Review Notes 1 
Introduction to Understanding, Culture, Society, and 
Politics 
 
Contents 
Competencies Covered 1 

Key Points 1 
Cultural Variation and Social Difference 1 
Society, Politics, and Culture 2 
Social, Political, and Cultural Change 2 
The Study of Culture, Society, and Politics 3 

Synthesis 3 

Practice 4 

Tips 6 

References 7 

Answer Key 8 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
   

 
  
 
 
Review Notes 1 
Introduction to Understanding, 
Culture, Society, and Politics 
 
Competencies Covered 
In this note, we will discuss the important concepts about the 
following competencies:  
● articulate observations on human cultural variation, social 
differences, social change, and political identities;  
● demonstrate curiosity and an openness to explore the 
origins and dynamics of culture;  
● analyze social, political, and cultural change; 
● recognize the common concerns or intersections of 
anthropology, sociology, and political science with respect to 
the phenomenon of change; and 
● identify the subjects of inquiry and goals of Anthropology, 
Political Science and Sociology. 
 

Key Points 
Cultural Variation and Social Change 
● Human  cultural  variation refers to the differences in social 
behaviors  that  different  cultures  exhibit  around  the  world. 
What  may  be  considered  good  in  one  culture  may  be 
considered bad in another. 
● Examples  of  human  cultural  variation  are  religion,  ethnicity, 
nationality. 
○ Religion  is  a  system  of  beliefs  and  practices  as  well 
as  systems  of  action  directed  toward entities that are 
above men. 
○ Ethnicity  is  the  expression  of  the  set  of  cultural  ideas  held  by  distinct  ethics 
 
RN1. ​Introduction to Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics  1 
 
  
 
 
or indigenous group. 
○ Nationality​ is the legal relationship that binds a person and a country. 
● Social  difference  refers  to  differences  among  individuals  on  the  basis  of  social 
characteristics and qualities. 
● Examples of social differences are gender, socio-economic status, and exceptionality. 
○ Gender  is  the  socially-constructed  characteristics  of  being  male  or  female. 
Sex​,  on  the  other  hand,  is  the  biological  differences  that  distinguish  humans 
and other animals into male and female. 
○ Socio-economic  class  is  the  category  that  group  people  with  similar 
economic, social, cultural, and political status. 
○ Exceptionality  is a concept that describes how an individual’s specific abilities 
and functioning are different from the established normal or typical qualities. 
 
Society, Politics, and Culture 
● Society  is  a  group  of  people with a shared environment, cultural beliefs, and ways of 
living. 
● Culture  is  a  group’s  shared  belief  and  value  system  that  is preserved either through 
material or non-material ways. 
● Politics​ is a set of activities and actions that are used to hold power in a government. 
● Socialization  is  the  process  of  immersing  oneself  in  a  particular  society  and  culture 
even at birth. 
 
Theoretical Perspective of Socialization 
○ The  ​structural-functionalist  perspective  believes  that  socialization  is 
important because it benefits both individuals and society. 
○ The  ​conflict  perspective  believes  that  socialization  promotes  social 
inequality. 
○ The  ​interactional  perspective  believes  that  socialization  is  a  salient  in  the 
promotion of individual interactions that convey meanings and messages. 
 
Social, Political, and Cultural Change 
● Culture, as dynamic as it can be, is both inherently prone and resistant to change. 
● The  resistance  of  culture  to  change  is  dependent  upon  contact  between  societies, 
societal forces at work, and natural environmental changes. 
 
RN1. ​Introduction to Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics  2 
 
  
 
 
● Social  change  refers  to  the  alteration  of  mechanisms  in  a  social  structure 
characterized  by  changes  in  social  organizations,  cultural  symbols,  patterns  of 
behavior, and value system. 
● Political  change  occurs  when  there  is  a  play  against  power  and  when  there  is  a 
revolution of rising expectations from the government. 
 
The Study of Culture, Society, and Politics 
● Anthropology  is  the  systematic  study  of  behavior,  origin,  social,  physical,  and 
cultural development of humans. 
● Sociology​ is the systematic study of social interaction and society. 
● Political  Science  is  a  systematic  and  empirical  study  of  governance  that  examines 
societal, cultural, and behavioral factors in the operation of government and politics. 
 

Synthesis 
● People work together, with the guidance of social norms, to maintain and sustain 
harmony in society. Each society differs in culture, norms, social institutions, social 
groups, traditions, and customs. 
● All countries are made up of a structured society, a political system, and a rich set of 
tangible and intangible cultures.  
● People continuously socialize and build a society based on social interactions, cultural 
practices, and political activities. As the world continues to develop, society and 
individuals adapt, thereby creating new avenues for cultural expression and identity 
development. 
● The discipline of social sciences, particularly anthropology, sociology, and political 
science, is concerned with the development and prediction of human behavior as 
influenced by cultural, social, psychological, and political phenomena. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
RN1. ​Introduction to Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics  3 
 
  
 
 

 
Practice 
 
Shade the circle beside the correct answer for each question.  
 
1. What is the term that refers to the systematic study of social interaction and society? 
◯ anthropology 
◯ biology 
◯ political science 
◯ sociology 
 
2. What  is  the  term  that  refers  to  a  group’s  shared  belief  and  value  system  that  is 
preserved either through material or non-material ways? 
◯ culture 
◯ politics 
 
RN1. ​Introduction to Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics  4 
 
  
 
 
◯ society 
◯ socialization 
 
 
3. What is the legal relationship that binds a person and a country?  
◯ ethnicity 
◯ nationality  
◯ religion 
◯ socio-economic status 
 
4. How does the structuralist perspective view socialization? 
◯ It creates chaos. 
◯ It promotes social conflict. 
◯ It forms symbols and meanings. 
◯ It benefits both individuals and society. 
 
5. How does the interactional perspective view socialization? 
◯ It creates chaos. 
◯ It promotes social conflict. 
◯ It forms symbols and meanings. 
◯ It transforms the classes in society. 
 
6. Which of the following is not an example of social difference? 
◯ gender 
◯ exceptionality 
◯ religion 
◯ socio-economic class 
 
7. Which of the following is an important factor in politics? 
◯ power 
◯ way of living 
◯ values system 
◯ cultural beliefs 
 

 
RN1. ​Introduction to Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics  5 
 
  
 
 
 
 
8. Which of the following is an example of sex? 
◯ how you act 
◯ human genitals 
◯ likes and dislikes 
◯ being man or animal 
 
9. How does the political system change? 
◯ There are changes in the environment. 
◯ There are advanced technologies to simplify life. 
◯ There are rising expectations in the government. 
◯ There are changes in behavior and value system. 
 
10. Which of the following statements is n
​ ot​ true? 
◯ Culture cannot be changed. 
◯ Societies are different from each other. 
◯ All countries are made up of a structured society. 
◯ What is considered good in one culture may be bad for the other. 
 
What do you think would be the major cultural, political and social changes in our society in 
the next generation? Why do you think so?  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
RN1. ​Introduction to Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics  6 
 
  
 
 
  

Tips 
● To gain full knowledge of the topics, it is best to search and read more articles and 
studies about society, culture, and politics. 
● The terminologies are related to each other. Look for characteristics and qualities to 
differentiate one from the other. 
 

  References 
Contreras, Antonio & et al. “​The Social Science and the Three Faces of the Social​” and “​Culture 
and Society: The Perspectives of Anthropology and Sociology​,” U
​ nderstanding Culture, Society, 
and Politics​. Quezon City: Phoenix Publishing House, Inc., 2016.  
 
—. ​Sociology: Understanding and Changing the Social World​. Minnesota: University of 
Minnesota Libraries Publishing, 2016. 
 
Bourrelle,  Julien.  “​How  Culture  Drives  Behaviours,​”  ​Youtube​.  Accessed  from 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-Yy6poJ2zs​, November 2, 2019. 
 
Blakeway,  Cole.  “We  Are  All  Different  -  and  That’s  Awesome!,”  Youtube.  Accessed  from 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQuM5e0QGLg​, November 2, 2019. 
 
   

 
RN1. ​Introduction to Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics  7 
 
  
 
 
 

Answer Key 
 
Answers to Multiple Choice 
1. sociology 
2. culture  
3. nationality 
4. It benefits both individuals and society. 
5. It forms symbols and meanings. 
6. religion 
7. power 
8. human genitals 
9. There are rising expectations in the government. 
10. Culture cannot be changed. 
 
 
Possible answer and explanation to HOTS Question  
People continuously socialize and build a society based on social interactions, cultural 
practices, and political activities. Possible answers are acceptance of LGBTQ+, human 
robots, and political government.  
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
RN1. ​Introduction to Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics  8