UCSP REVIEWER

Culture is the term that refers to the totality of a person’s way of life. It includes the social
behavior, knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, capabilities, habits and the norms of human
society.

Anthropology is a social science that is derived from two Greek words, ‘Anthropos’ which
means human and ‘Logos’ which means reason/knowledge.

Society refers to a group of people more or less numerous who interact and are inter-dependent
with one another for the purpose of survival, share the same territory, government, set of laws,
language and culture.

Politics is the theory, art and practice of government.

Government is the agency through which the will of the state is formulated, expressed and
implemented.

State is a group/community of people more or less numerous, who permanently occupy a

definite portion of territory, who have their own government to whom the great body of
inhabitants render obedience, and enjoys freedom from external control.

Political Science is the social science that refers to the systematic study of state and government.

Gender refers to the roles, behaviors, activities, attributes, and opportunities that any society
considers appropriate for girls and boys, men and women.

Sex is the biological attribute that classify who are males and females and according to the
World Health Organization, it varies from one society to another and is not permanent.

Socio-Economic Status (SES) refers to the stratification of society’s members based on their
annual income.

Ethnicity refers to the identification and the feeling that one belongs to a certain ethnic group
and also the exclusion from other groups due to this affiliation.

Religion is derived from the Latin word religare which means “to tie or to bind”. belief in and
worship of a supernatural ruling power, particularly a personal God or gods.

Citizenship is the term that refers to the membership of a citizen in a political society, This
membership means that a citizen has sworn his allegiance to the State, thus the State is duty
bound to protect said citizen.

Citizen is the title of citizenship that a person acquires either by birth (jus sanguinis) or by place
of birth (jus soli/jus loci).
Nationality is defined as membership in a nation or sovereign state.

Exceptionality refers to learners with special needs, ability, disability, who may be mentally or
physically challenged conditions.

Characteristics of CULTURE

1.) Culture is LEARNED - according to anthropologists humans can learn their own
culture in through enculturation. This is the process wherein the culture of one’s
society is handed down from one generation to another as they become active
members of their society.
2.) Culture is SHARED - culture is also the shared beliefs, values, ideas, and how an
individual must be behave. These shared attributes enable members of a certain
society to understand each other actions and understanding how other members act
the way they do would enable other members to react appropriately.
3.) Culture is SYMBOLIC - White (1959) defined culture as dependent on symbols.
These symbols can either be verbal or non-verbal. It can be a mark, a seal, sign,
national flag, emblem, or anything that represents something significant or
meaningful.
4.) Culture is INTEGRATED - all of the components that make up culture (e.g.
economic, political, religious, family, values, beliefs, customs, etc.) are interrelated
and could not function without the other.
5.) Culture is DYNAMIC - Culture is a dynamic system that will adjust to internal or
external changes in order to survive. Cultures must be dynamic; if they are static, they
will not live long, and if they are too fluid, they may lose their identity.
6.) Culture is ALL-ENCOMPASSING - Culture is defined as a "complex whole that
includes ideas, practices, characteristics, values, attitudes, laws, conventions, artifacts,
symbols, information, and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of
society.”

Ethnocentrism is the belief that one’s culture is superior and view all outsiders as inferior.

Cultural Relativism states that any/all culture/s must be seen and analyzed by using the
standards of said culture.

Sociological Approaches to Study Society

1. Structural - Functional Approach - According to this approach, a society is a

stable and organized structure. It is distinguished by societal consensus, in which
society's members share shared practices, beliefs, conventions, traditions, and norms.

2. Social – Conflict Approach - Based on this approach's assumptions, people's

behavior in society can be understood in terms of conflict/tension between groups for
 control of power and/or the allocation of resources (food, clothing, shelter, money,
etc.).
3. Symbolic – Interaction Approach - According to this approach, society is the result
of the interactions of people and/or groups of people and its analysis of society is on a
micro-level whose focus is on small groups.

Tangible Heritage or tangible cultural heritage refers to all physical artifacts that were built,
maintained and passed from one generation to the next.

Intangible Heritage refers to the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge and skills
including the instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces that are related to it – that
communities, groups, and individual recognize as part of their cultural heritage and is transmitted
from one generation to another.

Norms

4 TYPES OF NORMS: Folkways, Mores, Taboos, Laws

Folkways are informal rules and norms that, while not offensive to violate, are expected to be
followed.

Mores (pronounced more-rays) are also informal rules that are not written, but, when violated,
result in severe punishments and social sanction upon the individuals, such as social and
religious exclusions.

Taboos is a strict prohibition of behavior that society holds so strongly that violating it results in
extreme disgust or expulsion from the group or society.

Laws is the written, formalized and detailed norm that protects the faculty of an individual and
obliges in the strict sense to be complied with.

Theories about the Origin of Species

1. Creationism is based from the Bible specifically the book of Genesis. The explanation is
that God created all life on earth in the span of six days.
2. Catastrophism is a theory that believes that God destroyed ancient species and created
new ones, which are the ancestors of present-day life forms. The story of Noah's ark and
the great deluge is one of the most famous examples of this type of evolution.
3. Transformism or Evolution states that all species came from other species that
happened after a lengthy and slow process of transformation with improvements on the
characteristics of the species.
4. Natural Selection refers to the process where life forms most fit to survive and
reproduce in a certain environment do it in greater numbers than other species.
Speciation is the process wherein new species are formed and the evolutionary
relationship among groups of species is the focus of macroevolution (evolution above the
species level or leading to the formation of new species).
Species is defined as a population or groups of population that has the capacity to
interbreed, produce viable and fertile offspring and are reproductively isolated.

Evolution of the Human Specie

1. Proconsul - It possessed a chimp-like appearance and Dated and was said to have
appeared about 17 to 21 million years ago or during the Miocene period.
Characteristics of PROCONSUL
The monkey-like features included: thin tooth enamel, light build with narrow chest
and short forelimbs, curved metacarpals, long flexible back and a quadrupedal
lifestyle.
2. Pliopithecus an extinct specie of primate which was discovered in France by Edouard
Lartet in 1837. It may have originated from Asia and migrated to Europe
approximately 20 to 17 million years ago.
Characteristics of PLIOPITHECUS
This specie had a similar size and form of modern humans and is probably a direct
ancestor. It had the following characteristics: long limbs, short tail, partial
stereoscopic vision and utilizing its arms could swing between trees or brachiate.
3. Australopithecus is considered to be possibly a direct ancestor of the genus Homo, is
a genus of hominins that existed in the African continent approximately 4.2 to 1.9
million years ago or during the Pleistocene period.
Lucy was one of the first hominin fossils to become a household name. Her skeleton
is around 40% complete - at the time of her discovery, she was by far the most
complete early hominin known.
Characteristics of AUSTRALOPITHECUS
They were similar to modern humans in that they were bipedal (that is, they walked
on two legs), and adaption to tree climbing but, like apes, they had small brains. Their
canine teeth were smaller than those found in apes, and their cheek teeth were larger
than those of modern humans.
4. Homo habilis also known as the handyman or handy human is the first of the fossils
from the genus Homo. It appeared approximately 2.5 million years ago and compared
to the Australopithecus it had a larger brain and smaller face.
Characteristics of HOMOHABILIS
Slightly larger braincase and smaller face and teeth This specie’s arms were longer
and more ape-like which suggested that it possessed greater climbing ability and may
have sought refuge in trees to protect it from predators.
5. Home Erectus or the Upright Man belongs to the genus Homo and appeared
approximately 2 million years ago in the African continent which spread across the
continents of Europe and Asia.
 Characteristics of HOME ERECTUS
This specie had a larger skull and brain compared to previous species of bipeds. It
also had a sloping forehead, receding chin, powerful jaws with large teeth, a
protruding mouth, more robust body muscles and huge neck muscles that gave it a
rugged appearance. Due to its large brain size the Homo erectus had a better cultural
ability, refined the stone tool making process, started using fire for cooking,
protection from wild animals, warmth, and light at night. Based on evidence
collected, it is presumed that this specie had the knowledge and ability to plan and
organize.
6. Neanderthal Man or Neandertal is a human specie under the genus Homo was
discovered in the Neander valley, Dusseldorf, Germany (tal or thal is a German word
which means valley) in 1856. Based from discovered fossils, this specie existed in
Europe, Southwest and Central Asia approximately 30,000 to 125,000 years ago.
Characteristics of NEANDERTHAL MAN
extremely muscular people (both males and females), large noses with teeth projected
forward, compared to the modern human it had a larger brain size, possessed a
prominent bony brow ridges above the eye and a bun-like bony mass for attachment
of powerful neck muscles that protruded at the back of its skull. Neanderthals buried
their dead which could have been an important social activity and the way that they
buried their dead suggests that there is significance symbolism in this practice.
7. Homosapiens / Tabon Man which refers to the only existing/extant human specie,
was derived from the Latin words, Homo (which means humans) and sapiens (which
means discerning, wise and sensible). It descended from a Homo (genus) predecessor
and appeared on earth approximately 300,000 to 200,000 years ago during the Middle
Paleolithic period.
Characteristics of HOMOSAPIENS
it is lightly built/smaller compared to previous species (Neanderthal, Homo erectus),
no longer possess an occipital bun which was evident with other species, had a larger
fore-brain, brain size is similar to the Neanderthal but bigger compared to the Homo
erectus, smaller and differently shaped teeth, had a smaller jaw, and had lower and
smaller faces.

The First Filipino was discovered in the Tabon cave, Palawan. This discovery
proved that there was wide distribution of pre-historic men in Southeast Asia during
the Pleistocene Period.

The Origin of The State

Hydraulic systems - suggested that the formation of states is caused by the need to
regulate hydraulic (water-based) agricultural economies.
 Long-Distance Trade Routes - this theory suggests that states are established at
locations that are strategic to regional trade networks. These locations/sites could be
points of supply or exchange, like caravan routes, mountain passes and river narrows.
Multivariate Theory- proposed that a state is formed if the following are present:
environmental circumscription (resource concentration), increasing population,
existence of warfare.

WORDS TO NOT FORGET

Confirmity - Those who conform choose not to deviate. They pursue their goals. to
the extent that they can through socially accepted means.
Internalization Process - Internalization is the process of making something
internal, with more specific meanings in various fields.
Socialization - the lifelong process of social interaction through which people acquire
their identities and necessary survival skills in society
Conjugal Family - may consist of a married couple and their children (by birth or
adoption) or a couple who are unmarried or underage.
Sexual Dimorphism - the term that refers to differences between males and females
of the same species, and is most obvious as differences in external appearances.
Sociological Imagination - term used in the field of sociology to describe a
framework for understanding social reality that places personal experiences within a
broader social and historical context.
Ascribed status is assigned to an individual without reference to their innate
differences or abilities. Achieved status is determined by an individual's performance
or effort.
Status Symbol - a possession that is taken to indicate a person's wealth or high social
or professional status.
Enculturation - the process of being socialized with into a specific culture.
Social Control - a certain set of rules and standards in society that keep individuals
bound to conventional standards as well as to the use of formalized mechanisms.
Acculturation - the 'process of learning and incorporating the values, beliefs,
language, customs and mannerisms' of a new country into one's daily life.
Acculturation can affect health such as dietary habits, activity levels and substance
use in many ways.