Understanding Culture,
Society and Politics
An Instructional
First SemesterLearning
(Quarter 1) Module
Jane Mae G. Perez
Borrowed materials (i.e., songs, stories, poems, pictures, photos, brand
names, trademarks, etc.) included in this learning module are owned by
their respective copyright holders. Every effort has been put forth by the
writer to locate and use these resources from their respective copyright
owners. The writer does not represent nor claim ownership over them.
The main purpose of this material is only to address the existing
challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic in the education of the
young men and women as it limits our access to face-to-face learning.
For Internal Use Only
ABOUT THE MODULE
This module contains two (2) chapters. Each chapter corresponds to a
grading quarter. Chapters contain lessons which are specifically designed and
reformatted to coincide with the new normal in learning (i.e. blended learning,
modular approach). Parts of the lesson consist of the following:
At the beginning of every lesson in this module, you will be
provided with warm-up activities to get you started. This
START – provides overview of the lesson some in situational formats as
UP! closest as it gets to the students’ experiences. These are
thought-provoking and engaging activities that serve as
motivation and prelude to the lesson.
This section introduces the new lesson, topic, or content you
need to learn. This provides you in-depth discussion, readings,
GEAR UP! exposition of the content. This also provides the materials for
reading. As you learn and explore the material, you are
encouraged to elicit or perform quick exercises.
This part includes recall of concepts and shows
CHECK interconnectedness of ideas. This part may serve as the starting
POINT! point of student-teacher discussion online as this checks
comprehension of the content.
This contains additional tasks and may include posttests and
ANSWER ME! lesson quiz for higher learning retention. This serves as
“boosters” of the learned skills or content through adequate and
appropriate practice exercises and activities.
ALMOST This provides more activities for reinforcement and engagement
THERE! with the topic at hand.
YOU ARE A At this point, the students finish the required tasks and lesson.
FINISHER! This section may provide lesson summary, precise or points to
ponder. The students are also encouraged to engage in
reflective exercises such as jotting their learnings through mind
maps.
UNIT 1: UNDERSTANDING SOCIETY, CULTURE AND THE POLITICS
LESSON 1: DEFINING CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS
[Link] – UP!
What makes us humans?
What makes us different
from others?
At the end of this lesson,
you will be able to discuss
the nature, goals and
perspectives in/of
anthropology, sociology
and political science
Look at the people inside your house.
Notice the shape of their nose, the color
of their hair and the color of their skin. Are
theirs similar to yours? Do you speak the
same language? Do you eat the same
food? What makes you different from
them?
List them down!
___________________________________
___________________________________
Source: [Link]
___________________________________
11. GEAR UP!
CULTURE, SOCIETY AND POLITICS
In the modern world, it is essential to pay attention to the interplay of culture,
politics and society. These are the elements that is important in understanding
human behavior and social groups. Let us know more of this essential elements.
Culture refers to an individual’s way of life from the food he eats, the clothes he
wears and the house where he lives. It also includes material and non-material
things that he acquires or possess. Non- Material cultures are the norms, values as
well as the intangible aspects of his human existence. The material culture includes
architectural and engineering wonders and the tangible things in his human
existence.
Society is an organized group of people who share the same territory, language and
culture. The ways that people depend upon one another can be seen in different
social features such as their economic, communication and defense system. They
are bound together by a general sense of common identity and pride of place. There
can be no culture without society and so far there are no known human societies that
do not exhibit culture (Haviland, et. al:312)
Politics refers to the “theory, art and practice of government. The political institution
is a relatively stable cluster of statuses, general norms and role behavior which are
involved in the acquisition and exercise of power and decision-making in the society
(Turner:215).
NATIONALITY AND ETHNICITY
The concepts of nationality and ethnicity are not interchangeable. Both,
however, are capable of informing an individual’s behavior and habits due to a set of
cultural norms that each category provides. Nationality is the identity that is tied to
being part of a nation or country – “a group of people who share the same history,
traditions and language” who inhibits a particular territory delineated by a political
boarder and administered by a government. Nationality can b acquired by being born
in a country or through legal processes such as naturalization on citizenship.
Within a nation are smaller cultural groups that share specific social
environments, traditions, and histories that may not be necessarily subscribed by
mainstream society. These are called ethnic groups. There are about 180
indigenous ethnic groups in the Philippines and more than 100 tribal groups who rea
mostly inhabiting awarded ancestral domains. Apart from the varying cultural
backgrounds and ethnicity, human population also experience social differences,
which include categories on gender, socioeconomic class, political identity and
religious beliefs.
Source: M. Gonzalez (2019) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
GENDER
Gender refers to the socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities and
attributes that a given society considers appropriate for men and women (World
Health Organization 2013). Unlike sex which refers to the biological characteristics of
humans such as male or female, gender categories are more varied,
accommodating identities such as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and
intersex (collectively referred to as LGBTQI) among others.
In some societies, gender becomes a basis of one’s identity, as social norms
allow for their acceptance or neglect by the majority of the population. In case of
neglect, individuals who subscribe to alternative genders create groups and
communities where they can articulate their thoughts and aspirations more openly.
There are several types of gender based on a person’s sexual orientation.
Depending on the community, these gender identities can be further subdivided into
more specific categories.
Heterosexual – a person who is attracted to a person of opposite sex.
Homosexual – a person who is attracted with the same sex.
Gay – a male who is romantically and sexually attracted to another male.
Lesbian – a female who is romantically and sexually attracted to another female.
Bisexual – an individual who is attracted to both sexes.
Asexual – an individual who are totally incapable of being attracted to any sex.
Polysexual – Individuals who are attracted to multiple types of gender.
Pansexual – Individuals who accommodate all types of gender.
Transgender/ Transsexual – individuals who undergone medical sexual
reassignment.
Source: M. Gonzalez (2019) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Socioeconomic Class
The concept of socioeconomic class varies between societies as the ideas
associated with being poor or rich differ based on the collective experiences of
individuals. As such, Filipinos who are from the Global South (developing countries)
would perceive poverty differently from Singaporeans who are from the Global North
(developed countries or Industrialized nations). People falling into different social
classes are bound to experience life differently such as in the form of transportation
and the type of food that they can afford and consume daily. The typical
determinants of one’s social status include income, value of assets and amount of
savings, cultural interests and hobbies, and economic status of his or her peers and
relatives.
In the Philippines, our indicators of social class are different, given the
economic and political context in which our country is in. Although government
surveys take into account the factors enumerated earlier such as income and value
of assets, Filipinos often describe their social class in personalized context. Hence,
when you ask a Filipino what his or her social class is, the response can be any of
the following: mahirap, medyo mayaman, sakto lang, mayaman and the like.
Source: M. Gonzalez (2019) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Political Identity
Political Identity as a social category refers to the set of attitudes and
practices that individual adheres to in relation to the political systems and actors
within his or her society. Political parties in the Philippines such as Ang Ladlad, a
party that negotiates for the welfare of LGBTQI community, and Kabataan, party that
promotes youth empowerment, are examples of how sectors in our society use their
identities as apolitical vehicles to negotiate for, and lobby their needs. In a more rigid
context, an individual can acquire political identity by subscribing to a political belief
such as communism, democracy or socialism.
Source: M. Gonzalez (2019) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Religion
The belief in the supernatural has been one of the universal preoccupations of
humans as early as 60 000 years ago. The earliest forms of religion revolved around
making sense of natural occurrences such as extreme weather conditions, natural
and manmade calamities, sickness and even death.
Today, religion has evolved to promote far complex forms of understanding
human nature, the afterlife, and natural events. Monotheistic is the belief that there is
only one God whereas Polytheistic is the belief of the existence of multiple Gods.
Some religions have god arrange in a hierarchy, and others have gods that equally
coexist. What must be noted is that religion is a mirror of the society that affiliates
with it, such that a society with a strong caste system such as India is expected to
have a set of Gods that are places in a hierarchical system.
Source: M. Gonzalez (2019) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
Exceptionality/ Non-exceptionality
Some individuals do not conform to behavioral or cognitive norms, not
because they intend to deviate but because they are exceptional. The concept of
exceptionality leans on the non-average capacity of an individual. This could be
understood in a spectrum of capabilities, wherein you have geniuses in one extreme
and you have disabled and challenged in the other extreme. Such characteristics
would pace an individual in compromising situations as the environment demands
conformity. Issues relating to both statuses can range from having fewer
employment opportunities due to being physically disabled to not reaching one’s full
capacity due to the lack of advanced mechanism to support an exceptional talent.
Source: M. Gonzalez (2019) Understanding Culture, Society and Politics
III. CHECK POINT!
3 – 2 – 1!
Direction: Write three (3) facts that you learned in the first column, two
(2) questions that you want to ask about the topic in the
second column and one (1) opinion that you have about the
topic in the third column. Write your answer on the table
provided below.
3 2 1
IV. ANSWER ME!
Direction: Column B consists of scrambled words. Form the correct words and
match
them in the given definition found in column A.
A B
1. It refers to an organized group of
people who share a common territory, SCIPOLIT
language and culture.
2. It refers to an individual’s way of live. NEGRED
3. It refers to the theory, art and practice UCLRETU
of government.
4. It is the socially constructed NALITYTIONA
characteristics of being male or
female.
5. It refers to the legal relationship that TYCIESO
binds a person and a country
6. It is the state of being intellectually GIONLIRE
gifted and/ or having physically or
mentally challenged conditions.
7. It is a belief that there is an existing CEPEXTIOLITYNA
supreme being.
8. It refers to an individual’s attitude and TYCYNITH
practices in relation to political
system.
9. It refers to an individual’s status in the
society such as being rich or poor. CALTIPOL TYTIIDEN
10. It refers to the group of people who
belongs to a minority group in the MICCONOCIOSO SSLAC
society with different values and
beliefs.
Score: _____/10
V. ALMOST THERE!
Direction: Write your name inside the circle. Write the following information of
yourself in the 4 spaces:
a. gender b. socio-economic class c. ethnicity d. religion.
VI. YOU ARE A FINISHER!
Reflection: Do these similarities and differences affect the life of the whole
community? Why?