12 Senior High School

Quarter 1 – Module 4
Analyze the Significance of
Cultural, Social, Political and
Economic Symbols and Practices

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 What I Need to Know
Module Content

My dear learner, welcome to the fourth module! Do you know that the world
is filled with symbols and practices? Sports uniforms, company logos, and traffic
signs are symbols . In some cultures, a gold ring is a symbol of marriage . Some
symbols are highly functional; stop signs, for instance, provide useful instruction .
Humans, consciously and subconsciously, are always striving to make sense of their
surrounding world . Symbols- such as gestures, signs, and words – help people
understand the world . Symbols provide clues to understand experiences . They
convey recognizable meanings that are shared by societies .

In this module, we will analyze the significance of cultural, social, political

and economic symbols of practices shared and played by members of society .

These is the competency included in this module:

1. Significance of Culture, Social, Political and Economic Symbols and Practices

After going through this module, you are expected to:

1. Explain the significance of cultural, social, political and economic

symbols and practices
2. Compare and contrast the significance of culture, social, political and
economic symbols and practices

What I Know

In this part, let’ s check your knowledge on cultural, social, political and
economic symbols of practices .

Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer . Write your answer in your
activity notebook .

1. Which of the following cultural symbols of Philippines represents

nationalism?
a . Sandata c . Baybayin
b . Philippine Flag d . Mungul Jar

2. An object, word, or action that stand for something else with no natural
relationship that is culturally defined .
a . Culture c . Practices
b . Symbols d . Belief

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3. What is the best known symbol used to represent Islam?
a . Cross c . Star and Crescent
b . Aum d . Pratik

4. A symbol that is perceived visible, external denotation of one’ s social position

and perceived indicator of economic or social status .
a. Political symbols c . Economic symbol
b. Social symbol d . Cultural symbol

5. An object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical

interest .
a . Symbol c . Culture
b . Artifacts d . Dove

6. It is the change that occurs in a population over time .

a . Culture c . Evolution
b . Politics d . Society

7. Refer to everyday practices and the way these are typically and habitually
performed in a society .
a . Cultural practices c . Social practices
b . Economic practices d . Political practices

8. All human cultures evolve over time . Which of the following things is
responsible for this?
a . Culture is an adaptive mechanism
b . Culture is instinctive
c . Culture is cumulative
d . All of the above

9. It is the communication of thought and feelings through a system of arbitrary

symbols .
a . Tools c . Language
b . Culture d . Symbols

1 0 . A physical manifestation that signifies the ideology of a particular culture

or that merely has meaning within a culture .
a . Cultural symbols c . Social symbols
b . Political symbols d . Economic symbols

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 Lesson Significance of Cultural, Social,
1 Political and Economic Symbols
and Practices

What’ s In
Activity: Review It

Direction: if the statement is true, write the word AGREE . If the statement is false,
write the word DISAGREE .

___ 1 . Society and culture is a complex whole .

___2 . Cultural relativism mitigates ethnocentrism .
___3 . Man’ s behavior is greatly shaped by the society and culture where he belongs .
___4 . Culture is an organized body of conventional understanding manifested in art
only .
_ _ _ 5 . People live together always in a large- scale grouping .
_ _ _ 6 . Customs can only be judged by how well or how poorly they fit in with the
standards of a certain society .
_ _ _ 7 . Ethnocentrism is a major reason for divisions amongst members of different
ethnicities, races, and religious groups in society .
_ _ _ 8 . Cultural relativism attempt to judge behavior according to its cultural
context .
_ _ _ 9 . A person with ethnocentric view regards one’ s own culture as a benchmark
standard for all other cultures .
_ _ _ 1 0 . Cultural relativism argues that all cultures are valuable and none is better
than another .

Notes to the Teacher

To engage the learners with this lesson, please revisit from other
references on the different cultural, social, political and economic
symbols and practices . You may also ask them of their own local
practices .

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 What’ s New
Activity: “ I know that Symbol”

Direction: Identify the pictures below, state if it is cultural, social, political

or economic symbol, and answer the guided question given .

Symbols Name Exemplify

Process Questions:

1. What are the symbols that you have seen in the pictures?
2. What are the uses of these symbols?
3. What are the significance of these symbols in the society?

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 What is It

Symbols often get noticed when they were used out of context . Used
unconventionally, symbols convey strong messages . A stop sign on the door of a
corporation makes a political statement, as does a camouflage military jacket worn
in an anti- war protest .
Symbols are the basis of culture . A symbol is an object, word, or action that
stands for something else with no natural relationship that is culturally defined .
Everything one does throughout their life is based and organized through cultural
symbolism . Symbolism is when something represents abstract ideas or concepts .
Symbols mean different things to different people, which is why it is impossible to
hypothesize how a specific culture will symbolize something . Some symbols are
gained from experience, while others are gained from culture . One of the most
common cultural symbols is language . For example, the letters of an alphabet
symbolize the sounds of a specific spoken language .

Cultural Symbols are a physical manifestation that signifies the ideology of a

particular culture or that merely has meaning within a culture . Cultural symbols
don' t have to be actual symbols or signs; they can also be gestures such as
handshakes and hand signals . Additionally, the same symbol can mean different
things in different cultures . Americans should be careful in Greece, for example . The
thumbs up, which symbolizes that everything is great in American culture, is just
like giving the middle finger in Greek culture .

Social Symbols are relating to human society and its modes of organization:
social classes; social problems or a social issue . A symbol that something people
want to have or do because they think other people will respect or admire
them for it

such as education, occupation, marital status, accomplishments, or other

factors .
Political Symbols are symbolism that is used to represent a political
standpoint . The symbolism can occur in various media including banners,
acronyms, pictures, flags, mottos, and countless more . For example, Red flags have
traditionally been flown by socialists, left- wing radicals, and communist groups to
represent the " blood of the workers" . Black flags have traditionally been flown by
anarchism, and left-wing radicals to represent the absence of all oppressive
structures . A combination of the two colors in a black flag represents social
anarchism, such as anarchist communism and anarcho syndicalism .

Economic Symbols are symbols used in production, distribution, and

consumption of goods and services like currency, market, labor, demands and other
economic activities .

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What is sociocultural evolution?
Sociocultural evolution are theories of cultural and social evolution that
describe how culturesand societieschange over time . Sociocultural evolution is " the
process by which structural reorganization is affected through time, eventually
producing a form or structure which is qualitatively different from the ancestral form .
Sociologist Gerhard Lenski ( 1 9 2 4 – ) defined societies in terms of their technological
sophistication . As a society advances, so does its use of technology .
Sociologists have classified the different types of societies into six categories, each
of which possesses their own unique characteristics:
Earliest Societies
Hunting and gathering societies are the earliest form of society . The
members survive primarily by hunting, trapping, fishing, and gathering edible plants .
The majority of the members' time is spent looking for and gathering food . A hunting
and gathering society have five characteristics:

1. Family is the society's primary institution . Family determines the

distribution of food and how to socialize children .
2. These societies are small compared to the others . They generally have
less than 5 0 members .
3. Hunting and gathering societies are nomadic, which means that they
move constantly in order to find food and water .
4. Members of hunting and gathering societies are mutually dependent
upon each other .
5. Although there is an equal division of labor among the members of
hunting and gathering societies, there is a division of labor based on sex . Men
are typically responsible for hunting , and women are typically gatherers .

Pastoral
Pastoral societies rely on the domestication of animals as a resource for
survival . Pastoral groups were able to breed livestock for food, clothing, and
transportation, and they created a surplus of goods . Herding, or pastoral, societies
remained nomadic because they were forced to follow their animals to fresh feeding
grounds .
Horticultural

Horticultural societies formed in areas where rainfall and other conditions

allowed them to grow stable crops . They were similar to hunter- gatherers in that they
largely depended on the environment for survival, but since they didn’ t have to
abandon their location to follow resources, they were able to start permanent
settlements . This created more stability and more material goods and became the
basis for the first revolution in human survival .

Agricultural

Agricultural societies relied on permanent tools for survival . Farmers learned

to rotate the types of crops grown on their fields and to reuse waste products such
as fertilizer, which led to better harvests and bigger surpluses of food . New tools for
digging and harvesting were made of metal, human settlements grew into towns and
cities, and particularly bountiful regions became centers of trade and commerce .

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 This is also the age in which people had the time and comfort to engage in
more contemplative and thoughtful activities, such as music, poetry, and philosophy .
This period became referred to as the “ dawn of civilization” by some because of the
development of leisure and humanities . Craftspeople were able to support themselves
through the production of creative, decorative, or thought- provoking aesthetic
objects and writings .

As resources became more plentiful, social classes became more divisive .

Those who had more resources could afford better living and developed into a class
of nobility . Difference in social standing between men and women increased . As cities
expanded, ownership and preservation of resources became a pressing concern .

Feudal

These societies contained a strict hierarchical system of power based around

land ownership and protection . The nobility, known as lords, placed vassals in
charge of pieces of land . In return for the resources that the land provided, vassals
promised to fight for their lords .

Post- Industrial Society

Information societies, sometimes known as postindustrial or digital

societies, are a recent development . Information societies are based on the
production of information and services .

Digital technology is the steam engine of information societies, and computer

moguls such as Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are its John D . Rockefellers and Cornelius
Vanderbilts . Since the economy of information societies is driven by knowledge and
not material goods, power lies with those in charge of storing and distributing
information . Members of a postindustrial society are likely to be employed as sellers
of services— software programmers or business consultants, for example— instead of
producers of goods . Social classes are divided by access to education, since without
technical skills, people in an information society lack the means for success .
These individual pieces of land, known as fiefdoms, were cultivated by the lower
class . In return for maintaining the land, peasants were guaranteed a place to live
and protection from outside enemies . Power was handed down through family lines,
with peasant families serving lords for generations and generations . Ultimately, the
social and economic system of feudalism failed and was replaced by capitalism and
the technological advances of the industrial era .

Industrial Society

In the eighteenth century, Europe experienced a dramatic rise in technological

invention, ushering in an era known as the Industrial Revolution . What made this
period remarkable was the number of new inventions that influenced people’ s daily
lives . Within a generation, tasks that had until this point required months of labor
became achievable in a matter of days .

Steam power began appearing everywhere . Instead of paying artisans to

painstakingly spin wool and weave it into cloth, people turned to textile mills that
produced fabric quickly at a better price and often with better quality . Rather than
planting and harvesting fields by hand, farmers were able to purchase mechanical
seeders and threshing machines that caused agricultural productivity to soar .

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Products such as paper and glass became available to the average person, and the
quality and accessibility of education and health care soared . Gas lights allowed
increased visibility in the dark, and towns and cities developed a nightlife .

The significance of Cultural, Social, Political and Economic Symbols and

Practices

Cultural practices are the manifestation of a culture or sub- culture,

especially concerning the traditional and customary practices of a particular ethnic
or other cultural group . It plays an important role for a civilization and character of
its citizens and society . It helps in striking the balance with Mother Nature,
conservation of natural resources and respecting each other . The examples of
cultural practices are religious and spiritual practices, medical treatment practices,
forms of artistic expression, culinary practices, housing and construction and
childcare practices .

Social Practices refer to everyday practices and the way these are typically
and habitually performed in a society . It shapes everyday life and are familiar to all
members of the community, even if not everybody participates in them . They are
relevant to community and help reinforce a sense of identity and continuity with the
past .

Economic system or practices are the means by which societies distribute

resources and trade goods and services . They are used to control the five factors of
production, including: labor, capital, entrepreneurs, physical and information
resources .
Political practices is a set of activities that are associated with making
decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations to individual such as the
distributions of resources .

What’ s More
Activity 1 : “ Practices that I remember”

Have you ever wondered what society was like before your lifetime? Maybe you
wonder in what ways has society transformed in the past few centuries? Human
beings have created and lived in several types of societies throughout history . In this
activity, you are going to cite the practices of the different societies in social, cultural,
economic and political .

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Direction: Cite the cultural, social, economic and political practices in the
different societies .

Type of Societies Cultural Social Economic Political

Practices Practices Practices Practices

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Processing Questions:

1. How does society emerged?

2. What type of society do we live in today?
3. Why do you think many different societies existed in the course of history?
4. Why these practices and symbols are important?

Activity No. 2 : “ MY COMMUNITY in the NEW ERA”

Societies are classified according to their development and use of technology .
For most of human history, people lived in preindustrial societies characterized by
limited technology and low production of goods . After the Industrial Revolution, many
societies based their economies around mechanized labor, leading to greater
profits and a trend toward greater social mobility . At the turn of the new millennium,
a new type of society emerged . This post- industrial, or information, society is built on
digital technology and nonmaterial goods .

Direction: Identify at least three ( 3 ) on the social, economic, political and

cultural practices and symbols that you observed in your municipality and cite its
importance to the society as a whole .

Cultural Social Political Economic Significance

Processing questions:

1. If given a chance to be born again biologically ( after death) , what type of society
would you like to live again? Why?
2 . By the year 2 0 5 0 , what type of society we will have in this world? Describe the
life and practices of the people in this society.

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 Good work! You have finished another task! Are you
excited to start a new one? Let us proceed now to the
next activity . Good luck and enjoy .
Greatjob! This time, it’ s your turn to work on your own.

What I Have Learned

Activity: Reflection

Directions: In writing your reflection, you have to complete the

sentence below . Write your answer in your activity notebook .

I learned that
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

I realized that
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

If given a chance
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __

Hello! At this point, I am sure that you are already familiar

with the Significance of Culture, Social, Political and Economic
Symbols and Practices . Now let’ s further check your understanding
of what these concepts are about through the following activities .

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 What
I Can Do

Activity: “ THE SIGNIFICANCE”

Direction: From your responses from activity number 1 and 2 . Write the
significance of these cultural, social, political and economic symbols and
practices in our time .
Symbols and Practices Significance

1.
The Philippine Eagle

2 . Great Seal of the Philippines

3.
National Sport & Martial Arts

4.
Ifugao Rice Terraces

5 . Metro Manila

You are almost done! We will try to evaluate your learning on this module.
Good luck!

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 A sse ssm e n t

Directions: Choose the letter of the best answer . Write your answer in your activity
notebook .

Multiple Choice

1. It is the change that occurs in a population over time .

a . Culture c . Evolution
b . Politics d . Society

2. Refer to everyday practices and the way these are typically and habitually
performed in a society .
a . Cultural practices c . Social practices
b . Economic practices d . Political practices

3. All human cultures evolve over time . Which of the following things is
responsible for this?
a . Culture is an adaptive mechanism
b . Culture is instinctive
c . Culture is cumulative
d . All of the above

4. Which of the following cultural symbols of Philippines represents nationalism?

a . Sandata c . Baybayin
b . Philippine Flag d . Mungul Jar

5. An object, word, or action that stand for something else with no natural
relationship that is culturally defined .
a . Culture c . Practices
b . Symbols d . Belief

6. A symbol that is perceived visible, external denotation of one’ s social position

and perceived indicator of economic or social status .
a . Political symbols c . Economic symbol
b . Social symbol d . Cultural symbol

7. An object made by a human being, typically an item of cultural or historical

interest .
a . Symbol c . Culture
b . Artifacts d . Dove

8. It is the communication of thought and feelings through a system of arbitrary

symbols .
a . Tools c . Language
b . Culture d . Symbols

9. A physical manifestation that signifies the ideology of a particular culture

or that merely has meaning within a culture .
a . Cultural symbols c . Social symbols
b . Political symbols d . Economic symbols

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 1 0 . What is the best- known symbol used to represent Islam?
a . Cross c . Star and Crescent
b . Aum d . Pratik

Additional Activities
Activity: “ I CAN COMPARE”

Direction: Using the Venn diagram, compare and contrast the significance of
cultural, social, political and economic symbols and practices .

SYMBOLS PRACTICES

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 15
B.1
C.1
EERG
A.1
B.2
EERG
A.2
C2
.
C.3
C.3
EERA
G. 3
B.4
B.4
EERG
AS ID.4
B.5
B.5
EERA
G. 5
C.6
B.6
EERG
A.6
C.7
B.7
EA
R.7
G
C.8
C.8
EA
R.8
G
C.9
EA
R.9
G
A.9
10.A
10.AGREE
10.C
Assessment What’ s In What I Know
Answer Keys
Reference s

• Ariola, Mariano Understanding Culture, Society & Politics Unlimited Books

Library Services & Publishing, Inc . 2 0 1 6

• Wilfredo San Juan and Ma Luz J. Centino ., General Sociology with

Anthropology and Family Planning

• Banaag, Lee Mark T . , SOCIO- ANTHRO An Integrated and Interdisciplinary

Approach to the Study of Society, Culture and Politics Books ATBP . Publishing
Corp . 2016

Internet Links:

• https: / / www . google . com/ url? sa= t& source= web& rct= j& url= http: / / www .colu
mbia. edu/ itc/ anhttps: / / www. google. com/ url?
sa= t& source= web& rct= j& url=
http: / / www. columbia. edu/ itc/ anthropology/ rothschild/ g6 3 5 2 / client_ edit/ p
dfs/ dec5 . pdf& ved= 2 ahUKEwjEieuD2 dbpAhUB_GEKHWEQBqoQFjABegQIAh
AB& usg= AOvVaw0 tQtCp8 qrMcax6z7 1 DhmqZ
• https: / / quizlet. com/ 2 5 7 6 1 6 9 5 4
• https: / / study. com/ academy/ lesson/ cultural- symbol- definition-
examples. html • https: / / www. symbols. com/ category/ 1 0

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