally used “social physics” as a term for Sociology
● its aim is to discover the social laws that govern the development of societies
 3 Stages in the Development of Societies
1. Theological Stage
2. Metaphysical Stage
3. Positive Stage

Karl Heinrich Marx (1818-1883)

©Britannica.com
● a German Philosopher
● the father of scientific socialism
● he introduced the materialist analysis of history which discounts religious and metaphysical
explanation for historical development
● he believed in the power of scientific reason to know the nature of society and human Beings

Emile Durkheim (1858-1917)

 ©thoughtco.com
● a French sociologist
● he was the pioneer of functionalism in sociology
● he made possible the professionalization of sociology by teaching it
● society possesses a reality, unique in itself, independent of individuals and institutions that
compose it
● society pre-existed the individuals and will continue to exist long after the individual is dead
Max Weber (1864-1920)

© izu-onsen-shoheiso.com
● a German philosopher and sociologist
● founder of modern Sociology
● he was the pioneer of interpretive sociology
● he stressed the role of rationalization in the development of society
● rationalization refers essentially to the disenchantment of the world
● as science replaced religion, people refused to believe in myths and superstitious beliefs
● bureaucracy is the greatest application of scientific way of life
● since bureaucracy is considered as the supreme value, other values such as personal
relationships
and human intimacies are gradually discarded

ENRICHMENT:
Sharing:
Share two unique practices or customs in your community/barangay or family that you’re proud
of and how it helps you.

EVALUATION:

Create an essay discussing the top three things you wanted to change in our current society and
state what changes you wanted to implement.
 RUBRICS (for the essay)
1-2 (NOT 3-5 (NEEDS 6-8 (MEETS 9-10 (EXCEEDS
VISIBLE) IMPROVEMENT) EXPECTATIONS) EXPECTATIONS)
Learners Learners demonstrate Learners demonstrate Learners provide new
Depth of demonstrate a a minimal level of a sufficient level of and creative insights
Reflection lack of reflection and reflection and resulting from a
(Content) reflection and internalization of the internalization of the profound reflection
internalization given material. given material. and internalization of
of the given the given material.
material.
Learners did Learners complied Learners complied Learners complied
not comply with the structure with the structure with the structure and
Structure with the and format provided and format provided format provided for
(Form) structure and for the reflection for the reflection the reflection paper
format paper but the paper and the and the thoughts
provided for thoughts were thoughts were were expressed in a
the reflection expressed in an expressed in a coherent manner.
paper and the incoherent manner. coherent manner. Writing is very clear
thoughts were Writing is vague and Writing is and organized.
not expressed disorganized. sufficiently clear and
in a coherent organized.
and logical
manner.
Writing is
vague and
disorganized.

Grammar, The learners The learners made no The learners made The learners made no
Spelling made more more than five more than two more than two
(Syntax) than five spelling and spelling and spelling and grammar
spelling and grammar errors. grammar errors. errors.
grammar
errors.

Logical The learners’ The learner’s The paper is The learners’

Coherence arguments are arguments are not coherent. Sufficient arguments are
not coherent coherent enough. level of arguments superb. The paper is
enough. Many Some fallacies were was found. very well written and
logical fallacies found. there are no fallacies.
were found.