Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600

Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Name:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

S.Y. 2020-2021 Third

Grade Level/Section:
Trimester
MODULE 2 – UCSP Subject Teacher: KIMBERSON P. ALACYANG

MODULE 2: ASPECTS, ELEMENTS, CHANGES, HIERARCHY, AND

PERCEPTIONS OF CULTURE
I. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Through discussion, the learners are able to:
A. define terms related to Culture;
B. describe culture as a complex whole;
C. identify elements of culture; and
D. become aware of why and how cultural relativism mitigates ethnocentrism

II. DISCUSSION
1. CULTURE refers to the system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, artifacts that are
part of any society
A. MATERIAL CULTURE
includes all the society’s physical objects
B. NON- MATERIAL CULTURE
includes the values, beliefs, symbols, and language that define a society

LEARNING POINTS
I. CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE
a. Culture is shared – the set of behaviors, attitudes, and beliefs that a person possesses is part of a
greater collection of values and ideas that is communally owned and practiced by members of
society.
b. Culture is learned – Culture is a set of beliefs, attitudes and practices that an individual learns
through his/her family, school, church, and other social institutions.
c. Culture is taken for granted - We assume that they are “normal” or “natural”, and almost always
we follow them without questions. Culture provides implicit instructions that tell us what we ought
to do in various situations. It provides a basis for our decision making.
d. Culture is dynamic – Culture is neve static. The dynamism of culture is due to the changing needs
of humans as they interpret and survive in their environment.
e. Culture is adaptive or maladaptive
▪ Adaptive- culture is a tool for survival that humans use in response to the pressures of their
environment.
▪ Maladaptive – Culture can also cause problems for the people who subscribe to it especially
when the environment has changed and culture has remained the same.
f. Culture is generally integrated – This is when the people from a culture adopt the essence of
another culture, such as its attitudes and ceremonies, while at the same time maintaining their
own culture.

II. THEORIES OF CULTURE

THEORY PERSPECTIVE ON CULTURE PROPONENT/s
1. CULTURAL All cultures undergo the same development stages in E. B. Tylor,
EVOLUTIONISM the same order. (Savagery→Barbarism→Civilization) Lewis Henry
2 main assumptions: Morgan, and
a. Psychic Unity – is a concept that suggests human Herbert
minds share similar characteristics all over the Spencer
world. This means that all people and their
societies will go through the same process of
development.
b. Superiority of Western Cultures – was deeply
rooted in European colonialism and based on the
fact that Western societies had more
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Name:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

S.Y. 2020-2021 Third

Grade Level/Section:
Trimester
MODULE 2 – UCSP Subject Teacher: KIMBERSON P. ALACYANG

technologically sophisticated technology and a

belief that Christianity was the true religion.
2. DIFFUSIONISM All societies change as a result of cultural borrowing from Smith and
one another. Perry
3. HISTORICISM Each culture is unique and must be studied in its own Franz Boas
context. and A.
Kroeber
4. PSYCHOLOGICAL Personality is largely seen to be the result of learning Ruth Benedict
ANTHROPOLOGY culture. and Margaret
Mead
5. FUNCTIONALISM Society is thought to be like a biological organism with all Bronislaw
the parts interconnected. Existing institutional structures Malinowski
of any society are thought to perform indispensable and Radcliffe-
functions, without which the society could not continue. Brown
6. NEO-EVOLUTIONISM Culture is said to be shaped by environmental and L. White and J.
technological conditions. Cultures evolve when people Steward
are able to increase the amount of energy under their
control.
7. MATERIALISM Culture is the product of the “material conditions” in Marvin Harris
which a given community of people finds itself.
8. STRUCTURALISM Structure of human mind has universal characteristics C. Levis-Strauss
9. ETHNOSCIENCE Has been defined as an attempt "to reconstitute what W. Sturtevant
serves as science for others, their practices of looking and W.
after themselves and their bodies, their botanical Goodenough
knowledge, but also their forms of classification, of
making connections, etc."
The role of language is very important
10. FEMINIST seeks to reduce male bias in research findings, Lamphere,
ANTHROPOLOGY anthropological hiring practices, and the scholarly Ortner, and
production of knowledge. Rosaldo
11. POST MODERNISM Claim that it is impossible for anyone to have objective Clifford Geertz
and neutral knowledge of another culture. This view
comes from the notion that we all interpret the world
around us in our own way according to our language,
cultural background, and personal experiences.

III. COMPONENTS OF CULTURE

1. Non-material Culture – Composed of Intangible Things
a. Knowledge - refers to any information received and perceived to be true
b. Beliefs - the perception of accepted reality
*Reality – the existence of things whether material or non-material
c. Values - anything held to be relatively worthy, important, desirable, or valuable
- are the standards by which people define good and bad, beautiful and ugly. Every group
develops both values and expectations regarding the right way to reflect them.

d. NORMS - This are established expectations of society as to how a person is supposed to act
depending on the requirements of the time, place, or situation
- are expectations, or rules of behavior, that reflect a group’s values.
❖ Sanctions are the positive or negative reactions to the way in which people follow norms.
▪ Positive sanctions (a money rewards, a prize, a smile, or even a handshake) are expressions
of approval.
▪ Negative sanctions (a fine, a frown, or harsh words) denote disapproval for breaking a norm.
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Name:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

S.Y. 2020-2021 Third

Grade Level/Section:
Trimester
MODULE 2 – UCSP Subject Teacher: KIMBERSON P. ALACYANG

o Norms can become rigorous, making people feel stifled. Moral holidays, such as Mardi Gras,
are specific times when people are allowed to break the norms.
❖ Different types of NORMS
1. Folkways – patterns of repetitive behavior which becomes habitual and conventional part of
living are norms that are not strictly enforced, such as passing on the left side of the sidewalk.
They may result in a person getting a dirty look.
- A folkway is an unwritten guide to social interaction that may be taught in the family or
learned through observations in school, on the job or any other place where humans connect
and form relationships.
2. Mores – The set of ethical standards and moral obligations as dictates of reason that
distinguishes human acts as right or wrong/good from bad
- are norms that are believed to be essential to core values and to which we insist on
conformity. A person who steals, rapes, and kills has violated some of society’s most important
mores and will be formally sanctioned.
▪ One group’s folkways may constitute another group’s mores. A male walking down the street
with the upper half of his body uncovered may be violating a folkway; a female doing the
same thing may be violating accepted mores.
3. Taboos - are norms that are so strongly ingrained that even the thought of them is greeted with
revulsion.
o E.g. eating human flesh and having sex with one’s parents are examples of such behavior.

e. LANGUAGE - Consists of a system of symbols that can be put together in an infinite number of
ways to communicate abstract thought.
- Each word is a symbol, a sound to which a culture attaches a particular meaning. Language is
important because it is the primary means of communication between people.
▪ It allows human experiences to be cumulative. Each generation builds on the body of significant
experiences that is passed on to it by the previous generation, thus freeing people to move
beyond immediate experiences.
▪ It allows shared perspectives or understandings and complex, goal directed behavior.
❖ Sapir-Whorf hypothesis - states that our thinking and perception not only are expressed by
language but actually are shaped by language because we are taught not only words but also
a particular way of thinking and perceiving.
- Rather than objects and events forcing themselves into our consciousness, our very language
determines our consciousness.
• For example, we know that children understand the idea of “family” long before they learn that
word; similarly, adults can imagine new ideas or things before inventing a name for them (Kay
& Kempton, 1984; Pinker, 1994; Deutscher, 2010).

f. SYMBOLS - Sociologists sometimes refer to nonmaterial culture as symbolic culture because the
central components are the symbols.
A. Symbol is something to which people attach meaning and that people use to communicate.
▪ Includes language, gestures, values, norms, sanctions, folkways, and mores.
B. Gestures, using one’s body to communicate with others, are shorthand means of
communication.
▪ Gestures are used by people in every culture, although the gestures and the meanings differ.
Confusion or offense can result because of misunderstandings over the meaning of a gesture
or misuse of a gesture.
▪ Gestures, which vary remarkably around the world, can create strong emotions.
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Name:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

S.Y. 2020-2021 Third

Grade Level/Section:
Trimester
MODULE 2 – UCSP Subject Teacher: KIMBERSON P. ALACYANG

2. MATERIAL CULTURE – composed of tangible things; reflects a society’s values and a society’s
technology, the knowledge that people apply to the task of living in their surroundings.

A. TECHNOLOGY - The practical application of knowledge in converting raw materials into finished
products
- refers to tools; in its broadest sense, it includes the skills or procedures to make and use those
tools.
▪ New technologies refer to the emerging technologies that have a major impact on human life
during a particular era.
▪ Technology sets a framework for a group’s nonmaterial culture.
o “Cultural Lag” - refers to situations in which not all parts of a culture change at the same pace.
When some part of culture changes, other parts lag behind.

❖ Cultural Diffusion - transmission of cultural characteristics

- For most of human history, cultures had little contact with one another. However, there was
always some contact with other groups, resulting in groups learning from one another.
- Cultural diffusion occurs more rapidly today, given the changes in travel and communications.
The world is being united by travel and communication to such an extent that there is almost no
other side of the world.
• Cultural leveling - One consequence of cultural diffusion, the process in which cultures become
similar to one another.
Japan, for example, is no longer a purely Eastern culture, having adopted not only Western
economic production, but also Western forms of dress, music, and so on.

B. ART - the expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual
form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty
or emotional power.

IV. OTHER TERMS RELATED TO CULTURE

1. Ethnocentrism - A consequence of internalizing culture is, using our own culture (and assuming it
to be good, right, and superior) to judge other cultures.
▪ Ethnocentrism is functional when it creates in-group solidarity but can be dysfunctional if it leads
to harmful discrimination.
2. Cultural relativism - consists of trying to appreciate other groups’ ways of life in the context in
which they exist, without judging them as superior or inferior to our own.
▪ This view attempts to refocus the lens to help us appreciate other cultures.
▪ Robert Edgerton argues that we should develop a scale to evaluate cultures on their quality of
life and that cultural practices that result in exploitation should be judged morally inferior to
those that enhance people’s lives.
3. IDEAL AND REAL CULTURE
Ideal culture refers to the ideal values and norms of a people. What people actually do usually
fall short of this ideal, and sociologists refer to the norms and values that people actually follow
as “real culture”.
4. Culture Shock - “personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life”
5. Xenocentrism - is a culturally based tendency to value other cultures more highly than one’s own,
which can materialize in a variety of different ways. In the United States, for instance, it is often
assumed that European products such as wine and cheese are superior to those produced
locally.
6. Acculturation - is a process of cultural contact and exchange through which a person or group
comes to adopt certain values and practices of a culture that is not originally their own, to a greater
or lesser extent.
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Name:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

S.Y. 2020-2021 Third

Grade Level/Section:
Trimester
MODULE 2 – UCSP Subject Teacher: KIMBERSON P. ALACYANG

7. Enculturation - the gradual acquisition of the characteristics and norms of a culture or group by a
person, another culture, etc.

V. Types of Cultures
1. High culture - refers to cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite.
2. Popular culture - designates cultural patterns that are widespread among a society’s population.
- High culture is not inherently superior to popular culture.
3. Subcultures - are groups whose values and related behaviors are so distinct that they set their
members off from the dominant culture.
▪ Each subculture is a world within the larger world of the dominant culture. Each has a distinctive
way of looking at life but remains compatible with the dominant culture.
4. Countercultures - are groups whose values set their members in opposition to the dominant culture.
▪ Countercultures challenge the culture’s core values. It refers to cultural patterns that strongly
oppose those widely accepted within a society. Countercultures reject many of the standards
of a dominant culture

III. ASSESSMENT 2: PERFORMANCE CHECK

Complete the table by providing what is asked then answer the question that follows. (20 points)
Utilizing your knowledge regarding your own culture or cultural orientation and the society you
belong to, list two examples of the following elements of culture and include a line description of the
example. Write your answers on a ½ sheet crosswise. (15 points)
Elements Example 1 Example 2
Beliefs
Folkways
Taboos
Mores

Question:
Can one claim that he is a part of a culture by identifying examples of elements of culture? Why or
why not? (5 points)
Rubric for checking the essay:
Content (3)(2)(1)
Technicalities (2)(1)

IV. ADDITIONAL REFERENCE:

Hyodo, H. (2018). Intoduction to Sociology. Retrieved from OpenStax CNX:
https://cnx.org/contents/[email protected]:nq3WxcEq@12/Elements-of-Culture
V. REFERENCES:
• Baleňa, E, .et al. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics. Quezon City: Educational
Resource Corporation
• Carayugan, M., Malit-Alicante, F. (2014) Development of Sociology Handbook through
Assessing Importance and Relevance of Sociology Topics. Baguio City: University of the
Cordilleras.
• Lanuza, Gerry M. (2016) Understanding culture, society, and politics. First edition. Manila : Rex
Book Store
 Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Governor Pack Road, Baguio City, Philippines 2600
Tel. Nos.: (+6374) 442-3316, 442-8220; 444-2786;
442-2564; 442-8219; 442-8256; Fax No.: 442-6268 Name:
Email: [email protected]; Website: www.uc-bcf.edu.ph

S.Y. 2020-2021 Third

Grade Level/Section:
Trimester
MODULE 2 – UCSP Subject Teacher: KIMBERSON P. ALACYANG

• Madrid, R., Santarita, J. (2016) Understanding Culture, Society, and Politics. Quezon City: Vibal
Group, Inc.
• Palispis, S., Sampa, E. (2015) Introduction to Sociology and Anthropology. Third Edition. Manila:
Rex Book Store
• Panopio, I., Raymundo A. (2004) Sociology: Focus on the Philippines. Quezon City: Ken Inc
• Schaefer, R. (2001). Sociology (7th Edition). New York: McGraw Hill.