UNIT 1

BROAD SPECTRUM OF
CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY,
CULTURE AND POLITICS
 CHAPTER 1
Starting points for
understanding society,
culture and politics
 Activity 1
DESIGNING JOEY
DESIGNING JOEY
Joey is a typical teenager. With this single description, how
do you define who this person is how do you design Joey’s
life to be a successful person someday? This activity will be
done by group. You are about to create a personal
narrative of Joey’s life based from the social, cultural and
political contexts below. If you are ready, then let us
design and decide how life will unfold for Joey.

Joey’s personal background (1-10)

Joey’s social environment (11-15)
Problems and conflicts in Joey’s life (16-20)
Joey’s success in life (21-25)
Social, cultural and political being:
journey in discovering the self
The community of people
living in a particular region
and having shared customs,
laws and organizations.

SOCIETY
constantly changing
directly or indirectly
shaped and influence
by several factors
One biological nature yet different in
many respects

Earth

Intellectual superiority

 Have the same biological features but the likeness and

sameness is not actually absolute

Biological  Struggle to survive in our environment

creature  Have a systematic way to live and co-exist within our
environment and with other people
 As a social being we always belong to a group and interact with people. We are
in company with others- our parents, siblings and relatives, friends, neighbors,
co-workers and so and so forth.

 As a cultural being or culture bearer we carry our ancestors tradition and

beliefs, speak the language of our parents, practice faith and the distinct way
of life of our community, create or showcase the arts and heritage of our
people and transmit some, if not all, of these to the next generation.

 As a political being we are subjected to power-relations. That in reality, our

very existence, relationship, decisions, choices, rights and privileges are limited
because we are governed by rules and laws of our society. Our political power is
inherent in the rights guaranteed and protected by our State. We become
citizens, we elect our leaders, we pay taxes, we receive welfare and support
from the government because our Constitution and our laws tell it so.
Significance of studying
Culture, Society and
Politics
Studying culture…
1. Broadens our perspectives on how we value our own and others’
cultures.
2. Gives us a background on how diverse and complex others’
customs, traditions and cultural practices are,
3. Teaches us the value of religious tolerance, respect for people with
different race, religion, gender and political background,
4. Promotes the importance of the arts, local and national heritage,
oral history, cuisine and the myriad yet unique life ways of people
across cultures.
5. Situates our understanding and appreciation of local realities like
our penchant for showbiz gossips, boxing and eating fish balls to
name a few,
Studying society…
1. Gives meaning to the importance of the self in relation to others
(kapwa),
2. Gives us a full understanding of how social groups affect our
thinking and behavior,
3. Acknowledges that social institutions (family, education, business,
government, etc.) shape and affect how we live our life and what
we would become as a citizen and member of this society,
4. Describes why and how we belong to a bigger global society that is
comprised of nation-states, international institutions and
transnational companies working together and sharing resources to
solve common problems like climate change, poverty, inequality,
human violations, racial discrimination to mentions a few.
Studying politics…
1. Educates us the importance of exercising our rights and maximizing
our political participation to sustain, maintain or change society;
2. Examines power-relations in society and how these affect the
recognition and affirmation of our identity, rights and duties as a
citizen;
3. Provides a bigger context on how government works and how rules,
regulations and laws maintain social order, cohesion and unity;
4. Gives us an overview of political leadership, duties and
responsibilities of public servants, and the checks-and-balances in
government to guarantee that elected and appointive officials will
not abuse their power and authority at the expense of the people
especially the poor and the marginalized.
Science Humanities
Pure Science Visual Arts
Applied Science Performing Arts

Social Science Religion

 In 20th century social sciences
have become diverse and
pluralistic
Law
Linguistic
History
 Why study Anthropology, Sociology and
Political Science

ANTHROPOLOGY
multi/interdisciplinary
course that integrates
and combines the
contents, methods and
theories.
POLITICAL
SOCIOLOGY
SCIENCE
 Social Science
science that deal with the study of people within the
context of their social relationship within
institutions and natural environment, political
systems and cultures.

Political
Anthropology Sociology
Science
Anthropology Sociology Political
Science
-the systematic -the study of
-the study study of social politics and
of behavior and power from
humans, human groups domestic,
international,
past and and
present comparative
perspectives
 A cursory look of topics
Anthropology
Genetics and evolution
Cultural Variations
Concept of culture
Communication and
language
Social stratification
Sex, gender and culture
Associations and interest
groups
Religion
The arts
Cultural change
Source: Ember, Ember & Peregrine
(2002, pp.iii-iv)
Sociology Political Science
Ideologies
Culture, society
States and constitutions
Socialization
Regimes and political
Groups and organizations
culture
Social inequality
Political communication
Gender stratification
Interest groups
Race and ethnicity
Elections
Social institutions
Legislatives, executives,
(families, religion,
judiciaries
education, government)
Political economy
Social change
International relations
Macionis (2010, p. vii) Roskin et. al (2014)
 Science
and
Common Sense
Science and Common Sense

 can generalize the  Prone to

fact, accurate and overgeneralization,
with logical inaccurate
reasoning observations and
illogical reasoning.
Two basic methods in the
Social Sciences
1.Quantitative method
2.Qualitative method
Quantitative method
 According to Jeanette Garwood (2006),
quantitative method refers to research
involving the collection of data in numerical
form for quantitative analysis. The numerical
data can be durations, counts of incidents,
ratings, or scales. It often used to do large-
scale social investigation involving
representatives of the population, with survey
being the most popular method.
 Qualitative method
 According to Maggie Summer (2006), qualitative
research method refers to “Research that
investigates aspects of social life which are not
amenable to quantitative measurement. It uses
a range of methods to focus on the meanings
and interpretation of social phenomena and
social processes in the particular contexts in
which they occur”. The goals of this method are
to understand processes, experiences and
meanings people assign to things.
S 1. Make an observation
c
i M 2. Propose a hypothesis
e e
3. Design an experiment
n t
t h 4. Take and analyze data
i o
f d 5. Test the hypothesis
i
6. Accept or reject the hypothesis
c
Research Methods
1. Survey method- used in testing hypothesis and
answering research problems that need statistical
analysis. Sample population is determined and the
administration of survey questionnaires proceeds
to get responses and answers from respondents.
2. Interview- a qualitative research method that
asks questions to key informants and participants
in the research.
3. Focus Group Discussion (FGD)- a group interview
of respondents on a specific topic for discussions.
Proceedings can be audio recorded or videotape.
Research Methods
4. Field work- literally it means going out to the field to do
research. This method may employ a combination of
observation, data collection through interviews or surveys.
5. Ethnography- used by anthropologists this is oftentimes
referred to as qualitative approach in doing cultural
research. Mixed methods are employed here, foremost of
which is participant-observation or immersion. The
researcher must immerse himself within the culture of the
people he is studying. In Sikolohiyang Pilipino pioneered by
Dr. Virgilio Enriquez, indigenous or local research methods
can be used in studying Filipino culture and Philippine
realities. Pakikipagkwentuhan, patanong-tanong, pakapa-
kappa are examples of Filipino research methods (Pe Pua,
1989).
 The Sociological Imagination
 Charles Wright Mills (1959) coined the term
“sociological imagination”, which foregrounds the
vision and mission not just of sociologists but of
social scientists.
 It is stimulated by a willingness to view the social
world from the perspective of others.
 It involves moving away from thinking in terms of
individual and their problems, focusing rather on
the social circumstances that produce social
problems.
 The perception of drinking tea can be examined from several
different perspectives rather than just the simple act of drinking tea.

Tea drinking
 Means of maintaining good
health

 Considered a type of drug

 Tradition or ritual
The Sociological Imagination

Self Society
Summary: Being
humane

Social
Science

Society

Biological
creature
At the end, this course simply wants you to
be human and humane. It is about humans
who:
 have evolved, developed and survived the tests of
time coping with the changes wrought about by
modernization and environmental degradation,
 collectively triumphed amidst threats,
exploitations, marginalization and oppression in a
society marred by inequities, social struggle and
conflict;
 are driven to act, to change, to build and to bring
about positive life-long transformation for the
benefit of society and the world.
 Being humane means
learning by doing to live
positively and to treat
others with respect, genuine
love and compassion.
Assignment:
 InOslo paper, make a creative
representation or meme about the social
and cultural changes in the Philippines.
 Use “before” and “after” to categorize
the transition of change in your creative
outputs.
Before After