MET # 6: 

CULTURAL,
SOCIAL AND
POLITICAL
INSTITUTIONS
 LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
 Examine the functions and importance of education
in the society
Educational
Institutions
 EDUCATION
 Education is the social institution that formally socializes
members of the society. It also refers to the process
through which skills, knowledge, and values are
transmitted from the teachers to the learners.
 EDUCATION
 Educational institutions are created to give young
people formal training in the skills that they will need
later in life. While the ancient Greeks coined the word
“school” to mean “leisure” in the cultivation of the mind
and the propagation of wisdom, pre-modern societies
equate education with its holistic and non-fragmentary
nature- learning as a life-long and continuous process.
 EDUCATION
 In the Philippines, by law, education is obligatory for 13
years (Kindergarten and Grades 1-12)
 3 government agencies that handle education in the
Philippines: DepEd, CHED, TESDA
 TYPES OF EDUCATION
 Formal Education- in a classroom setting; well
trained teaching & non teaching staff
 Elementary
 Secondary
 Tertiary
 Vocational
 Special Education
 TYPES OF EDUCATION
 Nonformal Education- is an organized educational
activity that takes place outside a formal set up. It
has no age-limit, even adults can take part in a
nonformal education program.
 TYPES OF EDUCATION
 Informal Education- is a lifelong process of
learning by which every person acquires and
accumulates knowledge, skills, attitude from daily
experiences at home, at work, at play, and from life
itself
 FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION
 Give training in specific skills; or the basic general
education literacy
 Prepare individuals for job
 Preserving culture from generation to generation
 Encouraging democratic participation through verbal
skills
 FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION
 Develop the person’s ability to think logically and
critically
 Enriching life by enabling the students to expand
his/her intellectual and aesthetic horizons
 Improving personal adjustment through personal
counselling
 FUNCTIONS OF EDUCATION
 Improving the health of the nation’s youth
 Producing nationalistic citizens
 GOALS OF EDUCATION

1. Develop a productive citizenry

2. Promote Self-actualization
 Primary Education as a Basic Human
Right
 Everyone has the right to education. (Universal
Declaration of Human Rights) Education has to be
free and compulsory at least in the primary level,
higher education and technical-vocational education
should be made generally available
 Primary Education as a Basic Human
Right
 Education is a fundamental human right and
essential for the exercise of all other human rights
(UNESCO). It promotes individual freedom and
empowerment and yields important development
benefits
Religion and Belief
Systems
 RELIGION AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS
 Considered as the oldest form of social institution,
religion is as old as human civilization. Religion is an
organized system of beliefs concerning supernatural
beings. This system of beliefs is exercised through
rituals that are meant to influence facets of the
universe which otherwise people can do nothing about.
 FUNCTIONAL ROLES OF
RELIGION IN SOCIETY
 Religion is a source of an orderly model of the universe.
It provides explanations of things and experiences that
cannot be grasped by human senses (e.g. death and
suffering). With a more organized understanding of the
world and the various forces around it, people are able
to move freely, more purposefully, and with less
anxiety.
 FUNCTIONAL ROLES OF
RELIGION IN SOCIETY
 Religions provide their believers with sets of
guidelines of what is right and what is wrong
Christians acknowledge the significance of the Ten
Commandments as a Decalogue of moral conduct.
Similarly, Buddhist believers in Japan recognize the
bushido as a code of ethics.
 FUNCTIONAL ROLES OF
RELIGION IN SOCIETY
 Religion also reminds individuals to reflect on their
thoughts and behaviors, which is helpful to the
maintenance of social order as the individual keeps
himself or herself in check.
 RELIGION AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS
 As an organic entity, religion developed through time based on
the following chronology:
 Animism- The belief that spirits may dwell in nature, people, or
human-made objects. For example, the Yanomani tribes of
Venezuela believe that their ancestral spirits live on top of tress.
Pre-colonial Filipinos likewise believe that environmental spirits
inhabit shady trees like the famous balete or lunok (ficus).
 RELIGION AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS
 Polytheism- It is the belief in multiple gods. Ancient Greeks
and Roman are noted in the history of humanity as worshippers
of myriad of gods. Roman emperors like the blood-thirsty
Caligula had pantheon of Asian and Roman gods and deities in
his palaces. In the same way, pre-modern Philippine societies
worshipped numerous deities each associated with a particular
craft or work, such as farming, fishing, weaving and war.
 RELIGION AND BELIEF
SYSTEMS
 Monotheism- The belief in a single, all-powerful deity. Both
Christianity and Islam espouse monotheism though in varying
degrees of lesser denominations. For instance, Roman Catholics
believe in one God but in three divine persons: Father, Son, and
the Holy Spirit. The Hindus, although advocates of relative
monotheism, also worship the divine triad of Brahma, Vishnu
and Shiva. Absolute monotheism is the jargon of Islam as there
is no other God except Allah.
 RELIGION AS A SOCIAL
INSTITUTION
Religion as a social institution is characterized by
the following features:

 Organized religion or possessing a religious

organization
 Separation of church and state
 Dualism to unity
 Uniformity to tolerance
 Organized religion or possessing a
religious organization
Each religion has a set of moral codes which are
repetitively taught to its believers until they
internalize and accept it as truth. These moral guide
people’s thoughts, behaviors, and feelings, such as
guilt, shame, happiness, etc. there are four basic types
of religious organizations: ecclesia, church or
denomination, sect and cult.
 Organized religion or possessing a
religious organization
 Ecclesia is a religious organization that claims the
membership of everyone in a society or even in
several societies
 Denomination is to or more established, relatively
tolerant religious organizations that claim
allegiance to a substantial part of the population
 Organized religion or possessing a
religious organization
 Sect is an exclusive and uncompromising religious
organization; often, one that has split off from a
denomination due to doctrinal reasons
 Cult is a loosely organized religious movement and
independent from the religious tradition to the
surrounding society
 Separation of church and state
 The doctrine of the separation of the Church and
State is a source of debates and contestations in
various parts of the world, especially in countries
that have enshrined religion in their constitutions.
 Dualism to unity
 The needs of the body would be provided by the state and the
church would take care of the needs of the soul. On the other
hand, secular needs are provided by the state, which include
the delivery of basic services, such as food, housing,
education, health and even governance. On the other hand,
religion fulfills the individual’s spiritual needs, such as a
person’s relationship with God, the quest for salvation, and
matters associated with the afterlife.
 Uniformity to tolerance
 From the very beginning, it was evident that it did matter to the
sovereign what his or her people’s religious beliefs were. This is
illustrated by the different efforts the English monarchy exerted to
achieve uniformity. However, after much blood had been spilt and
wars fought, England started to “safely permit its subjects to profess
different religious beliefs- always provided that this concession did
not diminish their political allegiance. In the same way, the
Philippine Constitution also calls for religious tolerance in a
multicultural setting.
Health Institutions
 HEALTH INSTITUTIONS
 Each society develops its own concept of health and
sickness and authorizes certain people to decide who is
sick and how he or she should be treated. Attached to
health and health care are clusters of norms, values statuses
and roles that comprise an institution. Thus, medicine is an
institution concerned with the maintenance of health and
treatment of diseases.
 DISEASE AND ILLNESS
 Disease refers to a specific pathology while illness
refers to the meaning and elaborations given to a
particular physical state. Illness are much more
culture-specific, which is why some illnesses are
experienced only in certain cultures and assumes a
different form or variation or non-existent at all in
other cultures.
 DISEASES
 Diseases can be categorized into four major types,
depending on their social effects.
 TYPES OF DISEASES
1. Endemic disease – This kind of disease is always
present in large part of the population. Dysentery, for
example, is endemic in many parts of Africa and India,
afflicting millions of people as a result of contaminated
food and water supplies.
 TYPES OF DISEASES
2. Epidemic disease- An epidemic affects a significant
part of the population, wherein the disease is normally
uncommon to the people and area. For instance,
influenza always occurs as an epidemic, surging through
a population and infecting abnormally high number of
people until it runs its course.  
 TYPES OF DISEASES
3. Chronic disease- It is a disease that lasts for a long
time. The victim may or may not die, but often does not
recover. Examples are diabetes and arthritis.
4. Acute disease- This is a short duration disease;
generally, either the victim recovers from it or dies fast.
Examples are measles and common colds.
 Social Impact of Diseases
 The social impact of diseases does not only fall to a
victim who may experience discomfort, pain,
anxiety, confinement, and even death but also
extends to the family, community, and society.
 Systems of Diagnosis, Prevention,
and Healing
 All societies have health-care systems, consisting
of beliefs, customs, and techniques that ensure the
health of their members. These health-care systems
also include the prevention, diagnosis, and cure of
illnesses.
 Systems of Diagnosis, Prevention,
and Healing
 There are different types of health-care systems:
traditional, Western and scientific, among others. A
society may adhere to more than one of these
systems simultaneously.
 Health as a Human Right
 The state as a social institution has a vital role in
ensuring the health of its constituents by providing
more access to health services, such as hospitals
and clinics, cheaper medicines, and special health
privileges for the handicapped or persons with
disability and the elderly.
 Health as a Human Right
 It should also conduct more medical researches
dealing with contagious diseases and epidemics to
safeguard life and educate the people about the
nature and possible effects of certain illnesses.
Mass Media
 MASS MEDIA
 Mass media are channels of communication
directed to vast number of audiences within a
society.
 Mass media is composed of print media and non-
print media. These types of media are used to
disseminate information, oftentimes, regardless of
border and territory.
 MASS MEDIA
 It is not only through the reporting of events that
mass media contributes to reality. It can also tell
people what is good or bad; what is necessary or
unnecessary; what is desirable or not.
 SOCIAL MEDIA AND
TECHNOLOGY
 Technology has made knowledge available to
everyone. The Internet has become man’s best friend
and companion, drastically altering his lifestyle and
cultural orientation. Overall, technology, the Internet,
and social media help empower individuals and allow
people to spread ideas and communicate to others
easily and faster.
 Economic
Institutions
 ECONOMIC INSTITUTIONS
 Economic institutions are those that are involved
in the production and distribution of the goods and
services that members of a society need.
 RECIPROCITY
 This is the voluntary giving or taking of objects
without the use of money in the hopes that, in the
future, they could be given back. Reciprocity could
take the form of barter, hospitality, gift-giving, and
sharing.  
 RECIPROCITY
 In societies, however, reciprocity means more than
just a simple social activity. The aim of engaging in
reciprocity is to build and strengthen social
relationships as well as acquire more means or
favors.
 FORMS OF RECIPROCITY
1. Generalized Reciprocity
 The main feature of generalized reciprocity is the
exchange of goods and services without a definite
time frame of when the favor should be returned. In
this form of reciprocity, individuals giving out the
favors do not expect to receive anything back.
 FORMS OF RECIPROCITY
2. Balanced Reciprocity
 In balanced reciprocity, exchange occurs between
groups or individuals with the donor expecting to
receive something of equal or similar value. In this
form, no haggling occurs between two parties, and
the exchange of goods occurs at a particular rate set
upon by the groups.
 FORMS OF RECIPROCITY
3. Negative Reciprocity
 In negative reciprocity, groups try to maximize
their gains while giving as little as possible. This
form is usually motivated by the desire to acquire a
large number of goods using minimal resources.
 FORMS OF RECIPROCITY
3. Negative Reciprocity
 In negative reciprocity, groups try to maximize
their gains while giving as little as possible. This
form is usually motivated by the desire to acquire a
large number of goods using minimal resources.
 Transfers and the Government
 The government plays a crucial role in ensuring that transfer
payments are collected successfully from participating citizens
and institutions. In the government’s case, public goods are
provided to people through various programs and activities
that benefit its citizens. Among the different allocations of
transfer payments, governments usually give priority to
retirement and disability benefits, medical benefits,
unemployment insurance, and education and training.
  
 Redistribution
 It occurs when individuals’ goods or services are pooled
together by a central authority to be used at a later time. The
central authority may refer to a regional collection point, a
storehouse, or the national capital. Note that the main
difference between redistribution and reciprocity is that the
latter refers to an exchange where goods are passed back
and forth from one group to another.
  
 Market Exchange
 The price of the exchange of goods and services are
supposedly dictated by the rules of supply and
demand; however, personal loyalties and moral
values intervene in price determination most of the
time. Pre-industrial and industrial societies have
varying practices of this type of exchange.  
 MAJOR ECONOMIC SECTORS
1. Primary Sector

 The primary sector involves the gathering or extracting

of undeveloped resources. For example, fishing,
mining, forestry, and agriculture. This sector is also the
main producer or supplier of raw materials.
 MAJOR ECONOMIC SECTORS
2. Secondary Sector
 The secondary sector turns the raw materials produced by
the primary sector into manufactured goods; for example,
houses, furniture, automobiles, and canned goods. This
sector is closely associated with manufacturing and re-
assembling of pieces and converting them into finished
products.
 MAJOR ECONOMIC SECTORS
3. Tertiary Sector
 The tertiary sector provides services to the community;
for example, medicine, teaching, and broadcasting. A
public school teacher belongs to the tertiary sector
because she provides education to students. In pre-
industrial societies, virtually the entire population is
engaged in the primary sector.
 PERFORMANCE CHECK 2
Activity : INTERVIEW AND SHARE!
Choose a partner. Then, interview someone in the field
of teaching. Ask him/her the following questions:
 Issues/problems he/she commonly encounters in
school
 The role of education in the society
 How can proper education helps resolve societies’
issues
 PERFORMANCE CHECK 2
Also, write your own stand about this and present it in
class. Be creative and resourceful in doing this task.
Be guided with the rubrics.
RUBRICS
Content 40%
Presentation 30%
Impact 30%
Total 100%