Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

Quarter 3

Most Essential Learning Competency (MELC)

Discuss the nature, goals and perspectives in/of anthropology, sociology and political science*

SOCIAL SCIENCE
• Studies the society and the manner in which people behave and influence the world around us.
• The discipline under which identity, culture, society, and politics are studied.
• Comprised of a wide array of disciplines that studies the overall function of a society as well as the interactions among
individual members of an institution.

Goal of Social Science: to answer different questions and find solutions to problems of the society to improve human condition despite
cultural, social and political differences.

Fields/Disciplines of Social Science: Anthropology, Sociology, Political Science

Culture is the subject of Anthropology, society is for sociology, while politics is for political science.

The very goal of these disciplines (Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science) is to prepare people for active and
responsible civic engagement through the development of critical thought.

ANTHROPOLOGY
 Anthropology is the study of humankind. It is a holistic approach that looks at how different parts of society—including
politics, economics, language, and many more—combine together to form different cultures around the world.
Anthropologists bridge the gap between the sciences and the humanities, by using both qualitative and quantitative
methods. (explorable.com)
 Anthropology is the study of humans and their society in the past and present. Dealing with what makes us human,
anthropology delves in objects and materials we have created, our interconnectedness and adaptability with environment,
our lifestyle, our modes of communication, and our understanding of the world around us.
 The holistic “science of man”, a science of the totality of human existence.
 A systematic study of the biological, cultural, and social aspects of man.
 From two Greek words, Anthropos, meaning “MAN”; and Logos, meaning “STUDY”.

Goals of Anthropology:
 describe and analyze the biological evolution of mankind
 describe and assess the cultural development of our species
 describe, explain, and analyze the present-day human cultural similarities and differences
 describe and explain human biological diversity today

**Goal: Explain behavioral, biological, and cultural variation throughout time.

SOCIOLOGY
 Sociology is the study of human social relationships and institutions. This social sciences discipline mainly focuses on
society—its functions, its members, and its diversity.
 Specifically, sociology tackles the basic unit of the society—the family; the functionality and relevance of state as an
important human institution; social issues on religion, crime, race, social class; and the stability and instability of societies.
 Sociology is the study of human social life, groups, and society.” (Anthony Giddens)
 Sociology attempts to provide a deeper assessment of individual and group behavior, as well as social phenomena.

Goals of Sociology :
 understand ourselves better
 build a better understanding of mankind
 help with decision-making, both our own and that of larger organizations
 gather systematic information from which to make a decision, provide insights into what is going on in a situation, and
present alternatives

POLITICAL SCIENCE
Political science is a social science discipline that deals with systems of government, and the analysis of political activities
and political behavior. Primarily, it helps people gain an understanding on “who gets what, when they get it, and how they get it.”
Political science is
 Systematic study of politics
 “Activity through which people make, preserve, and amend the general rules under which they live” ( Andrew Heywood)
 Focuses on fundamental values of equality, freedom and justice and its process linked to the dynamics of conflict,
resolution, and cooperation.
Political science helps us understand politics, political institutions and behavior, public policy, and philosophical concepts, such as
justice, equality, fairness, and liberty; and on how the said subject matters affect economy, public and private life, law, and public
services.
Goals of Political Science
• be immersed in current affairs
• build an understanding on the local, national, and international politics
• learn how political activities are organized in and out of our country
• provide substantially critical and scientific contribution to government and society

Key Points

Anthropology is the study of people in the world, their evolutionary history, how they behave, adjust to different environments,
communicate, and socialize with one another.
Sociology is the study of human institutions and their relationships.
Culture is a way of life of a group of people. Its subjects include people's symbols, language, values, and norms.
Society is a community or group joined because of sustained bond and interaction.

ANTHROPOLOGICAL AND SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CULTURE AND SOCIETY

In sociology, society is the leading concept while culture is subordinate.
In anthropology, on the other hand, culture comes first as a subject matter followed only by society.
The two interrelated scientific studies of society and colloquially known as the twin social sciences are anthropology and sociology.

Anthropological perspectives are culture, cultural relativism, fieldwork, human diversity, holism, bio-cultural 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). An example for this is the analysis and solutions of the different aspects of the society
such as the environment issues of pollution, the issues on health and medicine and other issues related to the human activities.

Anthropological Perspectives:
a. Evolutionist-Intellectual Perspective, explains that death and belief in soul and the spirits play important roles.
b. French Sociology School Perspective which is led by Emile Durkheim suggests that society can sustain and reproduce by
themselves.
c. British Functionalist School Perspective explains anxiety caused by the rationally uncontrollable happenings as the basic
motivation for the emergence of religious faith.

Sociological perspective introduces the discipline of sociology, including something about its history, questions, theory, and
scientific methods, and what distinguishes it from other social science disciplines. Central features include social interaction and
relationships, social contexts, social structure, social change, the significance of diversity and human variation, and the critical,
questioning character of sociology. It also explores what sociologists do.

Sociological Perspectives:
a. Symbolic Interactionism Perspective explains that people attach meanings to symbols and they act according to their
subjective interpretation of the symbols.
b. Functionalist Perspective, also called Functionalism, believes that each aspect of society is interdependent and
contributes to society’s functioning as a whole. Societies are thought to function like organisms, with various social
institutions working together like organs to maintain and reproduce societies.
c. Conflict Perspective through Karl Max’s writing on struggles, shows competition for scarce resources and how the elite
control the poor and the weak. It sees social life as a competition, and focuses on the distribution of resources, power, and
inequality.

Political science perspective studies the tendencies and actions of people which cannot be easily quantified or examined. Political
science is more focused than most social sciences. It sticks to the political arena and to the realm of politics, either dealing with
situations with two competing sides or the lateral decisions that affect the group as a whole. An example is the study of democracy
as a form of government and why is democracy considered as the best form of government.

The Relationship of Culture and Society

 Culture and society are two closely interrelated concepts. For culture to exist and to be developed, it needs human
interaction; it needs people to interact with one another, and it needs people to practice it continuously. Without a society
practicing their common culture, the culture may cease to exist.
 Culture is also essential to society because, without culture, society will be dull and will not continue to thrive. A society
without culture is like a body without a soul and vice versa. Culture and society need each other so they can both develop
and prosper.