UCSP Lesson 1 – Society, Gender, and Equality

Society

●​ People in a territory sharing norms, values, culture​

●​ Work together under social norms for harmony​

Sex vs. Gender

●​ Sex → Biological (male/female)​

●​ Gender → Cultural traits & roles (masculine/feminine)​

Gender Roles

●​ Culturally assigned tasks​

●​ Traditionally: men = physical work, women = domestic work​

●​ Modern: roles are changing​

Gender Equality

●​ Equal rights & opportunities for boys and girls​

●​ Helps everyone reach potential​

UCSP Lesson 2 – Socioeconomic Class

Socioeconomic Class

●​ Groups people by economic, social, cultural, political status​

●​ Based on income​

Philippines (Zaide, 2005)

 ●​ Upper (10%) → Wealthy industrialists, big landowners​

●​ Middle (20%) → Professionals, skilled workers​

●​ Lower (70%) → Laborers, unskilled workers​

Karl Marx

●​ Bourgeois → Own means of production (land, money, tech)​

●​ Proletariat → Work to survive​

Types of Capital

●​ Economic Capital → Money/resources​

●​ Social Capital → Helpful networks​

●​ Cultural Capital → Knowledge, skills, behavior​

UCSP Lesson 3 – Ethnicity, Race, Religion, Prejudice

Ethnic Group

●​ People with shared traits & distinct cultural identity​

Ethnicity

●​ Shared culture: language, religion, traditions, norms, values​

Race

●​ Socially constructed category based on physical traits (skin color, facial features, hair)​

Ethnolinguistic Groups

●​ Ethnic groups with their own language (ex. Ifugao, Itneg, Kalinga)​
Religion

●​ Beliefs & practices about humanity & spirituality​

●​ Animism → Belief in spiritual forces in nature​

Social Issues

●​ Prejudice → Faulty generalization of a group​

●​ Stereotype → Oversimplified assumption about a group​

●​ Minority Group → Singled out & treated as inferior by dominant group

UCSP – Exceptionality
Disability

●​ Interaction of health condition + environment​

●​ Causes difficulties in activities & social interaction​

Exceptionality

●​ Abilities/functioning different from the average (physical, intellectual, behavioral)​

Non-exceptionality

●​ Term used to describe those without exceptionalities​

Labels in Society → Can lead to:

●​ Stereotype → Oversimplified group assumption​

●​ Stigmatization → Negative beliefs about a person/group​

●​ Discrimination → Unfair treatment due to stigma/stereotype​

Support for Exceptionalities

●​ Individualized assistance, support, accommodations in school & community​

UCSP – Nationality
Nationality

●​ Belonging to a specific nation or nation-state​

●​ Determined by nationality laws of a state​

Ways to Acquire Nationality

●​ Jus Sanguinis (Right of Blood) → Based on parents’ nationality​

●​ Jus Soli (Right of Soil) → Based on birthplace/territory​

●​ Naturalization → Legal process to acquire nationality from another state​

Other Concepts

●​ Dual/Multiple Citizenship → Belonging to 2+ nations​

●​ Importance → Regulates nationals worldwide; ensures protection (embassies,

consulates, asylum)

Lesson 1: SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL

BEHAVIOR AND PHENOMENA
WHAT ARE CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS?

Society – A group of individuals connected through lasting relationships and working together
toward shared goals.​
 Culture – A society’s way of life, shown through material (tangible) and non-material
(intangible) aspects.​
Politics – Activities and actions used to gain, maintain, or exercise power, especially in
governance.

FORMS OF CULTURE

1.​ Material Culture – Tangible objects and creations shared by a society.​

2.​ Non-material Culture – Ideas, beliefs, customs, and values that shape people’s
behavior.​

ELEMENTS OF CULTURE

●​ Values & Beliefs – Ideas about what is good, just, and true.​

●​ Norms – Rules for acceptable behavior.​

●​ Symbols & Language – Signs and systems of communication with shared meaning.​

UNIVERSALS AND SOCIALIZATION

●​ Cultural Universals – Behaviors or traits shared by all human societies.​

●​ Socialization – The lifelong process of learning and adapting to a culture and society.​

SOCIOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES

●​ Structural Functionalism – Society works as a whole because its parts function

together.​

●​ Conflict Perspective – Society is characterized by inequality and competition for

resources.​

●​ Interactionist Perspective – Society is shaped by daily interactions and interpretations.​

CULTURAL VIEWPOINTS

●​ Ethnocentrism – Judging other cultures by your own standards.​

●​ Cultural Relativism – Evaluating a culture by its own standards and context.​

Lesson 2: SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND CULTURAL CHANGE

CHARACTERISTICS OF CULTURE

●​ Learned – Passed down through teaching and imitation.​

●​ Shared – Commonly experienced by members of the group.​

●​ Dynamic – Constantly changing through interaction.​

●​ Integrated – All parts are connected; to understand one part, you must consider the
whole.​

●​ Symbol-based – Communicated through symbols, especially language.​

CULTURAL PROCESSES

●​ Diffusion – Spread of cultural traits between societies.​

●​ Acculturation – Adopting traits of another culture while keeping your own.​

●​ Transculturation – Blending of two cultures to form a new one.​

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

●​ Family​

●​ School​

●​ Religion​

●​ Media​
 ●​ Leadership​

●​ Law​

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL CHANGE

●​ Innovation – New discoveries or inventions.​

●​ Globalization – Worldwide exchange of markets, information, and people.​

Lesson 3: STUDY OF CULTURE, SOCIETY, AND POLITICS

SOCIAL SCIENCES

●​ Anthropology – Scientific study of human origin, behavior, and cultural development.​

●​ Sociology – Systematic study of society and social interactions.​

●​ Political Science – Study of governance and political processes, including societal and
cultural factors.

AAAAA

Lesson 2: ASPECTS OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY I

(Dynamic, Flexible, & Adaptive; and Shared & Contested)

CULTURE IS DYNAMIC AND FLEXIBLE

●​ Change is inevitable, even in the way people live.​

 ●​ Dynamic means culture changes over time, but usually slowly—especially for
non-material culture like beliefs and values.​

●​ Cultural Lag happens when material culture changes but non-material culture does not.​

○​ Example: In the Philippines, contraceptives are available, but their use is still
frowned upon due to cultural taboos about sex.​

CULTURE IS ADAPTIVE

●​ People adjust their ways of life to fit new environments and social conditions.​

●​ Humans adapt more through culture than through biological changes.​

SUBCULTURES AND COUNTERCULTURES

●​ Subculture – A subgroup in society with its own traditions, but still part of the larger
culture.​

○​ Example: Indigenous groups with unique customs but also sharing Filipino
traditions.​

●​ Counterculture – A type of subculture that rejects some norms accepted by the

majority.​

Lesson 3: ASPECTS OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY II

(Learned or Transmitted: Socialization and Enculturation)

CULTURE IS LEARNED

●​ Unlike formal schooling, culture is learned through interaction with society.​

 ●​ Socialization / Enculturation – Passing culture from one generation to another;
teaching acceptable behaviors, values, and beliefs.​

●​ Acculturation – Learning or adapting to another culture.​

○​ Example: OFWs adopting cultural practices from their host countries.​

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

Social institutions that teach members of society proper behavior:

●​ Family​

●​ School​

●​ Peers​

●​ Religion​

●​ Government​

Feral Children – Individuals who grow up without proper socialization (e.g., Tarzan)
lack learned human behavior such as language and social norms.

Lesson 4: ASPECTS OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY III

(Patterned Social Interactions; Integrated yet Unstable; Requires Language and
Communication)

PATTERNS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION

●​ Repeated interactions form patterns of behavior within groups.​

●​ Shared patterns build relationships and a sense of belonging.​

●​ Culture is a complex whole made up of shared behaviors, arts, values, and beliefs.​
CULTURE AS UNSTABLE AND CONTESTED

●​ Because it changes, culture can be unstable.​

●​ Subcultures and countercultures may challenge the dominant culture.​

●​ Cultural Lag can happen when beliefs and norms do not keep up with changes in
technology or material culture.​

LANGUAGE AND COMMUNICATION IN CULTURE

●​ Language – A system of symbols, signs, sounds, gestures, or written marks with shared
meanings.​

●​ Language isn’t just spoken—it includes body language and other agreed-upon signals.​

●​ It teaches behavior and preserves cultural patterns.​

○​ Example: Filipinos nod as a greeting; Koreans bow.

Lesson 7: ETHNOCENTRISM, XENOCENTRISM, AND

CULTURAL RELATIVISM
WHAT IS ETHNOCENTRISM?

Ethnocentrism is the tendency to judge another culture based on the standards of your own
culture. It often leads to thinking your culture is superior to others.

Introduced by: William Graham Sumner (1906) – An American sociologist who first coined the
term “ethnocentrism” to describe this tendency.

Effects of Ethnocentrism:

●​ Positive – Strengthens unity and cultural pride.​

●​ Negative – Can cause prejudice, discrimination, and cultural misunderstanding.​

Example of Ethnocentrism:​
A Filipino refusing to eat Japanese sushi because it is considered “strange” compared to
Filipino food.

WHAT IS XENOCENTRISM?

Xenocentrism is the preference for the culture, products, or ideas of another society over those
of your own. It is the opposite of ethnocentrism.

Coined by: Sociologists Kent & Potter (1954) – They used the term to describe the tendency of
some groups to value foreign cultures more highly.

Effects of Xenocentrism:

●​ Can encourage openness to new cultural ideas.​

●​ May cause undervaluing of one’s own culture.​

Example of Xenocentrism:​
Choosing imported clothing over locally made clothes because foreign brands are assumed to
be of higher quality.

WHAT IS CULTURAL RELATIVISM?

Cultural relativism is the practice of understanding a culture by its own standards and values,
rather than judging it through the lens of another culture.

Developed by: Franz Boas (early 20th century) – Known as the “Father of American
Anthropology,” he promoted cultural relativism to counter ethnocentric thinking.

Purpose of Cultural Relativism:

●​ Encourages empathy and tolerance.​

●​ Prevents unfair cultural comparisons.​

Example of Cultural Relativism:​

Appreciating the unique wedding rituals of an indigenous group without comparing them to
modern church weddings.
WRAP UP:

●​ Ethnocentrism (William Graham Sumner) – Judging other cultures by your own

cultural standards.​

●​ Xenocentrism (Kent & Potter) – Preferring other cultures over your own.​

●​ Cultural Relativism (Franz Boas) – Evaluating a culture within its own context.​

Understanding these ideas helps promote respect, reduce bias, and improve intercultural
communication.