Understanding Culture, Society, & What I Know:

Politics Answer the following items to the best of your knowledge.

Choose the best answer from the box below.
Quarter 1 – Module 1:
Anthropology, Sociology and Political Science Physical Science Biological Science Social Science
Anthropology Micro Sociology
This module is designed and written to introduce to you the Political Science Socius Macro
disciplines of Anthropology, Sociology, and Political Science; and to Power Evolution Social Structure
discuss the nature, goals, and perspectives of the said disciplines. Culture Power Relations magic
At the end of this module, it is expected that you have learned to:
1. Articulate observations in human cultural variation, social 1. _____ is any discipline or branch of science that deals with human
differences, social change, and political identities (UCSP12SPU-
behavior, social relations, functioning of society, politics, and
Ia-1).
anything and everything that points to man as a social being.
2. Demonstrate curiosity and an openness to explore the origins and
dynamics of culture and society, and political identities 2. _____ came from two Greek words that mean study of humans.
(UCSP12SPU-Ia-2) 3. The Greek word _____ means companion.
3. Analyze social, political, and cultural change (UCSP12SPU-Ib- 4. _____ is man’s “way of life”. These are the practices that man
3) devised in order to adapt and/or interact with his environment.
4. Recognize the common concerns or intersections of 5. _____ is the pattern of social interactions in a given society.
anthropology, sociology, and political science with respect to the 6. _____ is the ability to achieve a goal, especially in influencing
phenomenon of change (UCSP12SPU-Ib-4) another person’s actions
5. Identify the subjects of inquiry and goals of Anthropology, 7. Politics is about _____: this is how we exercise power in our
Political relationships.
Science and Sociology (UCSP12SPU-Ib-5)
8. The biological changes that man has gone through as a species is
called _____.
9. Family, economy, and religion are examples of _____. These are
arrangements or patterns of social relations.
10. A _____ perspective looks into the big picture of things, while
_____ perspective looks into the finer details.
 An anthropologist proposed a game to African tribe kids. He put
Lesson a basket full of fruit near a tree and told them that whoever got there first
won the sweet fruits. When he told them to run, they all took each other’s
Anthropology &
1
hands and ran together, then sat together enjoying their treats. When he
asked them why they had run like that as one could have had all the fruits
Sociology for himself, they said: UBUNTU, how can one of us be happy if all the
other ones are sad?
UBUNTU in the Xhosa culture means: “I AM BECAUSE WE ARE.”
The Social Sciences are interconnected and interrelated
disciplines that study human beings as a “social animal”. And because
the disciplines are interconnected and interrelated, what sets each
discipline apart is the specialization or focus of study.
In this lesson, we will look into the sister disciplines of
Anthropology and Sociology.

The disciplines of Social Science have been a part of your

academic life since Elementary. The subject Araling Panlipunan or
Social Studies is basically an application of the different Social Science
disciplines:
From Kinder through Grade 8, Araling Panlipunan aimed to teach
you the values and perspective needed to understand and appreciate one’s
self, family, community, cultural origin, country, and continent/region.
The subject also tackled world historical development as influenced by
local geography, economics, culture, and politics. Grades 9 and 10, on the
other hand, focused on the topics of Economics, and Contemporary Issues
—all these topics are covered by the different Social Science disciplines.
But do we really know the Social Sciences? Aside from History,
Economics, and Geography, do we know of other Social Sciences? Given the same challenge, do you think Filipino children would have
done the same? Can you think of any local term, translation, or
phrase that means almost the same as Ubuntu?
STORY NUMBER 2: When we talk about people’s ways of doing things, we can also
think of it as “ways of life”. This “way of life” is referred to as culture.
Take some time to read and understand the news clipping below. What are
Edward B. Tylor defined culture as, “that complex whole which includes
your thoughts about the case filed against the Fil-Canadian boy? Do you
knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities
also think that a person’s way of eating or way of using utensils a ground
and habits acquired by man as a member of society (Street 1998)."
for a legal case? What is the “proper way” of eating or “proper use” of
Culture is man’s way of adapting to, manipulating, and interacting with
utensils?
his physical and social environment.
On the other hand, when we talk about ways of interacting with
other people, we refer to it as social structures. Social structures or
structures govern how we live and interact with each other in a given
society (Form 1999). Social structures include family, peers, school,
religion, economy, mass media, and other.
In studying and analyzing culture and social structures the sister
disciplines of Anthropology and Sociology take center stage:
Anthropology comes from the two Greek words: anthropos,
meaning “human”, and logos, meaning “study” or “inquiry”. Hence
Anthropology is the study of humans, with a special emphasis on human
biological evolution as a species and cultural practices. On the other
hand, Sociology is made up of the Greek words: socius, meaning
“companion” or “friend”, and logos, meaning “study” or “inquiry”.
Hence Sociology deals with the relationships and interactions of people
within society.

ACTIVITY 1: Think of at least TWO structures that you belong to and

list them down. After listing down those structures, think about and write
We were presented with two contrasting stories; one story shows down the ways they have influenced your way of life. Write your answer
an unfortunate legal battle due to differences in ways of using on a sheet of paper.
utensils; the other story shows the inspiring way how other Examples:
people face challenges. Although the two stories differ in a lot of Structure: Barkada- they have thought me how to use gel lip tint/ they
details, they both show an underlying pattern: people across the have though me how to apply wax to my hair.
globe have their own ways of doing things, and ways of
interacting with other people.
Structure: Church Choir- I learned the habit of praying before going
to sleep.
Assessment: Determine whether Anthropology or Sociology is best in
studying the following items. Lesson
The first item is done for you as an example.
1. How social groups are formed. Sociology 2 Political Science
2. The practice of “Mano po.” ________
3. The meaning of the red and blue color in the Philippine flag.
________ Culture and social structures don’t simply exist in a neutral and peaceful
4. Making friends with your new classmates. ________ environment. Disagreements and conflicting interests are ever present
5. Building social networks in the digital age. ________ throughout the creation, maintenance, and transformation of culture and
6. Pamahiin o superstitious beliefs. ________ social structures. In this lesson we’ll look into the concept of politics
7. Learning the Filipino Sign Language. ________ through the lens of Political Science.
8. The relationship between the boss and the worker. ________ Look at the two photos below. What words come to your mind as
9. Starting a Kdrama fan club. ________ you look at each photo? Write down at least five words for each photo.
10. Using chopsticks when eating. ________
Photo 1: “PRRD addresses troops” Photo 2: “Payatas A Elem School”

 What words were you able to list down?

 Are there similar words from each photo?
 Were you able to list down the words “politics”, “power”, or “government”?
 Can you relate the words “politics”, “power”, or “government” with Photo 1?
  Can you relate the words “politics”, “power”, or “government” with Photo 2? So we see that politics can be seen in how power or “power
players” are at work on large-scale like in how the government operates in
For Photo 1 from the previous page, there is a possibility that some country; and we also see politics at work in small-scale like in how one of
of you listed the word “government”, “president”, or “politician”. There is your friends always get to eat for free during health break, thanks to your
also a chance that some of you listed the word “politics”. But for Photo 2, pockets. When we study in large-scale (global, international or national)
the words “government”, “politician”, or “politics” would least likely enter we call that macro perspective; and when we study in small-scale (between
your list, and more so “president”. two people, groups of people, portion of society, regional), we call that
We usually think that politics is for and only about elected officials, the micro perspective.
government, and those groups of people shouting their advocacies on the In studying politics, we will be using the perspective of another
streets. You might have heard someone say, “I’m not political.” Can there Social Science discipline—we’ll be using the lens of Political Science.
really be an apolitical (not political) person? What is politics? Traditionally, Political Science is interested the processing of governing a
Try to search for and compare definitions for the word politics. There’s a nation or a given territory. But it has broadened its scope to include the
high possibility that the definition you will see is tied to government, societal, cultural, and psychological factors (Roskin 1999).
governance, and elections. But if you will read further, you will also find a
broader definition: ACTIVITY 1: Let’s see politics at work! In here we have different
situations and we will figure out who was able to exercise power. We will
“the total complex of relations between people living in society
also figure out if the situations need a macro or a micro perspective. A
(Merriam-Webster 2020)”
couple of items are provided as examples.
“social relations involving authority or power (Essential English
Dictionary 2020)” 1. The teacher called the student to recite the answer and the student
followed.
“the relationships within a group or organization that allow particular
Who exercised power? The teacher What perspective? micro
people to have power over others (Cambridge Dictionary 2020)”
2. The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) imposed
Using the definitions above, politics can be defined as “power greater tax on crude oil that’s why the local oil refilling stations
relations”: It is a person’s ability to achieve one’s goal, and/or control or increased fuel prices.
influence another person; it may be to control or influence another Who exercised power? OPEC What perspective? Macro
person’s opinion, way of thinking, or actions. By using this general
definition, we can say that each one of us is political because in one way or 3. A local mall put up a 3-day sale to encourage people to shop again after the
another, we have tried and succeeded in controlling or influencing another pandemic. The mall’s marketing trick worked because a lot of people flocked
person’s opinion, thoughts, and actions. the said mall.
Who exercised power? _____ What perspective? _____
4. The father of the teenager went angry because the teenager kept on teasing his/her ____ 15. Political Science does not involve culture and social structures
father.
Who exercised power? _____ What perspective? _____
5. The police dropped the weapon because the terrorist asked the police to do so or
else the terrorist would pull the bomb’s trigger. A. Fill up the crossword by using the clues below.
Who exercised power? _____ What perspective? _____
6. The City Jail released the jailed official because the Department of Justice ordered
the release.
Who exercised power? _____ What perspective? _____
7. The Department of Education called for the August 24 opening of classes, that’s
why all public schools are using the months of June and July for preparation.
Who exercised power? _____ What perspective? _____
8. The World Health Organization released its technical guidance for its member
countries.
Who exercised power? _____ What perspective? _____

Assessment

B. Determine whether the following statements are True or

False.

____ 8. Politics only happens in the government.

____ 9. Political Science studies the relationship between man and his
environment.
____ 10. There are power relations inside the classroom.
____ 11. There is politics between a child and his/her pet goldfish
____ 12. There is no power when you were not able meet your goal in
influencing another person.
____ 13. The winning political candidate is powerful because he/she was
able to convince people to vote for him/her.
____ 14. Political Science is not a Social Science.