MODULE 1: DEFINING CULTURE

LESSON 1
CULTURE
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Explain the concept culture and society
2. Discuss the concept of cultural universalism as it relates to society
3. Understand how values and beliefs differ from norms
4. Explain the significance of symbols and language to culture, and as well as the Sapir-
Whorf hypothesis
5. Discuss the roles of both high culture and pop culture within society
6. Differentiate between subculture and counterculture
7. Explain the role of innovation, invention, and discovery in culture
8. Understand the role of cultural lag and globalization in cultural change

TIME FRAME: One Week

INTRODUCTION

Hello, students! To start our very first lesson, I would like you to think about the following
words which describe the differences and uniqueness of each two culture:

Key Values of American vs. Filipino Culture

▪ Equal Opportunity  Family Oriented

▪ Achievement and Success  Joy and Humor

▪ Material Comfort  Flexibility, Adaptability and

Creativity
▪ Activity and Work
 Human Activities
▪ Practicality and Efficiency
 Faith and Religiosity
▪ Progress
 Ability to Survive
▪ Science
 Hard work
▪ Democracy and Free Enterprise
 Hospitality
▪ Freedom

▪ Racism and Group Superiority

NAME:__________________________________________________________

As you encounter the words that describes a Filipino culture, have you feel proud of being a
Filipino (or what nationality you have) or got inspired by how Americans live their ways? As we
go along the way of our lesson we will examine how culture affects our daily lives. You will be
more oriented with your own culture as well as the perspectives of other culture on this lesson.

ACTIVITY (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

I am a Filipino!

Write a reflection paper based on the song “Akoy’y Pinoy”, following the format stated below.

o Introduction (includes: brief summary of the theme of the song/1 paragraph only)

o Body (own analysis of the song, how you feel about it/ 2 paragraphs only)

o Conclusion (give your advice to Filipinos on how to love the Filipino culture/ 1 paragraph
only)

“Ako'y Pinoy”

Ako'y isang Pinoy sa puso't diwa

Pinoy na isinilang sa ating bansa

Ako'y hindi sanay sa wikang mga banyaga

Ako'y Pinoy na mayroong sariling wika.

Wikang pambansa ang gamit kong salita

Bayan kong sinilangan

Hangad kong lagi ang kalayaan.

Si Gat Jose Rizal nuo'y nagwika

Siya ay nagpangaral sa ating bansa

Ang hindi raw magmahal sa sariling wika

Ay higit pa ang amoy sa mabahong isda

Wikang pambansa ang gamit kong salita

Bayan kong sinilangan

NAME:__________________________________________________________

Hangad kong lagi ang kalayaan. (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

Ako'y isang Pinoy sa puso't diwa

Pinoy na isinilang sa ating bansa

Ako'y hindi sanay sa wikang mga banyaga

Ako'y Pinoy na mayroong sariling wika.

Source: Musixmatch.com

Songwriter: De Leon Florante

NAME:__________________________________________________________

ANALYSIS (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

1. From a perspective of a Filipino, what two values do you consider as disadvantageous to the
individual success? (30-50 words only)

2. What key values have you admired the most with the Americans? Choose at least three, and
briefly explain your answers. (30-50 words only)
ABSTRACTION

What is Culture?

Culture is defined as the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that
together form a people’s way of life. Only humans rely on culture rather than instinct to ensure
survival.

Society refers to people who interact in a defined territory and share culture.

Culture shock refers to personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life.

How Many Cultures?

• One indication of culture is language

• Global estimates document 7,000 languages

• In the USA, there are about 200 languages

• In the Philippines, there are about 170 + languages

• However, upcoming decades will show the disappearance of hundreds of languages.

 The Elements of Culture
Although cultures vary, they all have five common components:
(1) Symbols (4) Norms
(2) Language (5) Material culture
(3) Values and Beliefs

(1) Symbols

This pertains to anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share the
same culture. i.e. the gesture of doing a “mano po” to older people symbolizes a sign of respect for
Filipinos

https://www.blogspot.com.i am pinoy: What is "Mano Po" means?iampinoypi. https://www.coursehero.com/sg/introduction-to-sociology/cultural-symbols-values-and-norms/

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=https%3A%2F%2Ffanyv88.com%3A443%2Fhttps%2Fthumbs.dreamstime.com%2Fz%2Fnational-symbols-philippines-national-symbols-philippines-culture-architecture.com https://www.thesocietypages.org
(2)Language
It is a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another. Language
allows for the continuity of culture.
(2.1)Elements of Culture Language
⬧ Cultural transmission (Oral traditions) – the process by which one generation passes
culture to the next.
⬧ Every society transmits culture through speech.

http://qwantz.com/index.php?comic=627

(2.2)The Sapir-Whorf Thesis

● Languages are not just different sets of labels for the same reality.
● All languages fuse symbols with distinctive emotions.
● The Sapir-Whorf Thesis – people perceive the world through the cultural lens of
language. It means that language possesses an ability to influence the person on how to
perceive the surroundings.
For example, Margaret Mead pointed out that some of the South Pacific people whom
she studied did not have a word for "war" in their vocabularies. Interestingly, these
people did not participate in war. So, the hypothesis is that we must be able to think of
some phenomenon before we can name it or experience it.
(3)Values and Beliefs
Values are culturally defined standards by which people assess desirability, goodness,
and beauty and that serve as broad guidelines for social living. Values are abstract
standards of goodness.
 The Secret to Sustaining Success in Teams – Values

Values are the common language we connect on. In other words, people from different
backgrounds and belief systems can connect and agree on common values. In
relationships, casual or personal this is the most important factor for success. Think of
your own personal relationships, we can be comfortable around many different people
and types of people, but we are most comfortable with those whose values we admire or
are most similar to ours. Sports teams such a Munster Rugby, Canterbury Crusaders or
Liverpool football club all have strong cultural values. Values fundamentally dictate our
attitudes and our behaviors, and those whose behaviors we admire are those whose who
we wish to be with. However, if you are in a relationship where values are not similar this
eventually leads to discontent, mistrust and at best uneasiness.

Influencing Values

Values are not fixed in stone and in many organizations, we need to reinforce and encourage the
values we’ve agreed on. Following are the four main ways values can be affected:
Moralizing
“Do as I say”—giving verbal instruction, such as, “You must treat each other with respect.”
Moralizing can get quick results among those who welcome structure and respect authority, but
it usually fails to win over those who like to think for themselves.
Modeling
This is how many of use inherit values, we pick them up from family and friends who act in a
certain way. This is a major method of influence on young players when they join a locker room,
a cadet joins a military unit or any group – good or bad, people are influenced by the actions of
others.
Experimenting
“You figure it out”—laissez-faire leadership, in which several concepts are introduced and then
people are left to go their own way. Exploratory learners gravitate to this style.
Clarifying
“We’re going to meet to talk about our values.” This approach reiterates what the leaders believe
and what the organization stands for. Clarifying can be combined with the previous three styles
to great effect. Unlike with moralizing, here the group together explores and investigates what
the values of the team mean to each person.
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Beliefs are specific statements that people hold to be true. Beliefs are particular matters that
individuals consider as true or false.

The Foundation – Your Belief System

To understand culture, one must first understand people and their belief systems. One key
way that a culture — or team — defines and distinguishes itself is through a set of ideas
that are held in common. But we all think differently, we all have different belief systems –
I’ve seen this first hand working with teams and people all around the world. Although
shared beliefs can drive the thoughts and actions of an organization’s members in the
same direction, one’s beliefs also provide a moral compass that guides everyone to make
the best decisions as they see fit.

(4)Norms
These are rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members.
Most important norms in a culture apply everywhere and at all times.

(A) Mores
– norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance. (i.e. rape, treason,
and child sexual abuse are generally perceived as wrong acts everywhere in the world,
as such it tells us that it is morally wrong to commit those acts based on the norms we
usually follow.)
- Mores inspire intense reactions, and punishment inevitably follows (right vs. wrong) if
these norms are not executed. Usually, the norms that are considered as mores entail huge
punishment/intense disgust from the public once these are not obeyed or done.
 (B) Folkways
– norms for routine, casual interaction (eating rice as usual part of a meal, using
deodorant/tawas, respecting others)

- (polite vs. rude)

-(i.e. People chew quietly with mouths closed, accepting one’s place in line, people avoid
facing each other in elevators)
- These have commonly no written rules but are usually done by people. If you fail to
practice such folkways, some may have a little disgust about it, but not that intense
compare to the degree of disobeying mores. No one is physically harmed when folkways
are not executed.

(5) Material Culture

Material culture also reflects a society’s technology – knowledge that people use to make
a way of life in their surroundings.
Sociocultural evolution:
● hunting and gathering societies (foraging)- the first society, depends on hunting for their
food and is nomadic.
● horticultural & pastoralism (slash and burns) - semi-sedentary life; introduction of
agriculture and they relied on domestication of animals.
● agriculture - sedentary life; introduction of new methods in farming; establishment of
permanent settlement.
● industry- inventions of machines that improved production; the rise of urban centers or
cities
● postindustrial information technology -knowledge is a commodity and technological
innovation is the key to long lasting growth and development.
 Other Concepts We Need to be Familiar when Talking about Culture
Cultural Diversity - Cultural diversity can involve social class. Many cultural patterns are
readily accessible to only some members of a society.

High Culture – cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite.

Popular Culture – cultural patterns that are widespread among a population.

Subculture – cultural patterns that set apart some segment of society’s population. (Ex:
Amish and Mormons)

Multiculturalism – an educational program recognizing the cultural diversity of the United

States and promoting the equality of all cultural traditions.

Afrocentrism – the dominance of African cultural patterns.

Eurocentrism – the dominance of European cultural patterns.

Counterculture – cultural patterns that rejects and opposes those widely accepted within a
society. i.e.

• Hippies of the 60’s

• Street Gangs

• Extreme right-wing religious groups

Cultural Integration – the close relationships among various elements of a cultural system.

Cultural Lag - some elements of culture change faster than others.

Cultural Changes - new cultural elements. i.e. usage of cellphones, Blackberry, iPhones

Cultural Diffusion - spread of objects from one society to another

Ethnocentrism – the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own
culture.

Cultural Relativism – the practice of evaluating a culture by that culture’s own standards.
A Global Culture

● Global economy: the flow of goods

● Global communication: the flow of information

● Global migration: the flow of people

References: Macionis, John J. 1999. “Sociology. Student Media Version. Seventh Edition.” United States of America: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

https://fergusconnolly.com/culture/
NAME:__________________________________________________________

APPLICATION (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

Define briefly each element of culture and give one example for each:

(1) Symbols

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

(2) Language _____

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________

(3) Values

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

(4) Beliefs

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

(5) Norms
 MODULE 1: DEFINING CULTURE

LESSON 2
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES ON CULTURE

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1. Discuss the major theoretical approaches to cultural interpretation such as Structural

Functional Analysis, Social Conflict Analysis, and Sociobiology

TIME FRAME: 2 Weeks

INTRODUCTION

Hello class, welcome to another day of learning.

For our next lesson, we will talk about theoretical analysis of culture. This topic talks about how
culture influence social organization and order in the society. On the other hand, this will also
display how culture affects disorganization and conflict in the society. The moment you think of
the superiority of your culture than other culture is guided by the concepts and theories that
frames your perspective. That perspective is what makes a paradigm, this is a model of how you
think about things. In this lesson you will be acquainted with the fundamental assumptions that
sociologists have about the social world, the ones that guide their thinking and research.
NAME:__________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

Seeing The General In The Particular!

This definition tells us that sociologists look for general patterns in the behavior of particular
people. Your task is to identify what is your perspective on the current situation of conducting
online classes and by doing so, you will initially get to understand how your classmates felt
about the situation. This task will lead you into having your own theoretical perspective. Create
your own graphic organizer or chart or diagram showing the advantages and disadvantages of
doing online class. Provide a short explanation about your chart. Be creative in doing so.
NAME:__________________________________________________________

ANALYSIS (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

Seeing the Strange in the Familiar!

"In United States of America, suicide rates are higher for white people than for black people and
higher for men than for women." Why is it so? Explain your thoughts about this rate of death by
suicide, by race (between white Americans and Black Americans) and by sex (between men and
women). Maximum of 200 words.
ABSTRACTION

Theoretical Analysis of Culture

(A) Functionalism, also called structural-functional theory, sees society as a structure with
interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of the individuals in that
society. Functionalism grew out of the writings of English philosopher and biologist, Herbert
Spencer (1820–1903), who saw similarities between society and the human body; he argued that
just as the various organs of the body work together to keep the body functioning, the various
parts of society work together to keep society functioning (Spencer 1898). The parts of society
that Spencer referred to were the social institutions, or patterns of beliefs and behaviors focused
on meeting social needs, such as government, education, family, healthcare, religion, and the
economy.

Émile Durkheim, another early sociologist, applied Spencer’s theory to explain how societies
change and survive over time. Durkheim believed that society is a complex system of
interrelated and interdependent parts that work together to maintain stability (Durkheim 1893),
and that society is held together by shared values, languages, and symbols. He believed that to
study society, a sociologist must look beyond individuals to social facts such as laws, morals,
values, religious beliefs, customs, fashion, and rituals, which all serve to govern social life.
Alfred Radcliff-Brown (1881–1955) defined the function of any recurrent activity as the part it
played in social life as a whole, and therefore the contribution it makes to social stability and
continuity (Radcliff-Brown 1952). In a healthy society, all parts work together to maintain
stability, a state called dynamic equilibrium by later sociologists such as Parsons (1961).

Durkheim believed that individuals may make up society, but in order to study society,
sociologists have to look beyond individuals to social facts. Social facts are the laws, morals,
values, religious beliefs, customs, fashions, rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern social
life (Durkheim 1895). Each of these social facts serves one or more functions within a society.
For example, one function of a society’s laws may be to protect society from violence, while
another is to punish criminal behavior, while another is to preserve public health.
 Another noted structural functionalist, Robert Merton (1910–2003), pointed out that social processes
often have many functions. Manifest functions are the consequences of a social process that are sought
or anticipated, while latent functions are the unsought consequences of a social process. A manifest
function of college education, for example, includes gaining knowledge, preparing for a career, and
finding a good job that utilizes that education. Latent functions of your college years include meeting new
people, participating in extracurricular activities, or even finding a spouse or partner. Another latent
function of education is creating a hierarchy of employment based on the level of education attained.
Latent functions can be beneficial, neutral, or harmful. Social processes that have undesirable
consequences for the operation of society are called dysfunctions. In education, examples of dysfunction
include getting bad grades, truancy, dropping out, not graduating, and not finding suitable employment.

A GLOBAL CULTURE

Sociologists around the world look closely for signs of what would be an unprecedented
event: the emergence of a global culture. In the past, empires such as those that existed in
China, Europe, Africa, and Central and South America linked people from many different
countries, but those people rarely became part of a common culture. They lived too far
from each other, spoke different languages, practiced different religions, and traded few
goods. Today, increases in communication, travel, and trade have made the world a much
smaller place. More and more people are able to communicate with each other instantly—
wherever they are located—by telephone, video, and text. They share movies, television
shows, music, games, and information over the Internet. Students can study with teachers
and pupils from the other side of the globe. Governments find it harder to hide conditions
inside their countries from the rest of the world.

Sociologists research many different aspects of this potential global culture. Some explore
the dynamics involved in the social interactions of global online communities, such as when
members feel a closer kinship to other group members than to people residing in their own
countries. Other sociologists study the impact this growing international culture has on
smaller, less-powerful local cultures. Yet other researchers explore how international
markets and the outsourcing of labor impact social inequalities. Sociology can play a key
role in people’s abilities to understand the nature of this emerging global culture and how
to respond to it.
(B) Conflict theory looks at society as a competition for limited resources. This perspective is a
macro-level approach most identified with the writings of German philosopher and sociologist
Karl Marx (1818–1883), who saw society as being made up of individuals in different social
classes who must compete for social, material, and political resources such as food and housing,
employment, education, and leisure time. Social institutions like government, education, and
religion reflect this competition in their inherent inequalities and help maintain the unequal
social structure. Some individuals and organizations are able to obtain and keep more resources
than others, and these “winners” use their power and influence to maintain social institutions.
Several theorists suggested variations on this basic theme. Polish-Austrian sociologist Ludwig
Gumplowicz (1838–1909) expanded on Marx’s ideas by arguing that war and conquest are the
basis of civilizations. He believed that cultural and ethnic conflicts led to states being identified
and defined by a dominant group that had power over other groups (Irving 2007).

German sociologist Max Weber agreed with Marx but

also believed that, in addition to economic inequalities,

inequalities of political power and social structure cause

conflict. Weber noted that different groups were

affected differently based on education, race, and

gender, and that people’s reactions to inequality were

moderated by class differences and rates of social

Max Weber
mobility, as well as by perceptions about the legitimacy
of those in power. German sociologist Georg Simmel (1858–1918) believed that conflict can
help integrate and stabilize a society. He said that the intensity of the conflict varies
depending on the emotional involvement of the parties, the degree of solidarity within the
opposing groups, and the clarity and limited nature of the goals. Simmel also showed that
groups work to create internal solidarity, centralize power, and reduce dissent. Resolving
conflicts can reduce tension and hostility and can pave the way for future agreements. In the
 1930s and 1940s, German philosophers, known as the Frankfurt School, developed critical
theory as an elaboration on Marxist principles. Critical theory is an expansion of conflict
theory and is broader than just sociology, including other social sciences and philosophy. A
critical theory attempts to address structural issues causing inequality; it must explain what’s
wrong in current social reality, identify the people who can make changes, and provide
practical goals for social transformation (Horkeimer 1982).

More recently, inequality based on gender or race has been explained in a similar manner and
has identified institutionalized power structures that help to maintain inequality between groups.
Janet Saltzman Chafetz (1941–2006) presented a model of feminist theory that attempts to
explain the forces that maintain gender inequality as well as a theory of how such a system can
be changed (Turner 2003). Similarly, critical race theory grew out of a critical analysis of race
and racism from a legal point of view. Critical race theory looks at structural inequality based on
white privilege and associated wealth, power, and prestige.

The social–conflict paradigm suggests that many cultural traits function to the advantage of
some and the disadvantage of others. Conflicts present in our society includes gender, race and
class struggles. The tendency of a given culture to ascribe particular characteristics and roles is
called stereotyping. Men and women are conditioned to act out roles in their behavior and
thinking which are determined by society as appropriate. It is important to note and realize that
their stereotyped roles/characteristics and their fictitious idea are assigned by society and
therefore can be challenged and undone.

(C) Sociobiology, the systematic study of the biological basis of social behaviour. The

term sociobiology was popularized by the American biologist Edward O. Wilson in his

book Sociobiology: The New Synthesis (1975). Sociobiology attempts to understand and explain

animal (and human) social behaviour in the light of natural selection and other biological

processes. One of its central tenets is that genes (and their transmission through

successful reproduction) are the central motivators in animals’ struggle for survival, and that
animals will behave in ways that maximize their chances of transmitting copies of their genes to

succeeding generations. Since behaviour patterns are to some extent inherited, the evolutionary

process of natural selection can be said to foster those behavioural (as well as physical) traits that

increase an individual’s chances of reproducing.

Sociobiology has contributed several insights to the understanding of animal social behaviour. It

explains apparently altruistic behaviour in some animal species as actually being genetically

selfish, since such behaviours usually benefit closely related individuals whose genes resemble

those of the altruistic individual. This insight helps explain why soldier ants sacrifice their lives

in order to defend their colony, or why worker honeybees in a hive forego reproduction in order

to help their queen reproduce. Sociobiology can in some cases explain the differences between

male and female behaviour in certain animal species as resulting from the different strategies the

sexes must resort to in order to transmit their genes to posterity.

Sociobiology is more controversial, however, when it attempts to explain various human social
behaviours in terms of their adaptive value for reproduction. Many of these behaviours,
according to one objection, are more plausibly viewed as cultural constructs or as evolutionary
by-products, without any direct adaptive purpose of their own. Some sociobiologists—Wilson in
particular—have been accused of attributing adaptive value to various widespread but morally
objectionable behaviours (such as sexism and racism), thereby justifying them as natural or
inevitable. Defenders of sociobiology reply that at least some aspects of human behaviour must
be biologically influenced (because competition with other species would select for this trait);
that evolutionary explanations of human behaviour are not defective in principle but should be
evaluated in the same way as other scientific hypotheses; and that sociobiology does not imply
strict biological determinism.

Macionis, John J. 1999. “Sociology. Student Media Version. Seventh Edition.” United States of America: Prentice-Hall, Inc.

https://www.britannica.com/science/sociobiology

https://courses.lumenlearning.com/alamo-sociology
NAME:____________________________________________________
______

APPLICATION (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

Using a Venn diagram, compare and contrast the two theoretical analysis on culture. 10pts.

● structural–functional paradigm
● social–conflict paradigm

structural–functional social-conflict
similarities paradigm
paradigm
 MODULE 1: DEFINING CULTURE
LESSON 3

THE MATERIALITY OF POPULAR CULTURE

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Examine popular culture as material culture.

2. Visualize youth subculture as an example of the visibility of materiality in popular culture.

3. Characterize various global popular culture

TIME FRAME: 2 Weeks

INTRODUCTION

Hi students! Today we are going to discuss about Materiality of Popular Culture. This lesson

examines culture as material culture. Culture is about making the world signify. It matters

because signification helps organize and regulate social practice. According to actor-network-

theory, popular culture it is not just people acting and interacting, it is about people acting and

interacting with material objects, and material object interacting with each other.

In a network, all the actor acts: there is movement not between intermediaries but between

mediators. Materiality is mute outside culture, until it is made to signify by human action.

Material objects have to be realized as meaningful by social practice. When different cultures

share the same material object, what marks cultural differences is obviously not these objects but

the different meanings of these objects and how these meaning are realized in social practice.
NAME:__________________________________________________________
ACTIVITY (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

My Life, My Style!

In today's generation, there are a lot of youth subcultures where an individual can find
themselves to be in with the group. Some groups can be identified with how they style their hair,
what dress they wear and the objects they often use. Your task is to describe your group (circle
of friends/barkada) and think of their influences on you by using the graphic organizer below.

ME MY FRIENDS

ANALYSIS (*for SETBI-DAPECOL Students, DO NOT ANSWER THIS ACTIVITY)

FISH BONE ANALYSIS

Fish Bone Analysis. Write down what are the impacts/cause and effect created by the
following item towards our lives?
1. car
2. mobile phone
3. milktea
4. television
5. fastfood chain (Mcdo or Jollibee)
ABSTRACTION

Youth subcultures are an obvious example of the visibility of materiality in popular culture, this
can be seen through the drug of their choice, a particular dress code, social spaces that are
occupied, a particular music providing an aural landscape.

Further, most people's lives are filled with material objects. We interact with material objects in
many ways; we produce and consume them, we exchange them, we talk about them and admire
them, and we use them to say things about ourselves.

Sometimes the material capacities of an object are such that they transform what we do.

CAR : It has helped bring about fundamental change in the popular culture of shopping -- not
only how we shop, but also who shops.

MOBILE PHONE : It is now impossible to walk down the high street of any town or city and not
see people using mobile phones to talk, text, take photographs or listen to music. As such, it
democratized the self-portrait – makingpossible the so-called “selfie”.

There are a lot of material objects that has contributed to the changes on the way of our lives
nowadays.

There are different ways to think theoretically about the materiality of popular culture i.e. Actor-
Network-Theory, Cultural Studies,& Material Culture.

A. Actor- Network-Theory
According to actor-network-theory, popular culture is not just people acting and interacting, it is
people acting and interacting with material objects and material objects interacting with each
other.

Example. Whether or not we use a bus or a car to travel, wear formal or casual clothes to meet
friends, drink wine or water, sleep on holiday in a tent or a hotel, these material objects make a
difference to the realization of our actions and interactions.

Many of our activities are through material objects of a variety of kinds. Any thing that does
modify a state of affairs by making a difference is called an actor (Latour, 2007).

The interaction between actors always takes place in networks. In other words, to understand one
thing, you have to see it in relation to other things; see it as part of a network. It is how
something performs or is made to perform within a given network that determines its situated
therefore temporary meaning and significance.
i.e. public library exhibits a collection of photographs of a local community (although taken by
different individuals, the gallery would situate them all in a network in which these differences of
subject and purpose would be diminished, as they would all be, at least temporarily, of
significance because of what that tell the exhibition's audience about the local area)

Material objects can be mediators and intermediaries.

Intermediaries - convey meaning unchanged
Mediators - transform, translate, distort, and modify the meaning they are supposed to carry

i.e. Powerpoint and LED television/Projector (Both technologies are fundamental to the
experience of our interaction in the class. Interaction between us involves certain tech and these
do not just work as intermediaries, they act as mediators.)
A Bottle of Drink (at first it is an intermediary, but when offered to woman by a man, it
becomes a mediator as it convey of an attempt to start a relationship

A network is 'a string of actions where each participant is treated as a full-blown mediator.

In a network all the actors act: there is movement not between intermediaries but between
mediators. 'As soon as actors are treated not as intermediaries but as mediators, they render the
movement of the social visible'.
In a network there is not a transport of causality between intermediaries but a series of
connections in which actors make other actors act.It is by recognizing the interaction between the
human and the material that popular culture and everyday life become fully visible to our
analysis.

In other words, if we are to understand everyday life, and popular culture as its primary feature,
we have to fully recognize the role of material objects. As Latour argues, we should not think of
the social and the material as separate categories. It is the weaving together of both material and
social; that is, it is human-to-human, object-to-object, and human-to-object actions and
interactions that make visible the materiality of popular culture.
B. Meaning and Materiality

This admixture can take various forms: a text message written on a phone, musical sounds
produced by human body, graffti painted on a wall, a toy loved by a child.

Cultural studies defines culture as a realized signifying system.

Material objects surround us and we interact with them and we use them to interact with others.
They accompany us through the shifting narratives of our lives, becoming the material of our
emotions and our thoughts.

Popular culture is never just the materiality of things; it is always a simultaneous entanglement
of meaning, materiality and social practice. This admixture can take various forms: a text
message written on a phone, musical sounds produced by human body, graffiti painted on a wall,
a toy loved by a child.

References:

Storey, John. 2015. “Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. Seventh Edition.”
Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge, Inc.

Storey, John. 2010. “Culture and Power in Cultural Studies: The Politics of Signification.”
Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press
NAME:__________________________________________________________

APPLICATION (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

List down 5-10 material things that is important to you and gives meaning to you life? and why?

MATERIAL THINGS REASONS

1.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.
NAME:__________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

1.Jasper has a BOTTLED DRINK, seeing Kate thirsty he offered it to her. What is the role of the
BOTTLED DRINK being offered?
A. Intermediary B. Mediator C. Both A & B D.one
of the above
2.Material objects as Mediator do not _____.
A. Translate meaning
B. Distort meaning
C. Transform meaning
D. Convey meaning unchanged

3.According to Bruno Latour interaction between actors takes place in Networks. The
following are part of the network except?

A. human to human
B. human to object
C. object to object
D. none of the above

4.A network is a string of actions where each participant is called?

A. Intermediary
B. Full blown mediator
C. Full blown intermediary
D. Mediator

5.What is the difference between Cultural studies with Material Cultural studies?
A. MCS thinks that objects exist in the world as meaningful before they were made
meaningful by human practice
B. MCS believed human making of meaning as a primary process that always occurs
before natural meaning.
C. None of the above
D. Both A and B

6.Which statement best describes the Cultural studies perspective?

A. The Moon as a satellite of our planet, is already meaningful even before humans
made meaning.
B. The Moon is made more meaningful once it becomes a part of a certain social
practice.
C. The moon signify different meanings depending which day of the month
D. The moon was used to predict future events in ancient times.
 NAME:__________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

7. In Western Culture Full moon represents the time where monsters like Werewolves, vampires
and the likes have their power in full circle while Sun represents their weakness and could kill
them if they glance on or hit by its ray. How do we relate this to cultural studies?

A. The meaning of the Moon and Sun is expanded and made more meaningful by the
tales of horror.

B. The sun and moon are symbolic representations of light and darkness

C. The Sun and Moon are already meaningful before it was incorporated in western
culture.

D. None of the above

8.Which of the following describes Cultural Studies?

A. Defines culture as a realized signifying system

B. Defines culture as a realized symbolic meaning

C. Defines culture as a realized social relation

D. Defines culture as a realized symbolic interaction

9. Cultural Construction points to:

A. How material objects brought into being
B. How material objects are made into purpose as cultural object
C. How material objects are created differently and defined differently
D. How material objects are made meaningful and understood as meaningful

10. It refers to the characteristic of social reality based on the objects and architecture in the
society.
A. Material Culture
B. Cultural Construction
C. Physique
D. Non-material Culture
NAME:__________________________________________________________
(*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

ASSESSMENT (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

11. Which among the sentences best explains material cultural studies?
A. Material Culture Studies is very similar to the concept of Cultural Studies.
B. Material objects are made even more meaningful when used/placed in a certain
culture.
C. Material objects are already meaningful even before they are used/placed in a
certain culture.
D. Material Culture Studies is an important element of a certain culture.

12.The human making of meaning is presented by material culture studies as what kind of
process?
A. As humans create meanings to objects, it is already a secondary process that
happened after the establishment of natural meanings for those objects.
B. The kind of process that happens when humans provide meanings to material
objects is a primary process. It is only after that, that objects are made more
meaningful.
C. When people create meanings for objects, there is always an entanglement of
humans and objects.
D. It is a naturalization process when humans make meanings out of objects.

13.In the perspective of Material Culture Studies, which among the situations fit the concept?
A. The rose flower is made more meaningful once it becomes a part of a certain
social practice.
B. In ancient times, the moon has already been an indicator of various phenomena to
such cultures.
C. Flowers signify different meanings depending on colors and celebrations.
D. Moon as a satellite of our planet, is already meaningful even before the human
making process.
(*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

NAME:__________________________________________________________

14.When humans entangle with objects and objects entangle with objects as well, materiality of
certain objects occurs.
A. Cultural Studies
B. Actor-Network Theory
C. Globalization and Diversity
D. Material Culture Studies

15 Which among the following is true about material objects in relation to cultural difference?
A. Cultural differences can be shown in the various fast food chains around the
world.
B. Cultural difference is best seen in the clothing preference of people.
C. Cultural difference is portrayed not on the objects but the different meanings of
these objects.
D. Cultural difference is a state of mind depending on the situation.

(*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

 MODULE 2: POPULAR CULTURE AROUND THE WORLD

LESSON 4

A. WESTERN POPULAR CULTURE

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Evaluate Western Popular Culture specifically in the lens of American Pop Culture

TIME FRAME: 1 Week

INTRODUCTION

Hello learners! Welcome to Lesson 5 The Popular Culture Around the World. Now, we will
travel and discover new things that will give you more knowledge about the culture around the
world. When people talk about Western Culture, what exactly they are referring to?

Western Culture is an incredibly broad term used to describe the social norms, belief system,
traditions, customs, values, and so forth that have their origin in Europe or based on European
Culture. United States of America for example, is firmly western in culture. American culture is
as diverse as American people, drawing on the traditions of the nation’s many immigrants.
American culture also reflects the nation’s democratic ideals, as Americans have pioneered in
forms of entertainment, such as baseball and movies, which are aimed at mass audiences.

The east coast of the United States was originally a British colony, and as America developed its
own independent nation, it carried with it many elements of European culture.

French Culture, Spanish Culture and British culture are all sub-categories under the broad loose
category of Western Culture. Europe and much of the western hemisphere is western in culture.
This is in contrast to Asia which is eastern in culture and Africa which -you guessed it- has its
own unique African culture. Australia is largely western in culture.

Western culture is a pretty fluid and loose term because it encompasses so much. Some of the
central characteristics of western culture include, democracy, rational thinking, individualism,
Christianity, capitalism, modern technology human rights, scientific thinking.
NAME:__________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

Bring me to the West!

Santa Claus or simply Santa is a legendary figure of Western Pop Culture who is said to bring
gifts to the homes of well-behaved, “good” children on Christmas Eve and the early morning
hours of Christmas Day. This is an example of a western influence that people around the world
have been practicing.

Your task is to paste any picture or sketch using any available writing/art materials that would
bring the audience to the feeling of western popular culture. To make it more interesting, just
simply put your own thoughts and description of your chosen figure that reminds you of the
influence of the west. Make your description as short as 100 words or lesser. You can do it!

YOUR ILLUSTRATION

EXPLANATION
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ANALYSIS (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

Write five examples of western popular culture and try to analyse the effects these have brought
into Philippine popular culture.

EXAMPLE EFFECT

1. American songs We tend to love more the foreign songs than

our own local songs

2.

3.

4.

5.
ABSTRACTION

Among the three effects of globalization on culture, the growth of global “pop culture” tends to
get the most attention, and to strike people on a visceral level. Many complain that this form of
globalization is actually Americanization, because the United States is by far the biggest
producer of popular culture goods.

Pop culture is manifested around the world through movies, music, television shows, newspapers,
satellite broadcasts, fast food and clothing, among other entertainment and consumer goods.

For the United States, the entertainment industry is one of the most important spheres of
economic activity. In fact, the U.S. entertainment industry generates more revenue from overseas
sales than any other industry other than the commercial aerospace industry. Many would say that
this new juggernaut of American industry has propelled the American pop culture around the
world at a frenetic pace.

Reality television is a popular medium for the broadcast of American culture. One of the most
prominent examples is “Keeping up with the Kardashians” which follows the family life of the
Kardashian family. The show has developed a dedicated following internationally and has
contributed to an idea of a glamorous American lifestyle that is practiced by the family. This
reality show and other like it have contributed to a rise of celebrities who are “famous for being
famous” (O’Rourke, 2011).

The growth of the influence of American television has been mirrored within the film industry,
as well. Viewed from the perspective of other countries, the dominance of the United States film
industry in Europe has been a rapidly and recently growing concern (Dager, n.d).

Recently, countries in Europe such as France have passed protectionist measures, to facilitate the
growth of the film industry domestically, which have damaged the share of American films
overseas. The current share is 60-75 percent across Western Europe (Hopewell, 2013).

American movies and television shows, which are commonly referred to in trade parlance as
audio-visual services, are therefore an important commodity among U.S. exports. This is perhaps
doubly the case with regard to inherently cultural products. Not only do foreign nations worry
about their own domestic entertainment industries from an economic standpoint, but they also
worry about the effects on their culture.

For many citizens of other countries, American films and televisions shows are not just another
commodity.
I. The Spread of American Pop Culture

Globalization enables foreign companies to distribute American cultural products, including

music and books. The spread of American restaurant chains and consumer products worldwide is
accompanied by the spread of American popular culture. In recent years, American movies,
music, and TV shows have consistently gained more and more audiences worldwide.

The products of popular musicians are also likely to be distributed by non-U.S. companies such
as Japan’s Sony, Germany’s Bertelsmann AG, France’s Vivendi, or the United Kingdom’s EMI
Group. Similarly, American authors are increasingly published by foreign media conglomerates.

Canada is one of the best examples of a country where U.S. cultural products dominate despite
the Canadian government’s efforts to preserve local culture. Canadian films account for just 2.1
percent of Canadian film ticket sales, and the vast majority of the remaining 98 percent are
American. In most other countries, however, American cultural products are not as widespread
as they are in Canada, and they face more domestic competition. In most cases, two general
trends can be observed:

 Many American cultural products tend to be popular with people of very different societies.

 Despite the popularity of American cultural products, other countries still produce a
substantial number of films, music, books, and TV shows.

II. Television

What is the role of TV in Western popular culture?

American cultural products are influential in the television industry, as well. For example,
American company CNN exemplify the global news. However, television remains a more local
cultural form than movies, music, or publications.

However, there was a time when television had a significant impact on Eastern European politics.
Television series such as “Dallas” and “Dynasty” were viewed by individuals living behind the
Iron Curtain and offered an unrealistic, but appealing alternative to the communist lifestyle.
Therefore, we can say that television has played an important role in propagating Western
popular culture, though majorly Americanized.

Through this medium, the proliferation of technology, news/ideas, entertainment, language,

fashion and sports is made even wider and farther across borders.
III. Pop Culture Values

Almost by definition, popular culture has attained an immense global following precisely
because it is popular. For many citizens of other countries though, the near take-over of their
own cultural industries, especially for younger audiences, is of great concern.

As sociologist Peter Berger points out, pop culture:

'carries a significant freight of beliefs and values. Take the case of rock music. It's attraction is
not just due to a particular preference for loud, rhythmic sound and dangerously athletic
dancing. Rock music also symbolizes a whole cluster of cultural values—concerning self-
expression, spontaneity, released sexuality, and perhaps most importantly, defiance of the
alleged stodginess of tradition.'

References:

Storey, John. 2015. “Cultural Theory and Popular Culture: An Introduction. Seventh Edition.” Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon:
Routledge, Inc.

https://study.com/academia/lesson/modern-western.com
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

APPLICATION (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

Choose an artist or a celebrity, or any technology or any object that is of western origin and has
influenced you as a person. Write a 100-word analysis paper on why you like this
person/idea/object and how does this western popular culture affect your preferences over such
things and behavior.
 MODULE 2: POPULAR CULTURE AROUND THE WORLD

LESSON 4

B. EASTERN POPULAR CULTURE

(South Korean and Japanese Popular Culture: Philippine Perspectives)

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Assess Eastern Popular Culture through the Korean and Japanese Pop Cultures

TIME FRAME: 1 Week

INTRODUCTION

Filipino has always been welcoming of foreign trends and culture. As such, Korean culture and
trends as seen in Korean dramas have invaded and been deeply rooted in Philippine society today.
Korean dramas have greatly influenced the food fashion, cosmetics and entertainment industries,
as well as people’s views and preferences. The Korean Wave receivers are likely to experience in
Korean culture in order to fully understand the context of films, dramas, and K-pop. As a
representative content the Korean wave, K-pop as a part of a global trend especially popular
among the youth (Jang et.al.,2012:80).

ACTIVITY (*for SETBI-DAPECOL Students, DO NOT ANSWER THIS ACTIVITY)

Compare and contrast. Write down what are the differences of Japanese culture and Korean culture.

CATEGORY JAPAN KOREA

FOOD

DRESS

MOVIES

MUSIC
ANALYSIS(*for SETBI-DAPECOL Students, DO NOT ANSWER THIS ACTIVITY)

Since you are done with the activity, you’re now ready to answer this questions that will help
you to think creatively. Be explicit in answering the questions.

1. Are you a fan of any k-pop groups? Why or why not?

2. What do you think is the reason why a lot of Filipinos are so hooked on anything Korean?
3. If given a chance to choose only one travel destination,which country in Asia would you
like to visit? And why?

ABSTRACTION

A decade on, and the English-speaking world remains dominated by American-made music,
films and television. Yet, there's been a noticeable shift: a steady rise in the influence of South
Korean and Japanese pop culture exports.

In 2019, Japanese consultant Marie Kondo taught us how to declutter our lives in her Netflix hit
"Tidying Up with Marie Kondo."

South Korean pop groups BTS and Blackpink showed us big-budget, action-packed music
videos -- and smashed YouTube records in the process.

Also, "Parasite" became the first South Korean film to win a Palme d'Or and an Oscars-- and
then the film's director Bong Joon-ho appeared on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon"
speaking mainly in Korean.

That capped off a decade that's seen the rise of East Asian pop culture in the West, including the
catchy "Gangnam Style" by flamboyant South Korean rapper PSY (2012) and the glacially-slow
romances in Japanese reality show "Terrace House" (which came to Netflix in 2015).

Top English-language fashion magazines like "Vogue" and "Elle" now regularly feature South
Korean beauty products, apparently endorsed by actresses Drew Barrymore and Emma Stone.

"Asia is becoming an increasingly significant cultural force," consulting firm McKinsey noted in
a 2019 discussion paper.

"In contrast to the past when the region was largely a recipient of Western culture, with Asian
citizens enthusiastic consumers of Hollywood movies and British pop music, for instance. Today,
cultural flows go in both directions."
The Growing Influence of East Asian Pop Culture

A decade ago, Japanese anime like Pokemon and Digimon was already a fixture in the West.
Hong Kong martial arts stars Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee were household names. Analysts were
already using the phrase "hallyu" -- or "Korean wave" in Korean -- to refer to the spread of South
Korean fashion, beauty products, television dramas and music in other countries, especially in
Asia.

Accordingly, 'the East is coming.' In fact, it has been for a while," said Anthony Fung, an expert
in pop culture at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. But in the past decade, East Asian pop
culture -- particularly from South Korea -- has really taken off. Now there's not just one Kung Fu
star or one anime, but a range of different East Asian exports.

Jung-Sun Park, a professor and coordinator of Asian-Pacific studies at California State

University at Dominguez Hills, says social media and the internet have "totally transformed the
transnational flows of pop culture."

The various social media platforms have revolutionized the ways in which individuals encounter
and consume pop culture and have greatly diversified the routes of pop cultural flows and
influences (Park, 2019). In the past, traditional media platforms like television and radio stations
have controlled what we see and hear.

East Asian pop culture also offers something else: Diversity. Susanna Lim, a professor of Asian
studies at the University of Oregon, says Western fans are demanding greater diversity than they
did in the past. She points to K-pop fans as an example, noting that many are from diverse
backgrounds, and may also feel marginalized by American mainstream culture.

"The growing interest in East Asian pop culture reflects these changing demographics and
cultural awareness in the US and the West," she said. K-pop is packed full of Western influences,
so it can feel both familiar and unfamiliar to Western audiences, Lim added.

The Effect of the East Asian Spread

Western fans of K-pop and other cultural products might initially be drawn in by flashy dance
moves and edgy fashion, but it's having a ripple effect in other areas.

Enrollments in Japanese and Korean programs in the United States increased between 2013 and
2016, according to a study by the Modern Language Association of America.Enrollments for
Korean language programs rose by 13.7%, by far the largest increase of any language being
taught.

K-pop is also boosting tourist arrivals to South Korea. According to Korean think tank Hyundai
Research Institute, K-pop group BTS helped inspire an estimated one in 13 tourists that visited
the country in 2017. That same report found that, if BTS maintain their popularity, they will
contribute a projected 56.16 trillion South Korean won ($48 billion) to the country's economy by
2023.

Jo Elfving-Hwang, an associate professor of Korean Studies at the University of Western

Australia, said that Korean Australians she had interviewed hadn't been interested in Korean pop
culture, but started paying attention after being introduced to it by their non-Korean friends.

"This is an interesting example of global popular culture that has been driven by external
recognition of the cultural attractiveness rather than a push by local diasporas (Elfving-Hwang,
2019)."

What the Future Looks Like

Experts say there's every reason to think Japan and South Korea's cultural exports will continue
to have an impact in the coming decade. The big question mark is over China.

Although China's rising economic and political influence has made it much more prominent on
the world stage than it was a decade ago, it has barely made a dent on the West's pop culture
landscape. Fung says China's limited impact is partly because there's less of an economic need
for Chinese entertainment companies to look abroad -- it's the most populous country in the
world, so there's already a huge domestic market.

Another reason, though, is the strict control that China's Communist Party imposes on Chinese
media. Regulators have banned actors with tattoos and censored song lyrics. Chinese state media
outlets have also criticized male celebrities who appear effeminate or not manly in appearance.
Professor Elfving-Hwang says it's "harder to imagine" the Chinese music industry ever having
the same international appeal as K-pop. "But you never know," she said.

In the next decade, Elfving-Hwang thinks East Asian pop culture will keep going strong -- and
she sees that as a good thing.

"If K-pop can actually make people curious enough to take quite a big step like learning a
language," she said, "And then through that gain more understanding about the culture ... I think
that will have a really significant impact on how we can communicate in the future.

We will also discuss on How K-Attracted Tourism Boost and the Koreanovela Invasion in the
Philippines. Because we all knew that a lot of people in the Philippines loves Korean drama,
musics and many more. The Korean television series Winter Sonata became popular in Japan
and Japanese tourist agencies offered location tours to various filming sites in Korea. Kamiya
(2004) noted that these are 'prime examples of how movies and television programs can not only
transport viewers to another world, but also inspire them to travel.'

The Hallyu, or “Korean wave,'' was first coined in 1999 by Beijing journalists who were
surprised by the growing popularity of South Korean entertainment and culture in China (J.Y.
Kim, 2007). Today, the term is used to refer to Korean popular culture at large, which usually
includes tv drams, movies, music, food, and fashion.As mentioned in various studies, the Korean
wave has had considerable impact on Korea's tourism and has led to a dramatic increase in
international tourist arrivals there, specifically to locations associated with Korean tv dramas
(Rewtrakunphaiboon, 2009; Lim, 2008).

Moreover, Dae Jang Geum (literally The Great Jang Geum), or Jewel in the Palace in English, is
a fifty-four-episode drama produced by the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC). It tells
the success story of Dae Jang Geum who became the first female royal doctor despite coming
from the lower class.

It is also a story of complicated relationships involving love and hate. Also, it presented a
reproduction of the Korean royal palace in the Joseon dynasty, featuring the food and medical
treatments of that period (Zabala, 2013). Finally, it should be noted that the most number of
visitors came from neighboring East Asia i.e. Japan, China, and Taiwan. This is attributed not
only due to geographical proximity but also to cultural proximity.

Tourism is first and foremost a business. The influx of increased tourist numbers would generate
more revenue for the local economy as well as increased awareness of filming location
destinations not only locally but also internationally (Zabala, 2013).

The Koreanovela Invasion in the Philippines

Filipino audiences had long been caught by Latin American soap operas, specifically Mexican
telenovelas.“Telenovela” is a term used to refer to television drama series or soap opera,
particularly those from Latin America.

After the introduction of other imported tv drama series from Taiwan and Korea, the term was
appropriated to refer to Taiwanese drama series as “Chinovela” (i.e. Meteor Garden) and to
Korean drama as “Koreanovela.”
Local tv stations started showing Korean dramas regularly in the same year, 2003 i.e. Endless
Love 1: Autumn in My Heart. Local free tv channels must have seen it as an opening for more
Korean dramas, as they had already made their way to East Asia and other Southeast Asian
countries.
Since then, a number of Korean dramas or Koreanovelas have been shown on local television,
including Endlss Love, Lovers in Paris, Full House,Jewel in the Palace and so on. Lin and Tong
(2008) concluded that Korean dramas provide a space where traditional femininity is reaffirmed
and modern femininity presented. Aspects of sociocultural reality, culture, and society are
reflected in dramas as well as idealistic femininities desired by consumers.

Cho Hae-Joang (2005) stressed that Korean pop culture helped define a new “Asian femininity.”
Attractiveness, softness, tenderness, and faithfulness to their loved ones are some of the qualities
of the ideal woman portrayed in Korean dramas . Also, masculinity through the projection of the
ideal man i.e. handsome, caring, perfect, cool, etc. is portrayed(Lin and Tong, 2008).

Common scenes in Koreanovelas:

a. slapping the face
b. hitting the back of the head or the nape
c. kicking people
d. drinking alcoholic beverage i.e. beer/soju
e. being carried piggyback
f. divorce
g. suicide

In conclusion, the South Korean Government's initiative, as well as the Korean people's demand
for globalization and liberalization in the media and culture, resulted in the production of better
films and television dramas.

The advent of independent investors and groups in producing and financing films and the
commercialization of the TV sector led to a more competitive environment for the production of
TV dramas; both contributed to the diversification of themes and the overall improvement in
quality of media and cultural products in S.Korea (Gongora, 2013).

Reference:

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/12/28/entertainment/east-asia-pop-culture-rise-intl-hnk/index.html
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

APPLICATION (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

In 5- 10 sentences answer the following.

Have you gained a greater understanding and appreciation for Japanese Pop culture?Explain.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

Have you gained a greater understanding and appreciation for Korean Pop culture?Explain.

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

What are some unique features of Japanese pop culture?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

What are some unique features of Korean pop culture?

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

1.It is the first South Korean film to win a Palme d'Or which is the highest price awarded at the
Cannes Fim Festival.

A. Parasite B. Miracle In Cell No. 7 C. Crash Landing On You D. Train To Busan

2. "Gangnam Style" capped off a decade which have seen the rise of East Asian pop culture in
the west, this was a song of the flamboyant South Korean rapper.

A. BTS B. EXO C. G-DRAGON D. PSY

3.Terrace house is a Japanese franchise consisting of five series and one theatrical film. The
show follows the lives of six strangers, three men and three women from different walks of life,
who lived under the same roof while getting to know and date each other, this is an example of.

A. Sitcom B. Documentary C. Reality Show D. Makeover

4."Asia is becoming an increasingly significant cultural force," consulting firm McKinsey noted
in a 2019 discussion paper, this only means that.

A. The region was largely a recipient of Western culture with Asian citizens enthusiastic
consumers of Hollywood movies and British pop music.

B. The region was demanding more of Western culture to be excitingly practiced and
adapted by Asian citizens.

C. The region has been a producer of pop culture through its music and films where K-
pop artists have made a great impact for both Asian and Western fans.

D. The region has been dependent on importing Western pop culture for a long time up
until the present.

5. The phrase used to refer to the spread of South Korean fashion, beauty products, television
dramas and music in other countries, especially in Asia.

A. Hallyu B. Gangnam C. Juseyo D. Kamsahamnida

6. Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee wax figures are pictured during a photo call in the heart of
London's Chinatown on January 29, 2014, ahead of Lunar New Year celebrations. This two
artists were famous for being.

A. Comedian B. Kung Fu Star C. Athletes D. Film Producers

NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

7. This is a political situation which is the reason for the strict control that China imposes on
Chinese media such as regulations to have banned actors with tattoos and censored song lyrics,
criticized male celebrities who appear effeminate.

A. Communist B. Traditional C. Liberated D. Prejudiced

8. Television series in the Korean language, made in South Korea are called ?

A. K-pop B. Hallyu C. K-dramas D. Pop Culture

9.In Japan, what is the term given to refer on items, humans and nonhumans that are charming,
vulnerable, shy, and childlike?

A. Kawaii B. Konnichiwa C. Kuwaii D. Arigato

10. Which among the following is NOT a common scene in Korean television shows?

A. Slapping B. Divorce C. Musical D. Drinking soju

(*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

 MODULE 3: PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE

LESSON 5
A. ORIGINS AND PHILIPPINE CONTEXT
LEARNING OUTCOMES:
1. Trace the origins of Philippine Popular Culture
2. Identify popular culture in the Philippine context

TIME FRAME: One Week

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations students! You already covered half of the topics for this subject. Previously, you
studied about the definition of culture and its various dimensions. Now that you have learned the
concept of popular culture on a broader level, let us break it down to a more familiar, closer-to-
home level. Let us study popular culture in the Philippine context.

Philippine Popular Culture impacts the daily life of every Filipino. Given that our country is a
melting pot of eastern and western cultural influences, our unique culture gives us our own
identity.

Think of OFWs who are unable to come home to their families for Christmas. The best way to
ward of the loneliness of spending such an occasion away from home is to celebrate it with
fellow Filipinos. Who would say no to a nice home-cooked meal comprised of rice and a variety
of ulam like hamon, afritada, adobo, sinigang and tinola on a table filled with laughter and
lively chatter? They can talk about how much of as struggle it was to fit a bunch of branded
shoes like Nike and Adidas and jeans like Levi’s with bars and bars of imported soap and
perfume in their balikbayan boxes. A Filipino dinner is more than just an activity to satisfy
hunger but also an opportunity to catch-up with family and friends.

Someone may bust out a microphone and start a karaoke competition after the meal and whoever
scores the lowest will be given the honor of washing the mountain of dishes left on the sink. Or
someone might suggest they huddle in front of the television and catch up on the recent episode
of a popular teleserye on TFC.

Television, music, food and language are all valuable rudiments of popular culture that create an
invisible bond that ties us together. We can take refuge in our culture, and recreate a home away
from home.

However, have you ever wondered how these things came to be? Why are these classically
“Pinoy”? Why does hamon belong on the table during Christmas? Why do Filipinos prefer
buying Western brands over locally-produced merchandise?

1
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

For each category, list down three (3) things that are popular in the Philippines:

a. TV shows/Movies
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b. Music
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c. Food
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2
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ANALYSIS (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

1. How do you think did the things listed above become popular? Trace their origins.
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2. Are there any similarities or differences between the things listed above? Do you think
these similarities or differences allowed them to become popular? Why or why not?
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3. Did any of the things listed above at some point become a part of your daily life? Why or
why not?
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ABSTRACTION

In his book entitled Revaluation: Essays on Philippine Literature, Theatre and Popular Culture
(1984), Bienvenido Lumbera traced the origins of popular culture in the Philippines back to the
Spanish Colonial era. The colonizers were on a mission to win the hearts of the Filipino natives
or Indios, thus they began introducing plays and literature to the public.

The children of the rich natives were also taught of the Christian and European traditions. They
became essential instruments "in bringing into the vernacular, literary forms that were to be
vehicles for the "pacification" of the natives". Popular culture was introduced by the colonizers
to endorse the interests of the Church and State, replacing the native culture with its various
forms of popular theatre and literature such as the pasyon, sinakulo, korido, komedya and awit
took flight.

Soon, the educated natives seized the potential of popular culture to spread propaganda against
the colonizers. The mediums introduced by the Spaniards were used to actively promote the
propaganda movement to expose the unjust treatment of the government officials and the friars.
For example, Marcelo H. del Pilar’s work “Aba Ginoong Barya” was a parody of the prayer
“Aba, Ginoong Maria”, detailing the abuses of the Spanish friars.

Upon the arrival of the Americans, they brought about a popular culture that had a more liberal
approach than their European counterparts. Writers, producers and publishers were given press
freedom in various mediums such as printing press, radio, television and film. The Americans
also introduced an educational system that allowed access to natives from all walks of life, a
stark comparison to the Spanish system where only the elites were given privilege to learn the
colonial language. Filipinos were eager to learn English—the new language of the benevolent
colonizers, something they were unable to do during the Spanish regime.

However, local intellectuals soon realized that popular culture was beginning to take the route of
capitalism. Popular culture became tailored to what appealed to the mass market, rather than for
artistic purposes. Writers now wrote what the publishers thought the general public would like
and consume. Artists forsake their arts’ true form to fit into the mold of what would make the
most profit.
With all that in mind, you may not be so surprised with the answers to the questions we have
posed in the beginning of this lesson. Why do Filipinos serve the delicious hamon on Christmas
but not so much on regular days of the year? The tradition of eating ham during Christmas was
influenced by the Spaniards, who also introduced the celebration of Christianity and Christmas.
The Spaniards began the tradition of eating pork on Christmas day to affirm their identities as
Christians and differentiate themselves from Muslims during the Islamic Caliphate in Spain. The
foreigners who lived in the Philippines brought to the colony the delicious food they used to feast
on back in their country, and the native Filipinos—especially the elites, copied what they saw
from the tables of the affluent colonizers. Why do Filipinos love buying branded merchandise
like Levi’s or Nike over locally-produced ones? It is because when some products were
introduced by the Americans to the Philippines during the American colonization, most of the
products they used were more advanced and some were thought to be essential and were
marketed to be more appealing and of higher quality. Filipinos had a huge margin of comparison
and felt as though the native products were inferior.

In conclusion, Philippine Popular Culture can trace its roots back to the colonial period and has
evolved in many ways since. The multiple sources of influence has shaped the way Filipinos
behave, even at the present time. There is so much more potential to Philippine popular culture
when we break it down to its social, political and economic aspect. Simply put, according to
Lumbera, "Popular culture is power, and whoever wields it to manipulate minds is likely to
find its literary and technological machinery turned against him when the minds it has
manipulated discover its potency as a political weapon."
References:

Garchitorena, A. (2015). Pop Culture and the Rise of Social Media in the Philippines: An Overview. Retrieved from Academia:
https://www.academia.edu/11644801/Pop_Culture_and_the_Rise_of_Social_Media_in_the_Philippines_An_Overview

Lumbera, B. (1984). Revaluation: Essays on Philippine Literature, Cinema, and Popular Culture.

Martinez, E. (2020, January 4). Why do Filipinos prefer to eat ham on Christmas and rarely on ordinary days? Retrieved from
Quora.com: https://www.quora.com/Why-do-Filipinos-prefer-to-eat-ham-on-Christmas-and-rarely-on-ordinary-days
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

APPLICATION (for SETBI-DAPECOL students, DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

Suppose Dr. Jose Rizal would use Twitter and popular culture to address our country’s issues
nowadays. Pick one societal issue that you think he would tackle and create a powerful hashtag
to spark conversation on this issue. Include a brief tweet that would support the hashtag.

ASSESSMENT (*ANSWER & RETURN THIS PART)

1. When did Philippine Popular Culture begin?

a. Japanese occupation b. Spanish regime c. American era d.
Martial Law
2. What did the Spanish colonizers introduce to the majority of the native Filipinos which
began the spread of popular culture?
a. Plays and literature b. movies
b. c. television d. language
3. Which among the following is NOT an underlying motive for the Spaniards to promote
popular culture?
a. To promote the interest of the government
b. Spread the religion
c. Win the hearts of the natives
d. To promote their artistic culture
4. Who among the following became primary instruments in spreading popular culture
during the Spanish era?
a. Friars b. Government officials c. Propagandist
d. elite natives
5. Which of the following was the reason for the spread of popular culture during the
Spanish era?
a. To promote the religion
b. To promote the interest of the government
c. All of the above
d. None of the above

6. Who among the following took advantage of the spread of popular culture during the Spanish era?
a. Elite educated natives
b. Government officials
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
7. Which among the following may be considered as one of the strategies of the educated natives in
spreading propaganda during the Spanish colonial era?
a. Writing satirical literature aimed at the government
b. Watching plays and reading literature such as pasyon and korido
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

8. These were the colonizers who allowed writers and publishers to freely produce media
content in various forms.
a. Spaniards b. Americans c. Japanese d. Chinese

9. If the promotion of popular culture during the Spanish colonial era was primarily to
spread the religion and government interest, which among the following was the main
reason for its spread during the American regime?
a. Money b. Art c. Propaganda d. Liberation
10. What was the primary basis for the production of content during the American era?
a. If it expresses freedom of speech
b. If it showcases passion for artistry
c. If it sells
d. If it spreads propaganda
11. Which of the following could be the reason why American popular culture still deeply
influences Philippine popular culture compared to that of Spanish popular culture?
a. Filipinos from all walks of life were given equal opportunities for education
during the American era
b. Filipinos were encouraged to learn English but not Spanish
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
12. Which among the following best summarizes Philippine popular culture?
a. Purely untouched and native
b. An imitation of Eastern and Western culture
c. An amalgamation of various cultures, synthesized with the uniqueness of the
native culture
d. All of the above
13. Where did the tradition of serving hamon during Christmas come from?
a. Spanish b. Japanese c. Americans d. Chinese
14. Filipinos’ love for buying imported products could be primarily attributed to which of the
following?
a. Marketing
b. Price
c. Quality
d. Brand
15. Philippine popular Culture can influence which of the following?
a. Society b. Economy c. Politics d. All of the above

(*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

 MODULE 3: PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE

LESSON 5
B. MEDIA AND PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Portray how media becomes an important platform for the Philippine Pop Culture
2. Synthesize the uniqueness of Philippine Pop Culture

TIME FRAME: 1 Week

INTRODUCTION

You had quite a history refresher in the previous chapter where we learned about the origins of
Philippine Popular Culture. Hopefully, you now have a better understanding of what popular
culture really is in the Philippine context. In this chapter, we will no longer dwell in the colonial
era and forge on to the popular culture in the more recent years.

Pinoys love pageants, don’t we? From small barangay fiestas to grand city festivals, beauty
pageants are frequently the highlights. Do you remember Philippines’ bet for the 2016 Miss
Universe pageant Maxine Medina?

She had quite the pressure during the competition when avid Filipino pageant enthusiasts
criticized her for having poor English communication skills. The candidate was bombarded with
negative comments on various social media sites for her grammatical errors during a press
conference, with many suggesting she hire an interpreter for the question and answer portion of
the competition. In response to her critics, Medina hired an interpreter but only had him translate
the question from English to Filipino, ultimately answering the question by herself in English.
Medina unfortunately did not bag the crown, ranking at Top 6. There was another uproar on
various social media sites blaming the interpreter for inaccurately translating the question,
throwing Medina off-track and in effect making her respond with an unsatisfactory answer.

With that pageant history blunder aside, let us focus on the impact of social media on her
strategy for the competition. The collective criticism that Medina received online forced her to
make a move that was not initially on her plan. She only hired an interpreter after following the
suggestions online. Now, if we actually acknowledge the nuance that Medina could have fared
better during the pageant if it weren’t for the inaccurate translation, then should we assume that
she could have won the pageant if she did not listen to the negative sentiments and never hired
the interpreter?
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

In this chapter, we will course through the role of social media in popular culture, specifically in
the Philippines. We will also take a closer look at the elements of popular culture such as that of
television, music, food and language that social media has influenced over the recent years.

ACTIVITY (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

One picture, One Hundred Words.

Explain your own thoughts about the given

picture in as short as one hundred words. As
easy as pie!
ANALYSIS (for SETBI-DAPECOL students, DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

1. Write at least one specific example that has gone popular or “viral” on social media in the
last 5 years on each of the categories below. Consider an example for the first one other
than the one already given.

CATEGORY EXAMPLE

Catch-phrase/Tagline (ex: “sana all”)

Activity

Food

Movie/Television show

Music

Fashion

2. Pick three (3) among the things you have written above and trace how these things have
gone popular. Explain how you got to know of these trends.

ORIGIN HOW I GOT TO KNOW

THE TREND

3. Are there other ways that people got to know about these trends aside from the way you
got to know them? If your answer is yes, cite an example. If no, explain why not.
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ABSTRACTION

Before we break down the role of social media in Philippine popular culture, let us first discuss a
perspective that will aid in our later exploration of the said topic.

Agenda-Setting Theory is a perspective introduced by Maxwell McCombs and Donald Shaw.

Simply put, the theory proposes that “[t]he media influences people to focus its attention on
something under a certain agenda” (Garchitorena, 2015). This means that the media can
influence people to think that something big or important is going on even when there is not. It
can emphasize something that may otherwise be overlooked without the hype. A common
example of this theory is the text formatting on newspapers. The supposed vital news are
commonly found on the front page with bold and huge headlines. Other news that aren’t deemed
as important can be found on later pages with text fonts smaller than the ones found on the front.

How is this theory relevant to the role of

media in Philippine Popular Culture?

According to Lumbera (who you may recall

from the previous chapter), “popular culture in
the rise of technologies like the television and
the radio, soon deteriorated the notion of art and
made it appear that it is consumable and a
commodity” (Garchitorena, 2015). What he
meant by this statement was that the quality of
art forms have become of lesser quality in order
to cater to the consumers’ taste. Contents are
now produced for the sake of “what sells”.

Take the rise of Infotainment as an example. A Yahoo-Nielsen survey from 2013 concluded that
infotainment content are what was most sought out in the Philippines. In an essay, Garchitorena
explained that “this meant a lot of irrelevant news we see on the television or internet that can be
dismissed as a fad but were given the limelight to amuse people, and people seem to buy it”
(Garchitorena, 2015). Looking at it in another way, this could also mean that people consume
news not entirely for the information, but for mostly for the entertainment as well.

Look at the photo on the left. It was taken from a

Facebook page called “Explained” that is tagged as a
News & Media Website. The photo was attached to a
news article detailing Health Secretary Duque’s
clarification of his remark on the status of the
Philippines amidst the pandemic. Although the full
article contained a clear coverage of the news, the
headline itself garnered the attention of thousands of
people for its parody of the song “Just Give Me a
Reason” by P!nk, earning more than 14,000 shares as
of writing. While it sparked an intellectual discussion
in the comment section, it also ignited a plethora of
jokes and amused remarks, shying away from the
important information and highlighting the comedy behind the headline.

Let us go back to Lumbera’s sentiments regarding the deterioration of art into a commodity and
examine the economic aspect of popular culture and media. Cross-promotion which can be
defined as “the promotion of an advertisement in a very subtle way inside another program, or
the like”. Cross-promotion happens a lot in Filipino films.

Take the movie “The Hows of Us” as an example. Look at the screen grabs and try to identify
the product that actor Daniel Padilla is endorsing. In the movie, Padilla’s character Primo, tries to
sell Kathryn Bernardo’s character George some soap and lipstick. While the scene made sense as
Primo was in between jobs and has resorted to a networking scheme of buying and selling to
earn money, the scene was written with the intent to highlight a specific brand. Said brand even
appears in the acknowledgment section of the ending credits. Although the introduction of the
product coincided seamlessly with the story, it was a form of cross-promotion nonetheless. The
film could have done away without the endorsement and spent the precious seconds more into
the plot instead. The subtle endorsement in Lumbera’s words, is a form of “vulgarization of art”,
tainting what could have been purely an art form into something commercial.

If we look at it, the media can influence Philippine popular culture in many
discreet ways that we may sometimes fail to notice. When television networks
began airing Mexican telenovelas in all their melodramatic storylines and
clichés, Filipino teleseryes took notes. The same formula could be seen in
mainstream teleseryes nowadays, albeit portrayed in the lens of Filipino
reality. The teleserye Rubi had its own Filipino remake, along with Marimar
and Rosalinda. There was even a time when local kids put flowers in their ear
to copy Rosalinda’s iconic look.

Then came Taiwanese and Korean dramas, collectively dubbed as Asianovelas. It paved the way
for Filipinos to welcome their culture with much enthusiasm. It also allowed a whole new level
of appreciation for South Korean music, food, beauty products—even the language! You can bet
a lot of people knows what “saranghae” means.

The internet and social media has allowed for a convenient proliferation of these elements. Asian
and Western series are easily enjoyable in streaming sites like Netflix. Social media promotion
has become the norm, and the audience are allowed to give a quick feedback in the same manner.
This method of promotion is also applied to music, food and various other products.
How many of you have heard or even tasted Korean dishes like “samgyupsal” and the internet-
famous Korean fire noodles? The latter even sparked an eating challenge aptly named “fire
noodle challenge”. It is all thanks to the power of sharing and hyping online that these became
widely popular.

Recall the question we posed in the overview section of this chapter, and we might just
understand the power that social media holds. Was the interpreter to blame that Medina did not
bag the crown? If so, then could we also blame the netizens for bashing Medina, forcing her to
hire the said interpreter?

The Agenda-Setting theory proposes that the media can influence people into focusing onto
something as if it were of utmost importance. Medina’s grammatical errors during the press-
conference was criticized, but the issue blew up not because everyone was credibly policing her
grammar. Many jumped on the social media hate-train due to mere bandwagon. Although the
question and answer portion was an important part of the pageant, winning the crown did not
solely depend on it. However, her minute mishap was given too much attention, garnering
thousands of unnecessary shares and unkind comments online. She had to deal with stress of
dealing with critics mid-pageant and had to adjust to the unfamiliar presence of the interpreter by
her side, an addition she was not trained and was only hastily prepared for. Those, among many
other factors, could have contributed to her not being able to give a “satisfactory” answer.

Social media can be used to empower its users. Several media theories show that the media’s
main goal is the proliferation of popular culture while creating a commercialized world.
Whoever holds the economic power may hold political power as well. Borrowing a part from
Lumbera’s quote: “Popular culture is power”. Historically, our ancestors were able to wield
popular culture as weapon to push for a better society. Imagine our country if the current
generation could do that as well, armed with a powerful tool that is the social media-- along with
an easy access to popular culture, to create and educate.
References:

Garcia Garchitorena, A. (2015). Pop Culture and the Rise of Social Media in the Philippines: An Overview. Retrieved from Academia:
https://www.academia.edu/11644801/Pop_Culture_and_the_Rise_of_Social_Media_in_the_Philippines_An_Overview

Lumbera, B. (1984). Revaluation: Essays on Philippine Literature, Cinema, and Popular Culture.

Garcia-Molina, C. (Director). (2018). The How's Of Us [Motion Picture].

APPLICATION (for SETBI-DAPECOL students, DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

Imagine yourself as a social media influencer. Choose any photo of yourself (from your
childhood until present) and create an informative blog that focuses on the topic “health”. Make
sure the photo you attach holds some form of relevance to your blog.

Post it on the assigned platform by your instructor. If unable to access the internet, you may print
or write your informative blog on a piece of long bond paper. Submit your output upon your next
meeting.
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

1. Simply put, Agenda-setting Theory describes:

a. the ability to influence the importance placed on the topics of the public agenda
b. how the structure of social phenomena determines and is itself perpetuated by action
c. how the public influences news and media
d. focusing on phenomena-- experiences that we get from the senses
2. Which of the following are example of the Agenda-Setting Theory?
a. The font sizes of headlines on newspapers
b. Product placements in films
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
3. Lumbera’s sentiment that popular culture with the rise of media turned art into a
commodity implied that:
a. Art is produced out of passion
b. Art is produced for freedom of expression
c. Art is produced for profit
d. None of the above
4. What was the most sought out content in the country during 2013 according to a Yahoo-
Nielsen survey?
a. infotainment content
b. movies
c. social media content
d. all of the above
5. Infotainment content includes
a. Information without entertainment
b. Information with entertainment
c. Entertainment without information
d. All of the above
6. Which of the following is an example of what Lumbera would call as “vulgarization of
art”
a. Creating a video advertisement for television
b. Promoting a product in a film
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
7. Which of the following is an example of cross-promotion?
a. Creating a video advertisement for television
b. Promoting a product in a film
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
8. According to several media theories, what is the end goal of media?
a. Wide circulation of entertainment and news
b. Spread of popular culture while gaining profit
c. Creation of quality content
d. None of the above
9. Which of the following cultures influenced Philippine television?
a. Mexican b. Asian c. American d. all of the above
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

10. “Popular culture is power” is a snippet from a quote made by:

a. Garchitorena
b. Daniel Padilla
c. Maxine Medina
d. Bienvenido Lumbera
11. Social media can influence which of the following:
a. Popular culture
b. Economy
c. Politics
d. All of the above
12. Which of the following situations is an obvious example of social media influencing
popular culture?
a. A lady posting a picture of her cat
b. A person posting a long rant about his neighbor
c. A celebrity creating a dance challenge on Tik Tok
d. None of the above
13. Which of the following is the reason on why social media seems to be effective in
promoting elements of popular culture?
a. Social media is accessible
b. Social media is expensive
c. Social media prevents exposure
d. All of the above
14. Who introduced the Agenda-Setting Theory?
a. Lumbera and Garchitorena
b. Medina and Duque
c. McCombs and Shaw
d. Padilla and Bernardo
15. Asian dramas are collectively called as _________.
a. Asialeserye
b. Asianovela
c. Asianodrama
d. None of the above

(*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

 MODULE 4: PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE AND EXPERIENCE ECONOMY

LESSON 6

A .UNDERSTANDING EXPERIENCE ECONOMY

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Explain the concept of experience economy

2. Discuss the concept of experience economy as it relates Philippine Popular Culture

TIME FRAME: 1 Week

INTRODUCTION

How do you like your fried chicken?

Imagine a fried chicken with the perfect amount of breading that adds a crisp coating or crust to
the exterior of the chicken while retaining all the flavorful juices in the meat. (Made you go
hungry, aye?)

Whether you like the wings part or the leg part of the chicken, chicken is and always will be
classified as a true commodity. Farmed chicken meat costs about Php 77.03 per kilogram. When
suppliers hatch, grow and process chicken meat and sell those to groceries or supply them to
restaurants, the cost is topped up (depending on brand and package size). Fry the chicken meat
and it is transformed into a good, which can be sold in a small street stall, a fast food restaurant
or an expensive diner. The fried chicken can now cost anywhere from Php 20 or so per piece.

Therefore, depending on what a business does with it, fried chicken can be any of the three
economic offerings—commodity, good or service.

But take the fast food restaurant Jollibee as an example—

where ordering and consuming a piece of fried chicken
embodies a heightened feeling of happiness reflective of their
famous tagline “Bida ang saya”—and diners would gladly pay
about Php 80 for the chicken meal while dining in the vibrant
ambience of the diner. Businesses like this ascend to the fourth
level of value, where they increase the value of a commodity
by establishing a distinctive experience upon purchasing a
certain product.

Now take the same fried chicken and imagine eating it from
the rooftop of a high-rise hotel restaurant, with an overlooking view of the city and soft jazz
music playing in the background. After the meal, you receive the bill and discover that the added
experience would cost you a couple of thousand pesos more.

To which I will ask you, “Is the chicken worth it?”

You might say yes, and count the experience of dining in such a fancy atmosphere as the
deciding factor. You might be surprised that there is an entire industry revolving around selling
experiences like this one and many more. Now in this chapter, we will explore the steady rise of
experience economy and how it relates to Philippine Popular culture.
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

In your own words, try to differentiate the

following terms:

a. True commodity vs. Goods

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b. Service vs. Experience
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ANALYSIS (*DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

1. How do you present the relationships between true commodity, good, and service relative
to the Filipino culture? Provide an example.
2. In which ways can you achieve “experience” as a higher level of satisfaction based on
your answers in item 1?
3. If these experiences have made a mark on your satisfaction, how can you relate your
answers to the appreciation of Philippine cultures?
ABSTRACTION

What is Experience Economy?

Let us summarize the economic change in the four-stage evolution of the birthday cake, as
explained by Pine and Gilmore in the July-August 1998 Issue of the Harvard Business Review.
Mothers making birthday cakes from basic farm commodities such as flour, sugar, butter and
eggs is a vestige of what we call an agrarian economy. Later, groceries began selling premixed
ingredients like Betty Crocker or more familiar brands like Magnolia emerged as the goods-
based industrial economy advanced. Later, the service economy rose, and busy parents ordered
cakes from the bakery or grocery stores, which cost more than just buying the ingredients. Now,
for parents who no longer have the leisure of baking a cake nor arranging a party, they can spend
a couple of thousand pesos more and avail a birthday package—including the cake—at fast food
chains like Jollibee or McDonald’s and many other restaurants that facilitate memorable events
for kids. The last example is what we call as experience economy.

An experience is as tangible as any service, good, or commodity. Businesses nowadays try to

lump a unique experience to traditional services but offer them at a higher fee. Transitioning
from a regular goods-based industrial economy or service economy may pose its difficulties, but
businesses have a better chance of earning more profit by catering to the demands of the
economic shift and upgrade their offerings to the higher level of economic value that is the
experience economy.

According to Pine and Gilmore, “an experience occurs when a company intentionally uses
services as the stage, and goods as props, to engage individual customers in a way that creates a
memorable event”. While “prior economic offerings—commodities, goods, and services—are
external to the buyer, experiences are inherently personal, existing only in the mind of an
individual who has been engaged on an emotional, physical, intellectual, or even spiritual level”.

Experience Economy and Philippine Popular Culture

Now you might think, how does the whole discussion about experience economy relate to
Philippine Popular Culture?

Recall from the previous chapter that the end goal of media is the spread of popular culture while
gaining profit. Businesses now utilize the power of popular culture through social media in order
to sell goods, services and experiences. The experience industry is booming, especially now that
Millenials are the largest living generation. Millenials prefer experiences more than material
possessions.

Incorporating popular culture when designing memorable experiences can entice consumers into
indulgence. Incoporating trending topics make the experience easily related and therefore
shareable in the social media. Millenials are big on posting “Instagrammable” photos online; and
creating a concept that will gain the most interaction or “likes” will herd the most consumers.
Television, movies, music—even food! – can be more than goods and more of an experiece
worth sharing.
Take a look at how Warner Brothers Philippines made the advance screening of the horror film
“The Nun” more memorable for its audience at the Powerplant Mall in Manila. They hired
someone to cosplay as the titular role “Valak” and had him sit with the audience during the film.
The cosplayer even went as far as roaming around the mall and giving mall-goers a jumpscare!
This clever marketing transcends the simple act of going to the theatre so much more
extraordinary and share-worthy.

South Korean culture also broke into the

Philippine popular culture due to the mainstream
success of South Korean dramas and music that
Filipinos began consuming other elements of
their culture such as food and beauty. A Korean-
Chinese restaurant in Davao City offers a unique
experience as it offers more than just a menu of
Korean and Chinese cuisine. Diners may try on a
hanbok, a traditional Korean outfit and pose for a
picture for a fee. Giving the diners a chance to
change into costumes and take photos separates
the restaurant from many others that serve the
same selection of food, thus effectively elevating
its status from being a goods and service provider
to that of a crafter of experience.

Eating street food may also be considered an experience economy in itself. Eating isaw and
kwek-kwek in all its roadside stick-and-dip
glory is a lot more satisfying than eating eat
with a pair spoon and fork inside a
restaurant. Pungko-pungko (which literally
means “to squat”), a must-try foodie
experience among local and foreign tourist
who visit the city of Cebu, is where
customers sit on low benches around a small table and grub on delectable fried food usually
coupled with a bundled rice called puso. Foreigners who want to try the local and authentic food
scene have Filipino street food atop their must-try list that it has become a thriving economy in
tourist-flocked cities.

In conclusion, both experience economy and Philippine Popular culture allows for an immersion
into entertainment and active participation—elements that are rather magnetizing to the current
generation. It is one of the primary reasons why these two go hand in hand, and why businesses
are now evolving to provide innovations that are tailored to its consumers. In the same manner
that Philippine popular culture is spread because it is made into marketable products, the growth
of experience economy can be attributed to the utilization of Philippine popular culture.

References:

[Photo]. Retrieved from GeumSan Korean &Chinese Restaurant: https://geumsan-korean-chinese-

resto.business.site/

[Photo] Guzman, P. d. (2018, September 5). VALAK invades the cinemas! "The Nun' advance screening
in Manila, Philippines. Retrieved from YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv5rUMI2h-c

II, B. J., & Gilmore, J. H. (1998, July-August). Welcome to the Experience Economy.

Lighthall, S. (n.d.). Fueling the experience economy—one rented dress and one memory at a time.
Retrieved from zendesk relate: https://relate.zendesk.com/articles/fueling-the-experience-
economy-one-rented-dress-and-one-memory-at-a-time/
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

APPLICATION (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

Suppose you are a budding entrepreneur abroad who is trying to introduce Filipino cuisine to the
world. Identify one Pinoy food that you would sell and design a marketing strategy that would
subject your customer to a unique “experience” other than simply eating the food itself.

Use the matrix below and write your answers on the other side of the questions. Submit your
output next meeting.

Food

Why did you choose this food?

Experience (briefly explain)

Why do you think this experience will help

sell your food?

How does this plan relate to Philippine

Popular Culture?
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

1. Which of the following is a true commodity?

a. Chicken meat b. fried chicken
b. c. a McDonald’s happy meal d. None of the above
2. Which of the following is an economic experience?
a. A hotdog bun from a stall in Enchanted Kingdom
b. A keychain from the souvenir shop in Enchanted Kingdom
c. Getting chased by hired zombie actors around Enchanted Kingdom’s streets during
Halloween
d. None of the above
3. Making your own coffee from your backyard-grown coffee beans is typical of which of
the following economies?
a. agrarian economy
b. goods-based industrial economy
c. service economy
d. as experience economy
4. Buying pre-made coffee mix from groceries is typical of which of the following
economies?
a. agrarian economy
b. goods-based industrial economy
c. service economy
d. as experience economy
5. Buying a cup of coffee from business such as Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts is typical of
which of the following economies?
a. agrarian economy
b. goods-based industrial economy
c. service economy
d. cas experience economy
6. Getting a free coffee after an educational tour around a coffee bean farm is typical of
which of the following economies?
a. agrarian economy
b. goods-based industrial economy
c. service economy
d. as experience economy
7. Which among the following is the largest living generation?
a. Baby Boomers
b. Generation X
c. Millennials
d. Generation Z
8. The following economic offerings are external to the buyer except for _____________
a. Commodity
b. Goods
c. Service
d. Experience
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

9. ____________ occurs when a company intentionally uses services as the stage, and
goods as props, to engage individual customers in a way that creates a memorable event.
a. Commodity
b. Goods
c. Service
d. Experience
10. Which of the following is a Filipino street food experience where customers sit on low
benches around a small table while they dine?
a. Kamayan
b. Pungko-pungko
c. Tuslob buwa
d. Pistahan
11. Which of the following are ways in which Philippine popular culture and experience
economy function alongside each other?
a. Philippine popular culture may be spread through experience economy
b. Experience economy utilize Philippine popular culture to provide customers with
familiar and related experiences
c. Philippine popular culture makes experience economies more enticing
d. All of the above
12. Both experience economy and Philippine popular culture allow for _____________
a. immersion into entertainment
b. active participation
c. all of the above
d. none of the above
13. Experience economy having the highest economic value means:
a. People pay more money for higher quality raw ingredients
b. People prefer buying expensive material possessions rather than experiences
c. People pay more money for goods and services that offer them unique experiences
d. None of the above
14. Which movie was promoted at Powerplant mall by a hired cosplayer?
a. The conjuring
b. The nun
c. Annabelle
d. Praybetyt Benjamin
15. Which of the following may be considered is an experience economy?
a. Eating street food
b. Cooking kwek-kwek at home
c. Baking a cake
d. Buying baking ingredients at the grocery

(*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

MODULE 4: PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE AND EXPERIENCE ECONOMY

LESSON 6

B. EXPLORING VARIOUS ASPECTS OF EXPERIENCE ECONOMY

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Explore the Philippine pop culture in various aspects

2. Draw realizations from the various aspects of pop culture in the country

TIME FRAME: 1 Week

INTRODUCTION

Did you know that Ariana Grand duet with the TNT boys on the stage of The World’s Best?

After individually competing and bagging the

top spots in Tawag ng Tanghalan Kids from the
afternoon variety show Showtime, the three
boys ventured on to more competitions as a trio.
Filipinos may remember them from
impersonating hit singers on Your Face Sounds
Familiar, but they’ve won the hearts of the
international audience on the stage of U.S.
reality talent competition The World’s Best
after their rendition of Beyonce’s “Listen”.

The TNT boys are only one of the many talented singers from the country that have garnered
international recognition. We have Charice Pempengco (who now goes by the name Jake Zyrus),
Arnel Pineda who became the new vocalist for the rock band Journey, Lea Salonga who starred
in various musicals throughout her long career among many others.

But is it still a surprise when singing is one the beloved Filipino pastimes?

In the previous chapter, we have discussed the concept of experience economy and how it
intertwines with Philippine popular culture. As we’ve also discussed in other chapters, we’ve
come to the conclusion that Philippine popular culture is a hybrid of cultural practices that
globalization has introduced to the contemporary world. In this chapter, we will explore how
contemporary taste in popular music are crafted by influences beyond the shores of the
Philippines by studying the karaoke phenomenon in the country.
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY (for SETBI-DAPECOL students, DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

1. Give (a) two mediums or platforms that are presently used by the current generation to
gain access to popular music. Give (b) another two that were used by previous
generations.
a. ___________________&___________________
b. ___________________&___________________
2. Do you think Philippine popular music changed over time due to the introduction of new
platforms in which people can gain access to music? Why or why not?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

ANALYSIS (ANSWER AND RETURN THIS PART)

1. If there are differences in the media used by the current and previous generations to
achieve popularity in the music industry, how did it change the way Filipino appreciate
their own music?

2. Given the integrations of cultures in the industry, how do you preserve locally produced
music?
ABSTRACTION

Singing has been a huge part of pop culture in the Philippines since. Several game shows and
reality competitions, such as “The Singing Bee”, “Your Face Sounds Familiar”, “I Can Hear
Your Voice”, has singing as the primary focus. To say that Filipinos love singing is an
understatement, and it no longer comes as a surprise to know that a lot of Filipino households
have their own karaoke systems (like the Magic-Sing mic).

The first karaoke machine called the Juke-8 was invented by a Japanese named Daisuke Inoue in
1971. However, Roberto del Rosario, a Filipino inventor holds its patent for inventing the
Karaoke Sing-Along system in 1975.

Since then, karaoke sing-alongs have become an integral part in celebrations. Fiestas, birthday
parties and many other special occasions are usually when Filipinos bust out their singing skills
along with the trusty karaoke setup.

(Karaoke booth in malls)

Karaoke bars in the Philippines offer a range of services. Wholesome Family KTVs welcome
customers from all ages, where food is served in big private rooms that can fit a group of family
and friends. There are karaoke bars where drinks are served, sometimes with karaoke machines
available up front and other times with a live band to back your performance up. And then there
are “Nightclubs” which are basically strip clubs with karaoke. If one wants to sing in the solace
of one’s home, businesses also rent out karaoke machines.

In the Philippines, the terms “videoke” and “karaoke” means the same thing. The term probably
came from the images of famous locations used in the background of the screen along with the
lyrics. Companies made a wise move of using the popularity of karaoke to promote the tourism
industry in the country.

Karaoke companies also update their music library frequently to entice customers who like to
sing the latest popular music. Music videos are also available to watch in these machines, and
people can watch their favorite artists while taking a break from singing.

To briefly describe the kind of popular music Filipinos enjoy and usually sing at the karaoke, we
will look into how Original Pilipino Music came to be. Popular music in the Philippines
primarily began due to the influence of the Americans during the colonization era through the
introduction of music such as samba, foxtrot and jazz. The American influence was shortly
banned during the Japanese occupation, but soon found its footing after the World War II with
the rise of new genres such as rock and roll and country music which was enjoyed by the
younger generation. Radios and television were soon flocked with Filipino artists who mimicked
foreign influences like Elvis Presley and the Beatles. Soon, Filipino artists exerted efforts to find
the sound that could distinctively be called “Filipino” and thus, a variety of movements emerged.
The Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM), was created to address the needs of
Filipino popular artists, along with many songwriting competitions that encouraged songwriters
to produce music in their native language. OPM also stood for Original Pilipino Music, as an
umbrella term for all types of music produced by Filipino songwriters. OPM songs are well-
loved and frequently sang in karaoke.

Overall, though, karaoke is an enjoyable family-friendly activity throughout the Philippines. It is

an industry that thrives at the heart of Philippine popular music.

References:

Baes, J. (1988). Popular Music in the Philippines - National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved 24 July
2020, from https://ncca.gov.ph/about-ncca-3/subcommissions/subcommission-on-the-arts-sca/music/popular-music-
in-the-philippines/

Karaoke culture in the Philippines | Culture | Phillife.co. (2017). Retrieved 24 July 2020, from
https://www.phillife.co/karaoke-culture-philippines/

Sood, S. (2011). Karaoke in the Philippines. Retrieved 24 July 2020, from http://www.bbc.com/travel/sto
 NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

APPLICATION (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

A concert is another example of an experience economy rooted in popular culture. International
pop artists visit the Philippines to perform live in front of thousands of fans. However, this
particular sector of the entertainment industry have been affected by the COVID19 pandemic
due to difficulties in imposing social distancing practice and other health protocols. Some
concert organizers have turned to arranging online concerts, however some argue that online
concerts do not give the same rush and experience as actual concerts do.

State your opinion on whether or not an online concert is considered an “experience” economy.
Support your arguments with examples if you can.

Write your essay below. Your essay should be a minimum of 3 paragraphs and a maximum of 7.
You can continue writing at the back of the paper if you need more space.
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

1. The first karaoke machine is called ______.

a. Magic Sing b. Sing-along c. Juke-8 d. Videoke
2. The original inventor of the karaoke machine is:
a. Roberto del Rosario b. Daisuke Inoue
b. c. Mike Enriquez d. Bienvenido Lumbera
3. Who holds the patent for the karaoke machine?
a. Roberto del Rosario b. Daisuke Inoue
c. Mike Enriquez d. Bienvenido Lumbera
4. Another word for “karaoke”
a. Magic sing b. singing bee c. videoke d. okey dokey
5. What are commonly seen in the backgrounds of the karaoke screen?
a. Filipino delicacies
b. Philippine National symbols
c. Philippine tourist destinations
d. Monochrome background
6. What is the reason why karaoke screens show the answer to number 5?
a. To promote Pinoy-made products
b. To promote nationalism
c. To promote tourism
d. To keep the focus on the lyrics
7. OPM means:
a. Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mang-aawit
b. Original Pilipino Music
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
8. Philippine popular music primarily began due to the influence of:
a. Japanese b. American c. Spaniards d. Korean
9. OPM includes:
a. Songs written in Filipino b. English songs written by Filipinos’
c. Songs written in the regional language d. all of the above
10. Who banned American popular culture in the Philippines?
a. Japanese b. American c. Spaniards d. Korean
11. This is a type of karaoke place where people from all ages are welcome and may
sometimes serve food.
a. Karaoke bars b. Nightclubs c. Family KTVs
d. Concert hall
12. Which of the following is the primary reason why karaoke is considered an experience
economy?
a. karaoke may be a way of celebrating, thus creating an experience
b. karaoke is expensive
c. karaoke is cheap
d. karaoke companies update their music libraries often
 NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

13. The Organisasyon ng mga Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM) was created because:
a. to address the needs of Filipino artists who were trying to copy Western popular music
b. to address the needs of Filipino artists were looking to find the “Filipino” sound
c. to back-up Filipino artists who were creating discord among Western artists
d. None of the above
14. All are genres that were popular in the Philippines before the World War II except for:
a. Samba b. jazz c. rock and roll d. foxtrot
15. All are television shows generally centered on singing except for:
a. “The Singing Bee” b. “Your Face Sounds Familiar”
c. “I Can Hear Your Voice” d. “Pinoy Big Brother”

(*RETURN THIS PAGE ONLY)

MODULE 4: CRITIQUES AND FISSURES IN THE CULTURES OF POPULAR CULTURE

LESSON 7

A. POST-COLONIALISM AND POPULAR CULTURE

LEARNING OUTCOME

1. Understand how post-colonial popular culture was shaped

2. Appreciate the influence of post-colonial themes towards birth and/or development of
popular culture

TIME FRAME: 1 Week

INTRODUCTION

As we have discussed in previous chapter, Philippine popular culture emerged from colonial
influences. But we have yet to discover how it further developed into the contemporary popular
culture that we now know of.

Popular culture is part of the daily life not only throughout the Philippines, but throughout the
Asian continent. Popular culture reflects the diversity of each country in terms of language,
religion, socio-economic activities, etc.

Through the support of media, we’ve exported commercial popular culture across other Asian
countries like movies such as “Hello, Love, Goodbye” in Thailand. In the same manner, the
Filipino audience have an appreciation for K-dramas, Thai-movies, etc. In addition to this,
Western popular culture also competes for attention in local pop industries.

Sometimes, popular culture garners more focus from citizens than education, religion and
politics that governments have censored and mobilized popular culture to idealize their goals.
Other times popular culture has been used as an agent to deliver educational, religious and
political sentiments.

In this chapter, we will discuss how popular culture was shaped after the colonial era and how it
shaped other facets of the society.

ACTIVITY (*for SETBI DAPECOL students, DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

1. Name a foreign movie, television series or song that has been adapted into Filipino. Try
to point the differences and similarities between the original and Pinoy adaptation.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. Why do you think Filipinos adapt movies, television series, songs and other popular
culture elements?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ANALYSIS (RETURN THIS PAGE)

1. Are there original Filipino pop culture works that have potential to gain popularity
overseas? Why or why not?
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

ABSTRACTION

The first few decades of the 20th century was a time when most East and Southeast Asian
countries were colonized by either the West or the Japanese. Others were in domestic and
international conflict. This limited the access to commercial popular culture. While big cities
have access to newspapers, popular music, and movie theaters, rural areas continued with folk
traditions such as local operas, shadow puppet plays, song and dance. It was not until the 1950s
and 1960s many east and southeast Asian nations had begun to develop their own popular culture
industries.

The 1970s up to the 1990s brought about widespread cultural liberalization and improvements in
living standards. This meant that people now have greater income and could afford to spend on
leisure and entertainment.

In the 1990s, media channels, urbanization, economic growth and close interaction with other
parts of the world allowed for the flourishing of Philippine popular culture.

American popular culture seeped into the Asian scene: Korea was the biggest importer of
Hollywood films; Thailand was a big consumer of American musicals, The Beatles and Frank
Sinatra blared on radios in Vietnam and the Philippines. Some Western popular culture artists hit
bigger in Asia than in their own home like Michael Learns to Rock who popularized the songs
“Paint My Heart” and “Take me to your Heart”.
Western popular culture did not always get positive reception in other parts of Asia. A snippet
from Inwood’s article entitled Popular Culture reads:

“People in the Philippines, for example, bemoan the “hamburgerization” of

Filipino culture and daily life. American fast-food joints are popular across
east and southeast Asia, enticing patrons with their Western-style decor, free
Internet access, collectable gifts, and sociable atmosphere.”

As a result of the Western influence, Asian cultural forms and practices became “hybrids”:
Burmese lyrics and Western pop melodies make up Burmese rock; Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou
incorporate hip-hop beats and style into traditional Chinese and Taiwanese culture; Western TV
formats like “American Idol” or “Big Brother” have been adapted by the Philippines and many
other countries.

On the other hand, east and southeast Asian popular culture has a considerable impact on global
popular culture. Prominent examples include Japanese cartoons (Pokemon, Hello Kitty),
computer games (Super Mario Bros., Dance Dance Revolution), horror movies (Ringu, remade
in the United States as The Ring), and Chinese martial arts films (Hero, Crouching Tiger, Hidden
Dragon) and stars (Jet Li, Jackie Chan).

Popular culture has also impacted politics. Popular music has often been politically inflected:
artists and audiences alike use it to express rebellion, including in 1970s Indonesia (Rhoma
Irama) and Thailand (Caravan), 1980s China (Cui Jian) and the Philippines (Freddie Aguilar),
and 1990s Tibet (Dadon Dawadolma).

Nowadays, entertainment and fashion hard-carries popular culture more than politics. Celebrity
gossip occupies the pages of magazines, newspapers and entertainment website. Singers, actors,
film directors, writers, and sports personalities are put in pedestals and can achieve success in
multiple fields. For example, Filipino boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has ventured into music,
acting, and even politics, having been elected to Congress in 2010.

Inwood summarizes the role of media in the spread of popular culture: “New media have become
essential to the production, circulation, and consumption of popular culture. East and southeast
Asian countries are creators and voracious consumers of the latest technologies. Cell phones,
laptops, and portable media players are used to access the Internet, play games, listen to music,
share jokes, read literature, and watch movies and television. Popular culture is increasingly
participatory in nature, as fans select idols via short message system (SMS) voting, engage in
spoofing and meme formation, and join communities on Web forums and social networking sites.
American-produced Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (World of Warcraft) and
locally produced titles (Japan’s Dynasty Warriors) are extremely popular, and people spend
hours immersed in front of screens in Internet cafés, offices, and at home.”

References

Inwood, H. (2012). Popular Culture of East and Southeast Asia, 1900-present. In P. J. Seybolt (Ed.),
Cultural Sociology of the Middle East, Asia, and Africa (Vol. 3, pp. 345-347). Sage Publications Ltd.
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

APPLICATION (RETURN THIS PAGE)

Analyze the
promotional
tactic used in the
billboard above.
Identify and
point out the
elements of popular culture that they have
incorporated. Explain why you think this type of
promotional ad works well among the Filipino public.

Your essays must have a maximum of 100 words.

______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (RETURN THIS PAGE)

1. Which of the following contributed to the flourishing of the Philippine popular culture?
a. Media freedom
b. population shift from rural to urban
c. Better living standards
d. All of the above
2. Which of the following countries was the biggest importer of Hollywood movies in the
1990s?
a. Korea b. Japan c. Thailand d. Vietnam
3. All of the following events were highlights of the 1970s to 1990s except for:
a. Urbanization
b. Domestic conflict
c. Countries interacting with each other
d. Opening of media channels
4. Which of the following countries was the biggest consumer of American musicals in the
1990s?
a. Korea b. Japan c. Thailand d. Vietnam
5. The term “hamburgerization” can be applied to:
a. Hamburgers
b. Fast food restaurant
c. Culture
d. All of the above
6. The term “hybrid” was used to describe:
a. Combination of East Asian pop culture and Southeast Asian pop culture
b. Pure Asian culture
c. Western pop culture influences in Asian pop culture
d. None of the above
7. Which of the following statements are TRUE?
a. The reception of Western popular culture was always positive throughout Asia.
b. Western popular culture was banned in all of Asia.
c. Western popular culture was received warmly in some areas of Asia while
indifference in some
d. None of the above
8. Which of the following is an example of a “hybrid” popular culture?
a. Western pop music beats with Filipino lyrics
b. Ethnic music
c. Classical music
d. All of the above
9. Which of the following statements is FALSE?
a. Asian popular culture has a global impact.
b. Western popular culture influenced Asian Popular culture.
c. Asian popular culture has no influence over the West.
d. Western and Asian popular culture both have global impact.
10. Who among the following wrote Filipino songs that were politically charged?
a. Rhoma Irama
b. Caravan
 c. Cui Jian
d. Freddie Aguilar
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (RETURN THIS PAGE)

11. Artists and audiences alike who use songs to express rebellion prove that:
a. Popular culture is for entertainment only.
b. Popular culture can impact politics.
c. Popular culture has no relevance to the society.
d. All of the above.
12. Manny Pacquiao who has ventured into music, acting, and even politics can prove that:
a. Personalities can only succeed in one field
b. Personalities can be successful in various fields
c. Personalities should not incorporate popular culture in politics
d. All of the above
13. Media is crucial in:
a. Production of popular culture.
b. Circulation of popular culture.
c. Consumption of popular culture.
d. All of the above.
14. The statement “Popular culture is increasingly participatory in nature” means:
a. Popular culture is inaccessible to consumers.
b. Only big companies can gain control over popular culture.
c. Popular culture is engaging for consumers in more ways.
d. There is limited medium to spread popular culture.
15. This group popularized the song “Take Me to Your Heart”
a. The Beatles
b. One Direction
c. Day6
d. Michael Learns to Rock
MODULE 4: CRITIQUES AND FISSURES IN THE CULTURES OF POPULAR CULTURE

LESSON 7

B. FEMINISM

LEARNING OUTCOMES

1. Find out and discuss the images of Filipino women as depicted in the mainstream
Philippine popular culture
2. Appreciate the influence of Feminism towards birth and/or development of popular culture

Time Frame: 1Week

INTRODUCTION

Before we begin our lesson, let us take a look at “Four Sisters and a Wedding” character Bobbie
Salazar (played by Bea Alonzo).

For some of you who may have not watched the film—
to which I ask, why haven’t you yet?—Spoiler Alert:
The Salazar sisters are all achievers! However, Bobbie is
the one highlighted as the “brainy” sister, prompting her
Ate Teddy (played by Toni Gonzaga) to spew out these
words in the emotional confrontation scene:

“Oo, Bobbie, ikaw! Ikaw ‘yung wala lang, kahit

anong gawin mo ang galling-galing mo. Ako kahit
anong kayod ko, kahit anong pagod ko, kahit kalian di ako di ako lumapit sa galling mo. Kasi
ikaw naman talaga yung magaling, diba? Ikaw young matalino, ikaw young maganda. Lahat!
Ikaw na! Kapatid kita Bobbie kaya mahal na mahal kita pero alam mo yung totoo? Inggit na
inggit na ako sa’yo. Inggit na inggit ako sa’yo Bobby!”

This iconic scene gave birth to the popular meme:

But memes aside, it is a delight to see empowered women in

Philippine popular culture, especially in movies. Though there
are still portrayals of women as stay-at-home, domestic and
submissive wives and pious daughters, there are more and more
women are represented as strong, independent and capable.

In this chapter my dear students, we will discuss popular

culture in the lens of feminism. We will see how popular
culture shapes the image of Filipino women and look into the
contributions of women in the development of Philippine
popular culture.
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ACTIVITY (RETURN THIS PAGE)

Instructions:

Darna is a popular heroine figure in the

Philippines while Captain Marvel is another
popular heroine figure in the west. Compare
and contrast both heroes using the Venn
diagram below.

ANALYSIS

1. Point out and discuss the images of Filipino women as depicted in the Philippine popular
culture?
ABSTRACTION

Feminism has earned a negative connotation in popular culture. People often picture angry
women- clad in combat boots, flannel shirts and without make-up- yelling harsh and anti-male
slogans or assert their superiority over men. While some feminists engage in these such radical
activities, not all feminists do. There are many types of feminists and feminism is a much
broader concept than the image of a yelling woman suggests.

To define feminism, Dials looks into the “concept of equity, with a goal of reorganizing society
on the basis of equality for the sexes in all areas of social relations. Definitions rooted in equity
focus on the achievement of equality for women with men and the development of opportunities
for women’s expression and self–fulfillment in all realms of life, without the constraints of
gender expectations. Feminists who embrace this definition of feminism seek an equal share of
the opportunities to which men have access” (Dials, 2017).

According to Hook, feminism is “the struggle to end sexist oppression. She explains that to be
feminist in any authentic sense of the term is to want for all people, female and male, liberation
from sexist role patterns, domination and oppression. It is a struggle therefore to end
domination” (Dials, 2017.)

There are many more definitions and perspectives in feminism. But simply put, feminism is
committed to ending oppression and domination of all kinds. In essence, feminism is not anti-
men. Rather, it seeks equity across all genders.

The Importance of Feminism

According to Kloss and Griffin in their book Feminist Rhetorical Theories, feminism is an
important lens because it “validates values and experiences often associated with women”.
Feminism celebrates and honors meaningful experiences that involve women.

It is also important because it gives marginalized individuals a voice in a society where the
dominant cultures devalue the minority. “Feminism takes seriously not only the experiences
associated with women but also those of all marginalized groups, whether people of color,
people with disabilities, lesbians and gay men, or any other group that is not featured in the
dominant culture” (Dials, 2017).

Women in popular culture

Through the growing discussion of the feminist perspective, women have gained traction and
recognition in popular culture. In the last 20 years, there have been more and more female
protagonists in top-grossing films like Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games and Carol
Denvers from Captain Marvel. Filipino movies also empowered women through characters such
as Laida Magtalas in It Takes a Man and a Woman and Bobbie Salazar in Four Sisters and a
wedding.
However it is important to note that despite this improvement, in a study of women’s roles in
western films, Murphy observed a rise in sexual objectification among women. The most
common sexual objectification is “revealing clothing or lack of clothing”. More and more top-
grossing films in the last 20 years have sexually objectified women. Furthermore, women in the
background were most frequently objectified in scenes involving a large group of people –
namely: strip clubs, pools, and large dance scenes. The objectification was made explicit through
the gaze of one or more significant male characters in the scene.

The same observation could be seen in the music industry. Women are sexually objectified in
music videos and even in the lyrics of rising chart-topping songs. Songs like “Neneng B” have
earned a number of plays despite the demeaning lyrics. The Concerned Artists of the Philippines
(CAP) found by Lino Brocka who is a National Artist for Films have criticized songs like “Awit”,
a song accused of being transphobic because its lyrics mocked trans women. In a lengthy post on
Facebook which featured and explanation as to why the songs were offensive, they reiterated that
the lyrics "reinforces the idea that women exist to be fetishized for male pleasure."

Alongside the criticism, CAP shared that they believe that art "should be liberative, and not
oppressive," and encouraged aspiring musicians to avoid "this well-worn path of toxic and
fragile masculinity."

Furthermore, in an article entitled “How the plight of women in Philippine cinema is the reverse
of women’s stature in Hollywood”, Paredes discusses the difference of women’s roles in the film
industry in Hollywood and in the Philippines. He also criticizes the portrayal of Filipino women
in films.

In the Hollywood industry, women get lesser roles behind the scenes compared to men. This
means that jobs as directors, writers, producers, executive producers, editors, and
cinematographers in the top grossing films employ primarily men. While there are no studies
conducted in the Philippines to evaluate the same aspect, Paredes cites his personal experience:
Philippine film industry is teeming with women directors, producers, executive producers, and
editors. He notes that “The industry just seems to take it for granted that women have the
creativity, organizational know-how, and attention to detail required to fill these roles.”

However, he also observes that “We may not be lagging in affording women the opportunity to
work behind the scenes, but our recent portrayals of women onscreen leave much to be desired.”
He takes a jab at the depictions of women on mainstream films that reinforces clichés. He says
that “the female protagonists of our mainstream movies—whether they are slickly produced
studio fare or studio fare with a veneer of independent grit—are all too often addled by love. Or,
if they aren’t busy making romance the be-all and end-all of their lives, women are the
headlining victims menaced by the supernatural in horror movies.” He cites the characters of the
2018 Metro Manila Film Festival’s award-winning films as examples and criticizes that “one had
an elderly woman playing support to her beloved gay husband (Rainbow Sunset), another had a
woman confronting apparitions on a marooned ship, and another had a woman facing a quandary
in her love life”. These portrayals reinforced the stereotype where a woman’s success must
necessarily equal a man’s downfall.

(Gloria Romero in “Rainbow’s Sunset”)

Although the stereotype is also seen in Hollywood films, female characters have more and more
been taking control of the narratives of the Hollywood movies they appear in compared to those
of that of the Philippine cinema.

All in all, although there has been quite an improvement in the roles of women in popular culture,
both on the limelight and behind the scenes, there are still many aspects that could use further
scrutiny and discussion in order for the goal of feminism: equity across all genders and aspects,
to be achieved.

References

Murphy, J. N. (2015). The role of women in film: Supporting the men -- An analysis of how culture
influences the changing discourse on gender representations in film. Arkansas.

Paredes, A. (2019, March 8). How the plight of women in Philippine cinema is the reverse of women’s
stature in Hollywood. Retrieved from ABS-CBN News: https://news.abs-
cbn.com/ancx/culture/movies/03/08/19/how-the-plight-of-women-in-philippine-cinema-is-the-
reverse-of-their-stature-in-hollywood

Pinoy artists explain what's wrong with 'toxic' songs 'Awit,' 'Neneng B'. (2020, January 23). Retrieved
from ABS-CBN News: https://ne https://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/01/23/20/pinoy-artists-
explain-whats-wrong-with-toxic-songs-awit-neneng-bws.abs-
cbn.com/entertainment/01/23/20/pinoy-artists-explain-whats-wrong-with-toxic-songs-awit-
neneng-b

APPLICATION (*for SETBI DAPECOL STUDENTS, DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

In a one whole sheet of yellow paper, write a critique paper on Andrew E’s song “Banyo Queen”.
Analyze the lyrics using the lens of feminism.
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (RETURN THI PAGE)

1. Which among the following is the common negative connotation of feminism?

a. Feminism being anti-men
b. Feminism seeking equity between genders
c. Feminism seeking equal share of opportunities
d. Feminism seeking to abolish the dominant culture
2. Feminism supports:
a. Women only
b. Men only
c. All minorities
d. None of the above
3. Feminism seeks for all of the things listed below except for:
a. Liberation
b. Domination
c. Equity
d. Reorganization of society
4. What did issue did Murphy observe in the recent top-grossing films in her research?
a. Growing number of female protagonists in films
b. Sexual objectification of women in films
c. Diversity of female casts
d. Increase in roles behind the scenes
5. How are women sexually objectified in films?
a. Women wearing revealing clothes
b. Women lacking clothes
c. Women being portrayed as strip club dancers and the like
d. All of the above
6. Which among the following songs was criticized for demeaning trans women?
a. “Neneng B”
b. “Awit”
c. “Chinita Girl”
d. “Bibining Marikit”
7. Which of the following statements is true?
a. Women in Hollywood get more roles behind the scenes
b. Women in Hollywood are not getting opportunities for main protagonist roles
c. Women in the Philippine cinema have abundant opportunities behind the scenes
d. Women in the Philippines have the same strong onscreen portrayals as Hollywood
8. Which of the following is a form of sexual objectification?
a. Wowowin girls wearing sexy clothes while dancing in the background
b. Female celebrities in posters for liquor and cigarettes
c. Female models in car shows and boxing matches
d. All of the above
9. Which organization criticized the song that had transphobic connotations?
a. CAP
b. CBCP
c. YFC
d. CFC
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (RETURN THI PAGE)

10. What is wrong with songs like “Neneng B” and “Awit”?

a. They sexually objectify women
b. They are catchy
c. They are repetitive
d. They are popular
11. Which among the following are issues behind the portrayal of empowered women in
films?
a. A man’s downfall is a woman’s success
b. Women often chase love
c. There are too many cliché roles
d. All of the above
12. According to CAP, demeaning women is a sign of:
a. Intelligence
b. Dignity
c. Toxic masculinity
d. Empowerment
13. Which of the following is a manifestation of feminism?
a. More men can have the opportunity to get hired at a TV network than women
b. Women only getting “feminine” jobs like secretaries
c. Men and women getting equal opportunities to get hired as a film crew
d. Women getting lesser pay compared to men for the same writing job
14. Feminism’s end goal is to:
a. Assert women’s superiority over men
b. End sexist oppression
c. Devalue men
d. All of the above
15. Who founded the Concerned Artists of the Philippines?
a. Ryan Cayabyab
b. Lino Brocka
c. Freddie Aguilar
d. Lea Salonga
MODULE 4: CRITIQUES AND FISSURES IN THE CULTURES OF POPULAR CULTURE

LESSON 7

C. GAY, LESBIAN, QUEER AND POPULAR CULTURE

LEARNING OUTCOMES

 Identify LGBT themes regarding pop culture

 Understand the relationship of LGBT themes and pop culture
 Appreciate LGBT’s influence development of popular culture

TIME FRAME: 1week

INTRODUCTION

Popular culture has been influenced by varying themes and it does not come as a surprise that the
LGBTQ+ community—with its diverse culture, has made an impact in mass media.

The LGBTQ+ community’s contributions to popular culture has often been overlooked, but
consumers enjoy the product of the culture.

In this lesson, we will read a selection of articles and learn about the efforts of LGBTQ+ artists
that have gained success in the recent years.

ACTIVITY (*DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

1. Try to enumerate Vice Ganda’s works in the following under the following categories:
Music __________________________________

TV shows _______________________________

Movies _________________________________

ANALYSIS (*DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

1. Do you think Vice Ganda has contributed to the development of popular culture? Why or why not?

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
ABSTRACTION

The gay best friend character is a narrative often used in today’s media.

Some character examples in movies include Damian Leigh in “Mean Girls” and Christian Stovitz
in “Clueless.”

According to Deichmann, the way media portrays these characters is through humor. They are
often the friend a straight girl would go to for relationship or fashion advice. However, these
characters are portrayed as having messy relationships, with little to no love life.

“They are not usually seen as an actual character, but more of a prop for the female lead to have
along with them,” Deichmann said.

(Gay best friend who is fashionable and gives out love advice to female leads
are a common narrative even in Philippine cinema)

In 1984, the first notable gay best friend in modern cinema was introduced in Buddy from “The
Woman in Red.” Buddy’s main purpose was to help the lady in red retrieve the dress, having no
substantial role besides being a supporting character.

Today, films that include the gay best friend role have not evolved as progressively as the rest of
society. Leigh’s storyline in “Mean Girls” does not go outside of comedic relief. The audience
never sees Damien’s home or love life.

(from “Mean Girls”)

“He is one of the most popular gay best friends in modern day, but his character obtains many of
these same stereotypes, such as giving his girl friends advice and being on the more feminine
side,” Deichmann said.

There are recent positive representations of the LGBT community in the media.
The modern-day television show “One Day at a Time” highlights topics about gender identity,
peer pressure and sexual harassment. One of the main characters, Elena Alvarez, comes out as
lesbian.

Andrea Hernández, diversity and inclusive programs specialist, said “‘One Day at a Time’ shows
a family who has a queer member among them, the aunt, but they do not acknowledge that part
of her life.”

“Elena’s family members wouldn’t talk about her tía being a lesbian and neither would her tía,”
Hernández said. “Elena wanted to out her tía because she wanted her to feel free, but her tía
thought, ‘it is what it is.’ It’s a different generational thought.”

Another modern-day television show that tackles taboo topics is “Andi Mack,” the first Disney
Channel show to include an openly gay character.

“The show displays the importance in protesting, being comfortable with identities and being a
spokesperson for this generation,” Deichmann said.

Members of the LGBT community often feel the media does not portray LGBT characters in
positive ways. According to WSU student Kay Walker, some villains have been closely tied to
queer narratives.

“Characters such as Scar from ‘The Lion King’ and HIM from
‘Powerpuff Girls’ are (perceived by some viewers) as being
gay,” Walker said. “But it isn’t explicitly shown that any of
them are gay.”

Promoting movies that portray the LGBT community in a

positive light is important to Deichmann. She hoped students
would become more aware of the types of content they consume.

“’Rocky Horror Picture Show’ is still one of my favorite movies,” Deichmann said. “I’m still
going to watch it, but I’m also going to acknowledge and understand that there is a connotation
that it doesn’t portray the community in the best way.”

Walker said they do not always feel like their pronouns matter when going to other events, so
when there are events like this, they feel included. They said without these events, they wouldn’t
be happy at school.

“It’s important to be represented and to feel included,” Walker said.

Deichmann’s hoped students acknowledge and appreciate movies like “Love, Simon” that have a
more positive representation of the community.

DID POP CULTURE REALLY EMBRACE QUEER PEOPLE THIS DECADE?

Pop gets queerer

The last decade in music has arguably been the

queerest since the 1980s. New gay pop stars
who have emerged include Australia’s Troye
Sivan, Jake Shears, Will Young and Adam
Lambert. These artists are exploring their
sexuality more freely than ever within their
work. “From the time that I started, I thought
and hoped that whatever I was doing was gonna
make it easier for somebody, somewhere,” Shears tells BBC Culture. “The gay thing will always
keep some from taking me seriously… But I have always treated my songwriting, performance
and production as something with very high stakes.”

But is the music industry a place for nuance, or statements that go beyond surface-level gestures?
After all, Little Mix were praised for defiantly flying the LGBT+ flag at a concert in Dubai,
where homosexuality is illegal. But the fact the group were performing there in the first place,
when openly LGBTQ+ artists wouldn’t be able to, indicates that the market trumps morals.

TV puts LGBTQ+ people in control

TV is a medium where queer writers and actors can now more often find themselves in the
driver’s seat – creators such as writer/actor Ryan O'Connell, whose Netflix comedy-drama
Special explores the intersection between queerness and disability. Queer as Folk creator Russell
T Davies has continued to lead the way with depictions of gay life. His 2015 drama Cucumber
prompted a significant conversation about anti-queer violence, with the shockingly out-of-the-
blue episode in which lead character Lance was murdered by a colleague. Last year’s A Very
English Scandal, starring Hugh Grant as the closeted MP Jeremy Thorpe and Ben Whishaw as
his lover, was an awards-season player, and this year’s dystopian BBC/HBO drama Years &
Years was praised for its handling of queer migrant narratives.

Gay TV powerhouse Ryan Murphy kicked off the decade by centering queer storylines in high
school musical series Glee and ended it with the revolutionary drag ballroom drama Pose.
Murphy also blended LGBTQ+ narratives into American Horror Story and The Politician, while
bringing the haunting story of The Assassination of Gianni Versace to our screens.

Film is lagging behind

But it’s still rare for these films to star LGBTQ+ actors, which has made queer audiences uneasy.
An openly gay man has never won the best actor Oscar, but at the 2019 awards, three out of four
acting awards went to heterosexual actors (Rami Malek, Olivia Colman and Mahershala Ali) for
playing LGBTQ+ roles. The 2017 arthouse hit Call Me by Your Name – based on a 2007 novel
by André Aciman and starring heterosexual actors Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer as
lovers – divided audiences for what some called its “sanitised” queerness. The 2018 Freddie
Mercury biopic Bohemian Rhapsody was accused of erasing the singer’s sexuality for the sake
of being palatable to a wider audience.

There has also been a backlash against cisgender actors playing trans characters. Eddie
Redmayne’s portrayal of artist Lili Elbe in 2015 Oscar contender The Danish Girl provoked
complaints, as did Scarlett Johansson’s casting as a trans man in Rupert Sanders’s proposed
crime biopic Rub & Tug last year. Johansson subsequently stepped down from the role. In this
area of casting, at least, Abraham says that cinema is improving, albeit slowly. “I very much
doubt Eddie Redmayne would be cast in the Danish Girl if it were made today.”

As capitalism tightens its grip on queer stories, we should pay close attention to the type of
LGBTQ+ stories that are becoming marketable – and also who is benefitting from the way that
these stories are being told. While culture might appear to be embracing LGBTQ+ stories, if it
fails to embrace LGBTQ+ creators too, then this decade’s queer awakening might end up being
‘just a phase’.
References:

Robehmed, N. (2020). How LGBTQ Stars Are Changing Society Through Pop Culture. Retrieved 22 August 2020, from
https://www.forbes.com/sites/natalierobehmed/2017/10/02/how-lgbtq-stars-are-changing-society-through-pop-culture-evan-
rachel-wood-tyler-oakley-asia-kate-dillon/#2542d66559a1

Staples, L. (2020). Did culture really embrace queer people this decade?. Retrieved 22 August 2020, from
https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20191218-the-decade-that-saw-queerness-go-mainstream
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

APPLICATION (RETURN THIS PAGE)

Deadma Walking is a 2017 Philippine comedy -

drama musical film, directed by Julius Alfonso.
The film is about a terminally ill gay man who
fakes his own death to attend his own wake to
hear his friends’ views on him.

The titular gay roles were played by Joross

Gamboa and Edgar Allan Guzman, both of
which are straight men in real life.

Representation in popular culture has been an

issue in the LGBT community. Discuss your
opinions on the casting choice in a short 2-3
minute vlog. Try to include its impact to the
community and suggestions that could address
this issue.
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (RETURN THIS PAGE)

1. Most gay characters in films are portrayed using:

a. Violence
b. Humor
c. Drama
d. Satire
2. According to Deichmann, gay characters are often lack substance and are ___________
to female leads.
a. Important
b. Props
c. Equal
d. None of the above
3. The first notable gay best friend in modern cinema was from which of the following films?
a. “The Woman in Red.”
b. “Andi Mack”
c. “One Day at a Time”
d. “Mean Girls”
4. The modern-day television show _______________ highlights topics about gender
identity, peer pressure and sexual harassment.
a. “The Woman in Red.”
b. “Andi Mack”
c. “One Day at a Time”
d. “Mean Girls”
5. The first Disney Channel show to include an openly gay character.
a. “The Woman in Red”
b. “Andi Mack”
c. “One Day at a Time”
d. “Mean Girls”
6. British pop girl group Little Mix was able to wave the LGBTQ+ flag in Dubai where
homosexuality is illegal. This implies that:
a. Morality can be flexible with market
b. Morality is rigid all the time
c. None of the above
d. All of the above
7. In which of the following industries has remained most conservative in showcasing
queerness?
a. Music
b. Film
c. TV shows
d. None of the above
8. Which of the following has hindered LGBTQ+ artists to make a mark in the film industy?
a. Straight men taking over gay roles
b. Straight women taking over lesbian roles
c. All of the above
d. None of the above
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (RETURN THIS PAGE)

NAME:_______________________________________________________________________
9. Most common gay character in films:
a. Successful gay
b. Gay best friend
c. Gay villain
d. Gay protagonist
10. Eddie Redmayne and Scarlett Johansson’s portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters primarily
received ________.
a. Praise
b. Criticisms
c. Sympathy
d. Apathy
11. Which movie had a somehow positive portrayal of gay characters?
a. “Lion King”
b. “Love, Simon”
c. “Powerpuff Girls”
d. “The Politician”
12. People criticized heterosexual actors playing homosexual characters and called it
_____________.
a. Misrepresentation
b. Misconception
c. Sanitized queerness
d. Erasing sexuality
13. The film which stars starring heterosexual actors Timothée Chalamet and Armie Hammer
as lovers.
a. “Love, Simon”
b. “Danish Girl”
c. “Call Me By Your Name”
d. “Mean Girls”
14. a medium where queer writers and actors can now more often can take charge and
express their creativity and culture.
a. Music
b. TV Shows
c. Film
d. None of the above
15. The issue with today’s LGBTQ+ awakening is that:
a. The media has embrace LGBTQ+ stories but not the LGBT+ creators.
b. The media has embrace LGBTQ+ creators but not the LGBT+ stories.
c. The media does not embrace LGBTQ+ stories at all.
d. None of the above
MODULE 4: CRITIQUES AND FISSURES IN THE CULTURES OF POPULAR CULTURE

LESSON 7

D. MARXISM AND POPULAR CULTURE

LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Understand the relationship of capitalism and popular culture
2. Analyse popular culture through the lens of Marxism

TIME FRAME: 1 Week

INTRODUCTION

Welcome students to this discussion on Marxism

and Popular culture. This is probably going to be
one of the more detailed discussions in this course
because a lot of study on popular culture emerged
from Marxism. Marxist Theory has often been
used to study the masses, including popular culture.

In this lesson, we will tackle Karl Marx’s (who is

an anti-capitalist scholar) theory and how it will
help us analyze how capitalism may shape popular
culture.

ACTIVITY (*DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

1. Can you identify the logos below? What do these logos represent and what do these companies
provide?
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________

ANALYSIS(*DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

1. Identify this other set of logos below? What do they represent and what services do they provide?

2. What do you think do all of the logos above have in common?

ABSTRACTION

Marxism, political economy, and ideology

According to the lens of Marxism, the dominant ideas in the society are those which are drawn up,
distributed and imposed by the ruling class to secure and perpetuate its rule.

Take for example the imposition of motorcycle barriers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Married or live-in couples need to secure a barrier between

them when riding the motorcycle. However, such safety
protocols are not imposed for family members riding within
the same four-wheeled vehicles. The essence of the protocol
is lost when it is only imposed in one and not the other.

Such protocols were implemented by affluent politicians

who enjoy the safety and convenience of their cars. Rigid
protocols were only applied to those who did not enjoy the
same privilege.

Base-superstructure model

The relationship of society (base) functioning within:

o Material production
o Economic systems which reproduces itself
o Exploitative class relations

To deconstruct the model, we ask the following questions:

 How dynamic (flexible) or deterministic (rigid) is this relationship?

 How much does the economy influence and dominate culture?
(Does this answer what makes popular culture so “popular”?)

Ideology is not just ideas or means of viewing the world, but exists as it is played out in the material
world.

Ideology entails actions by people living the imaginary relation to something defined by ideology.

Example: School serves different ideologies and that dictates what it will
teach, how it will teach, who it will teach. But it’s not ideology until both
the idea and action has been executed.
 When we look at education, we see various purposes or ideologies it
embodies: for example the “No child left behind” policy taps into the
ideologies of how student-teacher dynamics should be. There are private-
sectarian schools and public schools are they also vary in ideologies and
therefore methodologies in educating their students.

Capitalist ideology is proliferated and reinforced systematically through different institutions:

 Education
 Mass media
 Employment
All of these are driving for Individualism which in turn also drives for Capitalism.

Mass media and popular culture play central role in this relationship as an ideological state apparatus.
This means that mass media and popular culture serves as a method of communication for whatever the
ideology of the ruling class. Both exist to reinforce the values and expectations of the ruling class.

Mass media proliferates:

 Information (what you should know)

 Knowledge (how you should use it)
 Social representations (How you are supposed to “be”)
What they proliferate (and who they are within the socioeconomic structure) are important to study for
popular culture.

So, who owns “the media”?

Take a look at Time Warner and Walt Disney Company. The two mother companies own a bunch of
affiliate companies. Looking closely, we can see that only a few ruling elite dictate what we see in
television and movies. What we see on media in turn can
influence our ideas, culture and behavior.

Mass media normalizes and legitimizes the current capitalist system.

So we get shows such as

The Bachelor

Instead of Independent Satisfied Woman

This show reinforces what people “should” be doing. Why do we want people to watch The Bachelor?
Because we want people to marry, have extravagant weddings in which they spend thousands of money.

References

Lance, E. (2020). Module 12 - Marxism and Popular Culture. Retrieved 22 August 2020, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGCyHrWmUJ

APPLICATION (*DO NOT ANSWER THIS TASK)

1. Do actual people have autonomy and agency?

NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (RETURN THIS PAGE)

1. Who pioneered Marxism?

a. Karl Mark
b. Karl Marx
c. Carl Marx
d. Carl Mark
2. According to Marxism, who imposes ideas in the society?
a. The government
b. The elite
c. The middle class
d. The lower class
3. What model reflects the concept of Marxism?
a. Superbass model
b. Base-Superstructure model
c. Structural-functionalism model
d. Base-structure model
4. The elements that have a relation to production are called ___________.
a. Superstructure
b. Structure
c. Base
d. Basis
5. Machines, factories, land, and raw materials are ____________.
a. Economy
b. Superstructure
c. Means of production
d. Relations of production
6. _______________ is not just ideas or means of viewing the world, but exists as it is played out in
the material world.
a. Capitalism
b. Marxism
c. Ideology
d. Materiality
7. Ideologies require:
a. Debates
b. Actions by people
c. Ignorance
d. Intellect
8. Requiring students to have a stable WiFi connection and a gadget suitable for online class is a
capitalistic ideology proliferated in:
a. Education
b. Mass media
c. Religion
d. Employment
9. Capitalist ideology is proliferated and reinforced systematically through which institutions?
a. Education
b. Mass media
c. Employment
d. All of the above
10. Mass media and popular culture play central role in this relationship as an ideological state
apparatus means:
a. Mass media and popular culture communicates the ideologies of the ruling elite
b. Mass media and popular culture eliminates the ideologies of the ruling elite
c. Mass media and popular culture does not relate to the masses nor the ruling elite
d. All of the above
NAME:_______________________________________________________________________

ASSESSMENT (RETURN THIS PAGE)

11. Which of the following drives for capitalism?

a. Individuation
b. Individualism
c. Individuality
d. None of the above
12. Which of the following is not proliferated by mass media?
a. Information
b. Knowledge
c. ignorance
d. Social representations
13. These are the elements not directly related to production.
a. Base
b. Superbass
c. Superstructure
d. Society
14. The ideology of capitalism is in favor of which of the following?
a. Elite class
b. Middle class
c. Lower class
d. All of the above
15. CNN is owned by which company?
a. Walt Disney Company
b. Time Warner
c. ESPN
d. HBO

------------------------ END OF THE GE ELECT 3 COURSE PACK -----------------------

Prepared by Social Science Faculty of Davao del Norte State College S.Y. 2020-2021