USC – SHS North Campus

Soc Sci 01: Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics

First/Second Semester
A. Y. 2023 - 2024

MODULE 2
Basics of Culture and Society
I. What will you learn from this module?
After studying this module, you will be able to:
● analyze the concept, aspects, and changes in/of culture and society;
● explain the importance of cultural relativism in cultural understanding;
● analyze the significance of cultural, social, political, and economic symbols and
practices.

II. Let’s Check What You Already Know

ANAGRAM:
Challenge your vocabulary in Social Science. Rearrange the scrambled letters on the right
column to form the correct terms defined or described.

___________1. an important product of SE CITOY

human interaction and interconnectedness

___________2. a characteristic of culture that DARLEEN

is acquired gradually through experience

___________3. the attitude of judging HITS TIME CONCERN

another culture with biases

___________4. something created by man to MY BOSS L

use and mean something else

___________5. the Latin term from which the SICO SU

word society originated

___________6. culture that is tangible AAL TIMER

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 ___________7. rules of casual behavior YO FAWLKS

___________8. a characteristic of culture that MIST AT TREND

is a result of socialization

___________9. a culture that has wide POUR LAP

presence and acceptance within a culture

___________10. recognition of diverse UM U CUT TRAILS MILL

culture within a society

III. Let’s Explore

Gist: The study on the basics of society and culture helps us understand their importance and
functions. As we are living in a society that is diverse and unique, it is essential that we
understand how and why we see certain others as different from us and reflect on how we
should properly treat such differences.

A. Society

1. The term society originates from the Latin word socius, meaning companion, ally, or
associate.

2. Society is generally defined as an organized group or groups of interdependent

people who share a common territory, language, and culture, and who act together for
collective survival and well-being.

3. Society is created in ways that would meet the basic needs of humanity in general,
although specific to the peculiarity of a community. This is done through learned
behavior that is generally agreed upon and transmitted through varied linguistic devices
or means of communication.

4. Society is an important product of human interaction and interconnectedness. It

symbolizes the group within which human beings can live a total common life – the peer
groups; social organizations like the family and kinship groups; economic, political,
religious, and educational groups; and communities. (Baleña, et al.)

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 5. Society has its features: size (the number of members); territory (has a definite area
that is bounded); common culture (a common way of living); a sense of belongingness;
common historical experience; and autonomy.

B. Culture

6. In his groundbreaking book published in 1871 entitled Primitive Culture, Edward

Burnett Taylor defined culture as “that complex whole which encompasses beliefs,
practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts, symbols, knowledge, and everything
that a person learns and shares as a member of society.” (Amper, et al)

7. Culture simply refers to our way of life. It encompasses all aspects of our daily
existence – our thoughts and actions, and the things we create and use.

8. Culture makes us different from other forms of animals because we are rational
beings. We have the ability to think before acting, unlike animals that act according to
their instinct. We are self-aware and we know if our actions are in consonance with what
is acceptable by society.

9. Culture is both material (the tangible or physical objects made by people from natural
resources like tools and weapons) and non-material (the intangible or nonphysical which
comes in the form of ideas like arts and philosophy).

10. As we understand that each society has a unique culture, there are common
elements that all societies have. These are symbols, language, values, norms, rituals,
forms of expression, and artifacts.

COMPONENTS OF CULTURE

11. Symbols are everything that humans create and use to mean something else. The
nodding of the head or the shaking of the hand are three different ways of greeting a
person in three different societies: Filipino, Japanese, and American. Members create
symbols to enable themselves and others to make sense of the world around them.

12. Symbols can be tangible (concrete) or intangible (abstract). A national flag, a crucifix
for the Christian faith, and a crescent for the Muslims are some examples. There are
symbols that are agreed upon by all societies as rules compressed into signs that
everyone must adhere to. One of the examples is traffic signs on metal or wooden
placards that are strategically placed on streets and roads. Licensed drivers are taught
the basic traffic rules and symbols.

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13. Language is a system of symbols shared by members of society to enable them to
communicate with one another. It is the most important set of symbols for
communication and transmitting culture ever created by humans. The most practical
symbol used for communication is the modern English alphabet. In some societies, their
language has no written equivalent and can only be heard or uttered. In the Philippines,
there is one group of indigenous peoples, the Mangyan of Mindoro still use their own
form of writing or baybayin.

14. Values are a society’s shared ideas, and standards of what is right or wrong, ethical
or unethical, acceptable or unacceptable, worthy or unworthy, and desirable or
undesirable. Values can be both static and dynamic or stable and changing over time.

15. Norms are rules that guide human behavior and interaction in society. They are
derived from values, from our concepts of what is good, right, and desirable. Members of
society have to follow or observe these norms properly or suffer the consequences in the
form of sanctions and punishments. The four types of norms are folkways, mores
(pronounced mo-rays), taboos, and laws.

16. Folkways are rules of casual behavior that do not take much effort to think about.
Mores are the most specific, clearly stated and strictly enforced norms that carry
corresponding punishments for those that break them or fail to follow them. Laws are a
set of norms promulgated, enacted, or codified by members of society. Taboos are the
highest form of mores, these are strictly adhered to or observed, with no exceptions.

17. Rituals are established ways, sets of action, and/or ceremonies that mark the
transition of a person from one part to another in the life course. It serves the purpose of
directing the individual into a correct and approved outcome or direction as a member of
society.

18. Ritualized action is something carried out routinely but without necessary regard for
any symbolic meaning. While Ritual action is an action carefully carried out based on
established rules or standards where the act or set of acts carries symbolic meaning or
religious significance to the performer.

19. Ideal culture is the standard that society’s members are expected to adhere to while
real culture is the actual actions of the society. In an ideal culture, everyone obeys traffic
rules but in reality, we see a lot of people who do not follow basic traffic rules.

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C. Aspects/Characteristics of Culture

20. Culture is learned. We learn from our parents, peers, teachers, leaders, and others
as we grow up. It is not biological or genetic. A person can acquire any person’s culture
gradually through experience.

21. Culture is transmitted. It is made possible through socialization and enculturation.

The interaction we have with people from infancy to childhood and until we grow older,
helps us develop our attitudes, beliefs, values, and understanding of the role that we
play in society.

22. Culture is never static and is transformed. It is dynamic, flexible, and adaptive.
People develop certain behaviors that fit and adapt to the environment (like the mode of
clothing and the kind of houses built). Culture also evolves as it adapts to the changes in
society (we see the different ways of living of people in different types of societies).
Behaviors, values, rules, artifacts, and everything in culture may change as societies
also evolve when they are no longer useful or needed in society (Amper, et al).

23. Culture is cumulative. It grows and builds on other previous cultural elements and
patterns over time. The more complex society has evolved, the more complex culture
also becomes. (Amper, et al).

D. CULTURAL UNIVERSALS

24. Cultural universals refer to traits, behaviors, practices, and values that are shared
by all cultures.

25. Cultural diversity refers to variations in the cultural patterns and elements within
societies.

26. Each culture differs from one another as each defines reality differently. As a result,
some people find it difficult to get along with or understand other people’s ways of
thinking and doing.

27. Ethnocentrism is the attitude of judging another culture based on the standards of
one’s culture.

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28. Members of a particular society have the tendency to regard its culture as the best
and superior compared to another society. They tend to believe that its view of reality is
right and proper and anything outside its context is absolutely the opposite.

29. Collectively, people may assert their folkways as the only right and proper custom
and regard others as improper or uncivilized. In the same way, some groups claim that
their faith is the only true religion, downplaying other religions as false.

30. It should be noted that ethnocentric mentality cultivates helplessness and is simply
an end by itself. Ethnocentrism is a by-product of day-to-day socialization. School
groups, occupational groups, recreational groups, social groups, civic groups, and
regional and ethnic groups unconsciously and unwittingly develop ethnocentric
tendencies toward their members.

31. While ethnocentrism may develop solidarity of the group, it also restricts interaction
between groups and when accompanied by antagonism and hostility, may lead to
conflict (Panopio:38-39).

32. Cultural relativism is when the individual suspends one’s cultural views and biases
by seeing another culture according to the standards of that culture.

33. Cultural relativism can also have its problems. The cooking and eating of dogs are
common in some areas in Northern Luzon, especially in Benguet, Ifugao, and Kalinga.
Eating dog meat was historically part of their celebration according to some historians.
Today, there is an ongoing campaign to stop the dog meat trade in the Philippines. As
this is part of their cultural practice, do we have the right to end this?

34. For anthropologists and other social scientists, not all cultural traits are harmless,
and in the modern world, certain international standards have to be adhered to.

35. Patterns that differentiate a society’s elite from the rest are what we call High
Culture. People steeped in the knowledge and appreciation of the arts, classical music,
and ballet, and can afford the finer and classier things in life have this kind of culture.
Popular culture refers to patterns that have a wide presence and acceptance within a
culture.

36. Subculture has its own sets of standards and expectations that give it a sense of
belongingness to the group. Any group whose values and beliefs challenge, run counter
to, or even reject the larger culture, is called a counterculture.

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 37. Multiculturalism is the recognition that many societies are now culturally diverse
and that the only way to deal with this diversity is to promote the equality of different
cultures. The best example of a multicultural society closest to us is Singapore which,
despite a population of less than 4 million people occupying a tiny island, is composed of
people of Chinese, Malay, and Indian descent.

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QUESTIONS TO PONDER:

1. When a certain practice of indigenous people puts a person's health and life in
danger, is it right for us to intervene and tell them to stop such practice? What could be
the best approach to convince them to stop without us sounding ethnocentric?

2. To ensure the continuity of Philippine culture, how can you contribute in the
preservation of intangible and tangible forms of culture?
____________________________________________________________________________

IV. References
Amper, ZH., Bersales, JE. & Nolasco MF. Knowing Our Social World: A Comprehensive
Worktext in Understanding Society, Culture, and Politics for Senior High School. Cebu City:
USC Press, 2016.

Baleña, E., Lucero, D., & Peralta, A. Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics for Senior
High School. Quezon City: Educational Resources Corporation, 2016.

Santarita, J. & Madrid, R. Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics. Quezon City: Vibal
Group, Inc., 2016.