UNDERSTANDING CULTURE,

SOCIETY, AND POLITICS

 QUARTER 1, LESSON 1

Nature, Goals and Perspectives

of Anthropology, Sociology and
Political Science
The learners shall be able to
articulate observations on human LEARNING
cultural variation, social OBJECTIVE
differences, social change, and
political identities.
 CONTENT

Lesson 1: Anthropology

Lesson 2: Sociology

Lesson 3: Political Science

 MOTIVATION
 Self Introduction
- name
- age
- ethnic affiliation
- religion
- interesting detail about yourself
- say something about Philippine politics
People are really different. Our socio-economic background, political and
cultural behavior and phenomenon vary.
As a species, we are social beings who live out our lives in the company of
other humans. We organize ourselves into various kinds of social groupings,
such as nomadic bands, villages, cities, and countries, in which we work,
trade, play, reproduce, and interact in many other ways.
Consequently, the patterns of human society differ from place to place and
era to era and across cultures, making the social world a very complex and
dynamic environment.
 ANTHROPOLOGY
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.
 ANTHROPOLOGY

Cultural variation refers to the differences in

social behaviors that different cultures exhibit all over
the world. What may be considered good etiquette in one
culture may be considered bad etiquette in another.
 ANTHROPOLOGY
Anthropology is the comprehensive study of human
development, culture, and change throughout the world, past
and present. The comprehensiveness of anthropology stems
from its emphasis on context, reflected in the perspectives
offered by the discipline’s four fields: Biological Anthropology,
Cultural Anthropology, Linguistic Anthropology, and
Archeology.
Biological (or physical) anthropologists
carry out systematic studies of the non-
cultural aspects of humans and near-
humans. Non-cultural refers to all of BIOLOGICAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
those biological characteristics that are
genetically inherited in contrast to
learned.
Biological anthropologists also are
interested in understanding the
mechanisms of evolution and genetic
inheritance as well as human variation and BIOLOGICAL
ANTHROPOLOGY
adaptations to different environmental
stresses, such as those found at high
altitudes and in environments that have
temperature extremes.
Cultural (or socio-cultural)
anthropologists are interested in learning
about the cultural aspects of human
societies all over the world. They usually CULTURAL
focus their research on such things as the ANTHROPOLOGY
social and political organizations,
marriage patterns and kinship systems,
subsistence and economic patterns, and
religious beliefs of different societies.
Linguistic anthropologists study the human
communication process. They focus their
research on understanding such
phenomena as the physiology of speech, LINGUISTIC
the structure and function of languages, ANTHROPOLOGY
social and cultural influences on speech
and writing, nonverbal communication,
how languages developed over time, and
how they differ from each other.
Archaeologists are interested in recovering the
prehistory and early history of societies and
their cultures. They systematically uncover the
evidence by excavating, dating, and analyzing
the material remains left by people in the past.
Archaeologists are essentially detectives who ARCHEOLOGY
search through many thousands of pieces of
fragmentary pots and other artifacts as well as
environmental data in order to reconstruct
ancient life ways.
 SOCIOLOGY
Sociology is the systematic study of social behavior and
human groups. It focuses primarily on the influence of social
relationships upon people’s attitudes and behavior and on how
societies are established and change. Sociology’s subject matter
is diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the
state, from the divisions of race and social class to the shared
beliefs of a common culture, and from social stability to radical
change in whole societies.
 SOCIOLOGY
The differences among the individuals on the basis of social
characteristics and qualities are known as social differences.
Social differences are the complex differences and they include class,
race, culture, age, ability, sex, etc. Social differences can create
discrimination among the individuals on the basis of their social
characteristics. For example, if in a society, individuals with high status
are given more respect and importance as compare to the poor or
homeless people then it is a social difference. Social differences can
create a lot of problems in a society because discrimination always result
in inequality, inferiority complex and other social problems
Sociology’s purpose is to understand how the cultural
and social structures shape human action and thought;
and conversely, how human action and though shape
cultural and social structures.
The purpose of sociology is to study at all levels of human
thought and activity, from the individual and personal PURPOSE OF
level to the global level. Human thought about race, SOCIOLOGY
romance, friend, family or foe is studied at the
interpersonal level, where the surrounding social
structure, family structure, community and legal system
shape their beliefs and attitudes, and eventually
determine what is and is not allowed under the law.
Finally, the ultimate purpose of Sociology is to
formulate a discipline of thought and
methodology that leads to objective,
PURPOSE OF
comprehensive, effective, honest, and critical SOCIOLOGY
thinking when observing and describing human
thought, interaction, systems, structures, and
action.
 DYNAMICS OF CULTURE IN GOALS OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND
SOCIOLOGY
Culture is dynamic and thus complex. Culture is fluid rather
than static, which means that culture changes all the time,
every day, in subtle and tangible ways.
Anthropology is the study of humans and the ways they live.
Sociology studies the ways groups of people interact with
each other and how their behavior is influenced by social
structures, categories (rage, gender, sexuality), and
institutions.
 POLITICAL SCIENCE

Political science is that branch of the social sciences

that studies the state, politics, and government. Political
Science deals extensively with the analysis of political
systems, the theoretical and practical applications to
politics, and the examination of political behavior.
 POLITICAL SCIENCE
Political science is not a standalone field and it intersects
many other branches like sociology, economics, history,
anthropology, public policy among others. Political scientists
are much sought after these days because of the changing
landscape of politics across the world and since the society
wants to understand how the political world works, they need
someone to explain the nuances of the political economy.
The scope of political science is vast
and experts have divided the field of
political science into five sub- SCOPE OF
POLITICAL
disciplines that are political theory, SCIENCE
public administration, comparative
politics, international relations, and
public law.
The importance of political science lies in the fact
that all of us live within political systems and we
are affected by the changes in the global political
economy. With the advent of globalization, there THE IMPORTANCE
has been a concomitant rise in the interest taken OF POLITICAL
by the people of the world in understanding the SCIENCE
political systems of other countries. Hence,
political scientists become valued and important as
they provide the lens through which we can
understand the global political economy.
A political ideology is a set of ideas, beliefs,
values, and opinions, exhibiting a recurring pattern,
that competes deliberately as well as POLITICAL
unintentionally over providing plans of action for IDEOLOGY
public policy making in an attempt to justify,
explain, contest, or change the social and political
arrangements and processes of a political
community.
Absolutism - System where the rulers have
unlimited control. TYPES OF
POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES AND
STYLES OF
GOVERNMENT
Anarchism - Society without government, laws,
police or other authority. A system of self-control.
TYPES OF
POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES AND
STYLES OF
GOVERNMENT
Aristocracy - The privilege of social class whose
members possess a disproportionately large percentage
of society's wealth, prestige and political influence.
TYPES OF
POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES AND
STYLES OF
GOVERNMENT
Autocracy - Supreme political power is in the
hands of one person whose decisions are
unregulated.
TYPES OF
POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES AND
STYLES OF
GOVERNMENT
Communism - Extreme left-wing ideology based on the
revolutionary socialist teachings of Marx. Collective
ownership and a planned economy. Each should work to
their capability and receive according to their needs. TYPES OF
POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES AND
STYLES OF
GOVERNMENT
Conservatism- Governmental system where the
existing institutions are maintained, emphasizing
free-enterprise and minimal governmental
intervention. TYPES OF
POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES AND
STYLES OF
GOVERNMENT
Democracy- Government by the people, usually
through elected representatives.

TYPES OF
POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES AND
STYLES OF
GOVERNMENT
Dictatorship - Government by a single person with
absolute control over the resources of the state.

TYPES OF
POLITICAL
IDEOLOGIES AND
STYLES OF
GOVERNMENT
 APPLICATION NO. 1

 Prepare a Venn diagram showing the differences and

common concerns or intersections of anthropology,
sociology, and political science.
 Write your answer in a 1 whole sheet of intermediate or
bond paper.
 APPLICATION NO. 2
Instruction: Using the sample table below, write at least five (5) observations on social,
political, and cultural change. Use 1 whole sheet of intermediate paper.
Before Now
Social:

Political:

Cultural