Understanding Culture, Society and Politics

Quarter 3- Module 1:
Nature, Goals and Perspectives in/of
Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science

Social Science is a branch of study which deals with Human Beings – their behavior, growth and
development, relationships, resources they use and the various institutions they require to function and
the way they carry on with their lives.
For example – family, school, workplace, government, judiciary, recreation clubs, etc.

All these aspects of life are inter-related and interdependent to one another. So, whether one
wants to become a doctor or an engineer or a chartered accountant, an artist or a teacher, he or she has
to live in a society, interact with individuals belonging to different cultural and socio- economic
backgrounds, adapt to various situations and circumstances, as well as to adhere to certain societal
norms in order to lead a peaceful and productive life. Hence, as a Senior High School learner, we need to
get acquainted with basic concepts to have an effective and a holistic learning experience.
In this module you will learn about: Sociology, Anthropology and Political Science in relation to
their nature as a concept, including the aims which these concepts are centered, along with the
underlying perspectives that each of these have.

Objectives:
At the end of this module, you should be able to:
1. define Sociology, Anthropology and Political Science in the context of Social Science;
2. analyze how Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science affect the lives of Senior High
school students;
3. differentiate Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science; and
4. reflect on the significance of Sociology, Anthropology and Political Science in in respective
areas of specialization.

Pretest
Activity 1
  Did you have difficulty identifying the pictures? Oh, very good! But don’t worry because you will
learn more on the next activities.

 Analyze the given scenario and answer the guide questions that follow. Imagine you are living
several thousand years ago. Maybe you are a wife and mother of three children. Maybe you are
a young man eager to start your own family. Maybe you are a prominent religious leader, or
maybe you are a respected healer. Your family has, for as long as people can remember, lived the
way you do. You learned to act, eat, hunt, talk, pray, and live the way you do from your parents,
your extended family, and your small community. Suddenly, you encounter a new group of
people who have a different way of living, speak strangely, and eat in an unusual manner. They
have a different way of addressing the supernatural and caring for their sick. Everything that this
new group of people does is very strange for you.

Guide Questions:

1. What are your thoughts about these differences?

 2. These are the questions that have people faced for tens of thousands of years as human groups
have moved around and settled in different parts of the world. Based on the given scenario, how
does anthropology, sociology and political science help us understand our society including the
interrelated elements embedded with it?

3. As a Senior High school student, what are the basic concepts that we need to learn for us to
understand what is happening around us particularly those that occur in our society?

 One of the important concepts in social science that we need to learn and understand is
sociology. Now, what is meant by the sociology?

Sociology is the study of social life, social change, and the social causes and consequences of human
behavior. Sociologists investigate the structure of groups, organizations, and societies and how people
interact within these contexts. Since all human behavior is social, the subject matter of sociology ranges
from the intimate family to the hostile mob; from organized crime to religious traditions; from the
divisions of race, gender and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture.

Sociology is explained as the systematic science of studying human behavior within the context of
societies. Society is a broad topic that includes everything from economics to politics to family
dynamics. Sociology takes all these systems and more into account. Broadly defined, a society is a group
of people that share a territory and a culture. Since the definition of society is so broad, sociology is a
very broad topic as well. In fact, it may be the broadest of the social sciences.

To elaborate further, sociology is the study of human social behavior. Sociologists may use quantitative
(measurable) or qualitative (descriptive) methods to study how humans socialize and organize
themselves socially, as well as the origins and implications of social structures. Human social behavior is
especially interesting because Homo sapiens has evolved to be a species dependent upon socialization.
Most infant animals require some amount of care from parents, however instinct serves as the driving
force for animals like deer and lizards. On the other hand, humans are entirely dependent upon the care
and teaching of others for the first several years of life.

In addition, sociology looks for patterns, recurring characteristics, and events. Sociology looks for these
patterns in a variety of scales: sociology can be applied to two people having a conversation to
differences and similarities between nations. Sociology tries to see social behavior by placing it in a wide
social context. Within this context, sociologists look for patterns that reflect particular generalities of the
society. A sociologist might study an individual's behavior or actions to see how it fits into the broader
pattern of that person's society and culture.

Hence, all sociologists are interested in the experiences of individuals and how those experiences are
shaped by interactions within social groups and society as a whole. To a sociologist, the personal
decisions an individual makes do not exist in a vacuum. Cultural patterns and social forces put
pressure on people to select one choice over another. Sociologists try to identify these general patterns
by examining the behavior of large groups of people living in the same society and experiencing the
same societal pressures.

Finally, sociologists are interested in socioeconomic class and mobility, sexuality, law, politics, religion,
or linguistics. A sociologist may choose to study any aspect of human social behavior, so these are just
some examples of what a researcher might choose to focus on. Where other fields of study, like
Anthropology, can tell us why humans are social beings - Sociology tells us how humans are social
beings.

 Now let us explore another important concept which is Anthropology. How do we define and
take a look at the concept of Anthropology?

One of the online articles discussed that anthropology is the study of what makes us human.
Anthropologists take a broad approach to understanding the many different aspects of the human
experience, which we call holism. They consider the past, through archaeology, to see how human
groups lived hundreds or thousands of years ago and what was important to them. They consider
what makes up our biological bodies and genetics, as well as our bones, diet, and health.

Anthropologists also compare humans with other animals (most often, other primates like monkeys
and chimpanzees) to see what we have in common with them and what makes us unique. Even though
nearly all humans need the same things to survive, like food, water, and companionship, the ways
people meet these needs can be very different. For example, everyone needs to eat, but people eat
different foods and get food in different ways. So, anthropologists look at how different groups of
people get food, prepare it, and share it. World hunger is not a problem of production but social
barriers to distribution.

Furthermore, anthropologists also try to understand how people interact in social relationships (for
example with families and friends). They look at the different ways people dress and communicate in
different societies. Aside from that, anthropologists sometimes use these comparisons to understand
their own society. Many anthropologists work in their own societies looking at economics, health,
education, law, and policy (to name just a few topics). When trying to understand these complex issues,
they keep in mind what they know about biology, culture, types of communication, and how humans
lived in the past.

 Now, let us place our attention to Political science. It is a classical discipline that deals with the
study of political phenomena. Its goal is to deepen human understanding of the forms and
nature of political action and to develop theoretical tools for interpreting politically meaningful
phenomena. The discipline deals with the traditional fields of public national life, such as
democracy, parliaments, politicians, elections, and the government.

In a similar vein, political science is the study of politics and power from domestic, international, and
comparative perspectives. It entails understanding political ideas, ideologies, institutions, policies,
processes, and behavior, as well as groups, classes, government, diplomacy, law, strategy, and war. A
background in political science is valuable for citizenship and political action, as well as for future careers
in government, law, business, media, or public service

Political science is occasionally called politology which is a social science that deals with systems of
governance, and the analysis of political activities, political thoughts, associated constitutions, and
political behavior.

Political science comprises numerous subfields, including comparative politics, political economy,
international relations, political theory, public administration, public policy, and political methodology.
Furthermore, political science is related to, and draws upon, the fields of economics, law, sociology,
history, philosophy, human geography, journalism, political anthropology, and social policy.

Comparative politics is the science of comparison and teaching of different types of constitutions,
political actors, legislature, and associated fields, all of them from an intrastate perspective.
International relations deal with the interaction between nation-states as well as intergovernmental and
transnational organizations.
Political theory is more concerned with contributions of various classical and contemporary thinkers and
philosophers.

Political science is methodologically diverse and appropriates many methods originating in psychology,
social research, and cognitive neuroscience. Approaches include positivism, interpretivism, rational
choice theory, behaviorism, structuralism, post-structuralism, realism, institutionalism, and pluralism.
Political science, as one of the social sciences, uses methods and techniques that relate to the kinds of
inquiries sought: primary sources, such as historical documents and official records, secondary sources
such as scholarly journal articles, survey research, statistical analysis, case studies, experimental
research, and model building.

 Model building is the process of deciding which independent variables to include in the model