Understanding Culture,

Society, and Politics

QUARTER 1
WEEK 1

TEACHER

NAME OF
STUDENT:
 NATURE, GOALS AND PERSPECTIVE OF
ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL
SCIENCE
Motivation:

ACTIVITY 1
Directions:
1. Write your name inside the circle.
2. Draw the figure on the sheet of paper
3. Write the following information of yourself in the 4 spaces: a. gender b. socio-economic class c.
ethnicity d. religion

A. B.

C. D.

Discuss your observations based on the following questions:

1. What are the similarities and differences between and among the information?
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2. Do these similarities and differences affect the life of the whole community? Why?
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 Culture, Society and Politics as Conceptual Tools

Culture, society and politics are concepts. They exist in

the realm of ideas and thoughts. As such, they cannot be
seen or touched and yet the influence the way we see and
experience our individual and collective social beings.
Concepts are created and have been used to have a firm
grasp of a phenomenon. Just like any other
words, concepts are initially invented as icons to
capture phenomena and in the process assist the
users/inventors to describe facets of social
experience with the phenomena concerned.
What is interesting about concepts is that as
conceptual tools, they allow us to form other
concepts, or relate concepts to each other or even
deconstruct old ones and replace them with
something new.

Students as Social Beings

The ways we live our lives—or should we say, the way we are being steered to live our lives presupposes
omnipotent forces shaping the very fabric of our existence. The categories that we possess as individuals—labels
that are ascribed or given to us individually and collectively—are a testament to the operation of these forces
which leave us unsuspecting of their intrusive and punitive implications in our lives. Our categories as
male/female, rich/poor, or tall/short and even the problematic effect of the color of our skin are evidence of the
operation of these social forces.

Our sociality is defined by the very categories that we possess, the categories assigned to us by society at
large. These labels so to speak, function, as tags with which our society read our worth and value. These
categories that we possess are not natural; rather they are socially constructed.

Identity
- is the distinctive characteristic that defines an individual or is shared by those belonging to a particular
group. People may have multiple identities depending on the groups to which they belong.

Upon reading this module, you must examine the Goals, nature and Perspective of Anthropology,
Sociology and Political Science below.

The nature, Goals and perspective of/an Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science

I. THE NATURE OF ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

The nature of Anthropology

- different anthropologist concentrates on different characteristics of the anthropology. Some
Anthropologist has given emphasized on the physical characteristic and others have given the cultural
characteristics of the anthropology. The main fields of anthropology can be shown by the fowling figure.
(Source: Havilland, W.A.1975, Cultural anthropology)
Description of the figure 
A. Physical/ Biological Anthropology: 
-is the systematic study of humans as a biological organism. It studies the present-day human variation in the
world. 
FOCUSING ISSUES:
Kottak in his cultural anthropology, he identified five special introits.
1. Pale anthropology: Human evolution as revealed by the fossil record.

2. Human genetics: The scientific study of the ways in which different characteristics are passed from generation to
generation. Exam: Body structure, color, shape etc.

3. Human growth and development: The study of human variations Investigates how and why contemporary
human populations differ in Biological and physical characteristics. Ex.: language, attitude, behavior etc.

4. Human biological plasticity: The body’s ability to change as its copies with stress such as heat, cold and attitude.
Ex.: Australian people, African people etc.

5. Others: The biological evaluation behavior and social life of monkey’s apes and other nonhuman primates. 

B. Cultural Anthropology: 
Cultural anthropology mainly focuses on human behavior. [Ref: Havilland cultural anthropology]. It can be
divided into the area of archaeology, linguistic anthropology and ethnology. Although each has its own interests and
methods, it all deals with cultural data. 
a) Archaeology: 
The study of the material remains usually from the past to describe and explain human behavior.
Focusing issues: it has been founded on the human past, for material products of behavior, rather than the
behavior itself, as all that survive of the past. The archaeology studies on the____
1. Tools.
2. Pottery.
3. Other enduring relics.
4. Reconstruct the daily life and custom.
5. To trace out the cultural changes.
6. Try to deal with prehistory. (Before five thousand years BC).
7. Discuss our previous generation.

b) Linguistic Anthropology:
Linguistic anthropology is the study of languages, ancient and modern written form, talking style, etc. is
divided into three part those are given below__
 1. Historical linguistic: Historical linguistic may also deal with the history of the language. The process of
finding historical linguistic is called ‘Diachronomical’. It deals with such factors___
o  Words living language.
o  Dead language.
2. Socio linguistics: The study of how language is used in the social context and it is acceptable by
everybody.

3. Descriptive structural: It incorporates how contemporary languages differ specially in their

construction. Ex: sounds, grammar meaning. 
c) Ethnology: 
It is a systematic description of a cultural-based on first-hand observation. 
 Universality: A custom is shared by all human beings, such as—Infant dependency.
 Particularity: A custom that is common to several groups not to all groups.
Example: Birth ceremony, Death ceremony, Marriage ceremony, etc.
 Generality: It stands between universality and particularity.
Example: Nuclear Family.

Conclusion:  in the above discussion, we can say that the fields/ scopes of the anthropology are very board.

The nature of Sociology

The nature of Sociology is as follows:

A. Sociology is an independent science:

- Sociology is not treated and studied as a branch of any other science like philosophy, history. Now it has
emerged into an independent science. As an independent science, it has its own field of study.

B. Sociology is a social science and not a physical science:

- All the sciences are divided into two categories: natural sciences and social sciences. Natural sciences
study physical phenomena whereas social sciences study social phenomena. Social sciences include Economics,
Political Science, and Anthropology, etc. Sociology belongs to the family of social sciences. As a social science,
it concentrates its attention on man, his social behavior, activities and social life. In other words, it studies man as
a social being.

C. Sociology is pure science and not an applied science:

- The aim of applied science is to apply the acquired knowledge into life and to put it to use. But the aim
of pure sciences is the acquisition of knowledge and it is not bothered whether the acquired knowledge is useful
or can be put to use. Sociology is pure science, because it aims at the acquisition of knowledge about human
society, hot the utilization of the knowledge.

D. Sociology is an abstract science and not a concrete science:

- This doesn't mean that Sociology is an art and not a science. It only refers that Sociology is not
interested in the concrete manifestations of human events. It is more concerned with the form of human events
and their patterns. Similarly, Sociology does not confine itself to the study of this society or that particular
society. It simply means that Sociology is an abstract science, not a concrete science.

E. Sociology is a categorical and not a normative discipline:

- Sociology "confines itself about what is, not what should be or ought to be." As a science, it is silent
about questions of value. It does not make any kind of value judgment. It only means Sociology as a discipline
cannot deal with problems of good and evil, right and wrong.

F. Sociology is a generalizing and not a particularizing science:

- Sociology does not study each and every event that takes place in society. It makes generalizations on
the basis of some selected events. For example, not by studying or examining all the secondary groups but by
observing a few secondary groups, a sociologist makes a generalization of secondary groups.

G. Sociology is a general science and not a special social science:

-The area of inquiry of Sociology is general and not specialized. Social sciences like Political Science,
History, Economics, etc. study human interaction but not all about human interactions. But Sociology does not
investigate special kinds of phenomena in relation to human life, and activities but it only studies human activities
in a general way.
 H. Sociology is both a rational and empirical science:
-Empiricism is the approach that emphasizes experiences and the facts that result from observation and
experimentation. On the other hand, rationalism stresses reason and theories that result from logical inference.
The empiricist collects facts, the rationalist co-ordinates and arranges them. In sociological theory both are
significant. Thus, Sociology is both a rational and empirical science.

Conclusion
Thus, from the above discussion, we come to know that the nature of Sociology is independent, social, a
categorical, pure, abstract, and generalizing; both are a rational and empirical social science.

The nature of Political Science

Political Science
- is a part of the social sciences field that involves the study of politics and government.

- It is the study of theories and ideas concerning politics and government, without the use of hard statistical data,
because human behavior is so hard to predict.

- Many people believe those who study Political Science do so to enter the political game itself, but that is not
true. Those who study in this field often go on to careers in law or journalism or remain within the academic world.

II: THE GOALS OF ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

A. The goals of anthropology

- Students will learn to see human cultures – whether in texts, religious rituals, or political or
economic behavior from an anthropological perspective. These insights can be applied both to cultures
separated from students’ own cultures by time or space as well as their own cultures.

An anthropological perspective entails:

1. Recognizing that cultures exist in time and space and are unique to that time and that space. Cultures are
distinctive and understanding them requires accepting and negotiating otherness.
2. Appreciating that cultural forms – from rituals to class relations to one’s self-understanding – are socially
or culturally constructed and enacted by the symbolic process.
3. Understanding that politics is intrinsically cultural and culture intrinsically political.
4. Appreciating the influence of the environment in enabling and constraining social life.
 Students will learn that anthropology as a discipline has a strong commitment to issues of social justice.
 Students will understand the process of anthropological interpretation and representation.

B. The Goals of Sociology

A threshold learning goal is the understanding that humans are social beings. A secondary
learning goal understands that social factors affect a great deal in life, even things that may appear not
to be influenced by social factors, for example, knowledge itself.

Another important learning goal is being able to recognize the difference between empirical and
normative statements, and realizing that in sociology empirical understanding is considered a very
important way of knowing about the social world. Sometimes these empirical investigations may
disprove or debunk prevailing social beliefs. At the same time that sociology seeks to describe and
explain the social world empirically, many sociologists also desire to change the world. They have
value commitments to fairness, social justice, and the inclusion of everyone in society.

A major learning goal understands how sociology is similar to and different from other social
sciences and what is distinctive about sociology as a field of study. Besides its attention to some of the
forgotten groups in the social world, sociology is distinctive for its focus on relationships, interactions,
social processes, and contexts. Important learning goals of this unit include understanding the types of
relationships sociologists study, between what social units. This involves an understanding of some of
the different social units, processes, and contexts sociologists study, and what about them is
considered important. Part of this learning goal is being able to apply those understandings to the
analysis of various social situations.
 For example, these understandings can be applied to understanding the social conditions that led
to the rise of sociology in Europe and later in the U.S. This example involves understanding the
difference between individual-level explanations and sociological explanations.

A final important learning goal of the unit understands what social theory is, and why there are
theories in sociology. Some understanding of the term, theoretical paradigm, is necessary. Part of this
learning objective is being able to understand the central features of some of the theoretical paradigms
sociologists use, including Functionalism, Conflict theory, Marxian theory, Exchange-rational choice,
and Feminist theory. This understanding would include being able to identify the kinds of questions
these paradigms might suggest and some understanding of what aspects of the social world they are
trying to explain.

The Goals of Political Science

Students will acquire a working knowledge of the American political system. This will include gaining an
understanding of the nation’s political institutions, political culture, and political ideologies, as well as how public
policy is decided upon and implemented.

Students will come to understand that there are various types of political systems around the world and
that these may differ from each other about their political institutions, political culture, political ideologies, and
public policies.

Students will learn about the concepts, theories, and data needed to comprehend the interactions of
nations that constitute international relations, and the nature of such global institutions as the United Nations,
regional alliances, and international law.

Students will become aware of the crucial questions raised by classical and contemporary political
philosophers, and of some of the solutions proposed by them to answer fundamental questions about the role of
politics in human life.

Students will come to understand the means of inquiry in the social sciences generally, and in political
science in particular. This will include an understanding of how knowledge about politics and government is
generated by political scientists working within their discipline.

Students will be prepared to take entry-level jobs in the public or private sector or to undertake graduate
study, whether academic (e.g., master’s or doctoral programs in political science) or professional (e.g., law or
public administration).

III: THE PERSPECTIVES OF ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY AND POLITICAL SCIENCE

nthropology is the study of people, past and present, that focuses on understanding the
human condition both culturally and biologically. Other than culture concept, Anthropology has
different distinctive ways of thinking about the world, human cultures, societies, and people.
Anthropological Perspective focuses on the study of the full scope of human diversity and the
application of that knowledge to help people of different backgrounds. Some of the aspects of the
Anthropological Perspective are culture, cultural relativism, fieldwork, human diversity, holism,
biocultural focus. The four main perspectives of Anthropology are the cross-cultural or
comparative emphasis, its evolutionary/historical emphasis, its ecological emphasis, and its
holistic emphasis (Dudgeon). From an anthropological perspective, these concepts are related to
each other and they are also seen as integrated with one another.
In order to understand the origin and the history of human beings, and to acknowledge
global cultured and communities, people should be able to consider anthropological perspectives
in their both social and academic lives. Anthropological perspective is very important because it
looks at shared aspects of humanity like language, cultural connections, economics, and curiosity
to find the common thread. What makes the Anthropological Perspective unique is that unlike
other social scientists, anthropologists look beyond the confines of our own society and compare
it to the beliefs and practices of other societies, past, and present (Dudgeon). The holistic,
cross-cultural and comparative approach can help us think more deeply about other people and
cultures, and live more consciously in our global world. It also changes your way of thinking
about the world with a wider appreciation of the human experience. It allows us to understand
how the evolutionary package inherited from our ancestors work in today’s environment.

Sources:
Dudgeon, Roy C. “The Anthropological Perspective: What Makes it Unique.”
“Why is Anthropology Important.
A. The Perspectives of Anthropology
Anthropological Perspective focuses on the study of the full scope of human diversity and the
application of that knowledge to help people of different backgrounds. Some of the aspects of
the Anthropological Perspective are culture, cultural relativism, fieldwork, human diversity, holism, biocultural
focus.

B. Perspectives of Sociology

Three Major Perspectives in Sociology

Sociologists analyze social phenomena at different levels and from different perspectives. From concrete
interpretations to sweeping generalizations of society and social behavior, sociologists study everything from specific
events (the micro-level of analysis of small social patterns) to the “big picture” (the macro level of analysis of large social
patterns).

The pioneering European sociologists, however, also offered a broad conceptualization of the fundamentals of
society and its workings. Their views form the basis for today's theoretical perspectives, or paradigms, which provide
sociologists with an orienting framework—a philosophical position—for asking certain kinds of questions about society
and its people.

Sociologists today employ three primary theoretical perspectives: the symbolic interactionist perspective, the
functionalist perspective, and the conflict perspective. These perspectives offer sociologists theoretical paradigms for
explaining how society influences people, and vice versa. Each perspective uniquely conceptualizes society, social forces,
and human behavior (see Table 1).

The symbolic interactionist perspective

The symbolic interactionist perspective, also known as symbolic interactionism, directs sociologists to

consider the symbols and details of everyday life, what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other.
Although symbolic interactionism traces its origins to Max Weber's assertion that individuals act according to their
interpretation of the meaning of their world, the American philosopher George H. Mead (1863–1931) introduced this
perspective to American sociology in the 1920s.

According to the symbolic interactionist perspective, people attach meanings to symbols, and then they act
according to their subjective interpretation of these symbols. Verbal conversations, in which spoken words serve as the
predominant symbols, make this subjective interpretation especially evident. The words have a certain meaning for the
“sender,” and, during effective communication, they hopefully have the same meaning for the “receiver.” In other terms,
words are not static “things”; they require intention and interpretation. The conversation is an interaction of symbols
between individuals who constantly interpret the world around them. Of course, anything can serve as a symbol as long as
it refers to something beyond itself. Written music serves as an example. The black dots and lines become more than mere
marks on the page; they refer to notes organized in such a way as to make musical sense. Thus, symbolic interactionists
give serious thought to how people act, and then seek to determine what meanings individuals assign to their own actions
and symbols, as well as to those of others.
 Consider applying symbolic interactionism to the American institution of marriage. Symbols may include
wedding bands, vows of life‐long commitment, a white bridal dress, a wedding cake, a Church ceremony, and flowers and
music. American society attaches general meanings to these symbols, but individuals also maintain their own perceptions
of what these and other symbols mean. For example, one of the spouses may see their circular wedding rings as
symbolizing “never-ending love,” while the other may see them as a mere financial expense. Much faulty communication
can result from differences in the perception of the same events and symbols.

Critics claim that symbolic interactionism neglects the macro-level of social interpretation—the “big picture.” In
other words, symbolic interactionists may miss the larger issues of society by focusing too closely on the “trees” (for
example, the size of the diamond in the wedding ring) rather than the “forest” (for example, the quality of the marriage).
The perspective also receives criticism for slighting the influence of social forces and institutions on individual
interactions.

The functionalist perspective

According to the functionalist perspective, also called functionalism, each aspect of society is interdependent

and contributes to society's functioning as a whole. The government, or state, provides education for the children of the
family, which in turn pays taxes on which the state depends to keep itself running. That is, the family is dependent upon
the school to help children grow up to have good jobs so that they can raise and support their own families. In the process,
the children become law‐abiding, taxpaying citizens, who in turn support the state. If all goes well, the parts of society
produce order, stability, and productivity. If all does not go well, the parts of society then must adapt to recapture a new
order, stability, and productivity. For example, during a financial recession with its high rates of unemployment and
inflation, social programs are trimmed or cut. Schools offer fewer programs. Families tighten their budgets. And a new
social order, stability, and productivity occur.

Functionalists believe that society is held together by social consensus, or cohesion, in which members of the
society agree upon, and work together to achieve, what is best for society as a whole. Emile Durkheim suggested that
social consensus takes one of two forms:

 Mechanical solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in a society maintain similar values
and beliefs and engage in similar types of work. Mechanical solidarity most commonly occurs in traditional,
simple societies such as those in which everyone herds cattle or farms. Amish society exemplifies mechanical
solidarity.

 In contrast, organic solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when the people in a society are
interdependent but hold to varying values and beliefs and engage in varying types of work. Organic solidarity
most commonly occurs in industrialized, complex societies such as those in large American cities like New York
in the 2000s.

The functionalist perspective achieved its greatest popularity among American sociologists in the 1940s and
1950s. While European functionalists originally focused on explaining the inner workings of social order, American
functionalists focused on discovering the functions of human behavior. Among these American functionalist sociologists
is Robert Merton (b. 1910), who divides human functions into two types: manifest functions are intentional and
obvious, while latent functions are unintentional and not obvious. The manifest function of attending a church or
synagogue, for instance, is to worship as part of a religious community, but its latent function may be to help members
learn to discern personal from institutional values. With common sense, manifest functions become easily apparent. Yet
this is not necessarily the case for latent functions, which often demand a sociological approach to be revealed. A
sociological approach in functionalism is the consideration of the relationship between the functions of smaller parts and
the functions of the whole.

The conflict perspective

The conflict perspective, which originated primarily from Karl Marx's writings on class struggles, presents society
in a different light than do the functionalist and symbolic interactionist perspectives. While these latter perspectives focus
on the positive aspects of society that contribute to its stability, the conflict perspective focuses on the negative,
conflicted, and ever‐changing nature of society. Unlike functionalists who defend the status quo, avoid social change, and
believe people cooperate to effect social order, conflict theorists challenge the status quo, encourage social change (even
when this means social revolution), and believe rich and powerful people force social order on the poor and the weak.
Conflict theorists, for example, may interpret an “elite” board of regents raising tuition to pay for esoteric new programs
that raise the prestige of a local college as self‐serving rather than as beneficial for students.

C. Perspectives of Political Science

 A perspective on Politics seeks to provide a space for broad and synthetic discussion within the political science
profession and between the profession and the broader scholarly and reading publics. Such discussion necessarily draws
on and contributes to the scholarship published in the more specialized journals that dominate our discipline. At the same
time, Perspectives seek to promote a complementary form of broad public discussion and synergistic understanding
within the profession that is essential to advancing research and promoting scholarly community. Perspectives seeks to
nurture a political science public sphere, publicizing important scholarly topics, ideas, and innovations, linking scholarly
authors and readers, and promoting broad reflexive discussion among political scientists about the work that we do and
why this work matters. Perspectives on Politics is sold ONLY as part of a joint subscription with American Political
Science Review and PS: Political Science & Politics

CHECK YOUR
UNDERSTANDING

A. Write TRUE if the statement is correct and FALSE if it is not.

__________1. Mechanical solidarity is a form of social cohesion that arises when people in a society maintain
similar values and beliefs and engages in similar types of work.
___________2. The conflict perspective focuses on the negative, conflicted, and ever‐changing nature of society.
__________3. Symbolic interactionism directs sociologists to consider the symbols and details of everyday life,
what these symbols mean, and how people interact with each other.
___________4. Anthropological Perspective focuses on the study of the full scope of human diversity and the
application of that knowledge to help people of different backgrounds.
___________5. Understanding the politics is intrinsically cultural and culture intrinsically political.
__________6. Identity is a major learning goal in understanding how sociology is similar to and different from
other social sciences and what is distinctive about sociology as a field of study.
__________7. Political science is an abstract science and not a concrete science.
__________8. Political Science is a part of the social sciences field that involves the study of politics and
government.
__________9. Sociology is the study of the material remains usually from the past to describe and explain human
behavior.
__________10. Cultural anthropology mainly focuses on human behavior.

B. Instruction: Write your answer in the blank provided below.

1. Compare and contrast Anthropology, sociology and political science. (10 points)

2. What are your understandings of anthropology, sociology and political science? (explain
briefly. 10 points)
References

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https://www.slideshare.net/edwardbenalet/anthropology-sociology-and-political-science-102745908
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