Human Variation- differences among individuals and population in terms of genetic

physical and behavioral traits

Nationality- the identity that is being tied to being part of a nation or country- group of
people who share the same history, traditions, and language and inhabits a particular
territory delineated by a political border and administered by a government

Ethnicity- category of people who identify with each other based on shared social,
cultural, or ancestral characteristics

Tribal group- formed by lineage and kinship

Social Differences which include categories on:

• Gender: socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that society
considers appropriate for men and women
• Socio-economic class- ideas associated with being rich or poor
• Political identity- set of attitudes and practices that an individual adheres to in
relation to the political systems actors within the society
• Religion- a person’s beliefs

Exceptionality/non-exceptionality

• Leans on the non-average capacity of an individual

• Could be understood in a spectrum of capabilities wherein you have the geniuses in
one extreme and you have disabled and challenged in the other extreme

Cultural Variation- the differences in cultural practices, values, beliefs, and norms among
various groups or societies

Culture- way of life of people- the behaviors, beliefs, and norms among societies

Significant reasons for cultural variation:

• Environment
• Isolation
• Technology
• Dominant cultural themes

Ethnocentrism- a perspective that promotes individual culture as the most efficient and
superior, hence, an individual that inhibits this feels that his or her culture is the most
appropriate as compared to other cultures
Cultural relativism- promotes the perspective that cultures must be understood in the
context of their locality

Anthropology- derived from two Greek words antropos-human and logos-study, it studies
human as both biological and social structures, promotes a holistic study of humans

Five sub disciples

1. Archeology- examines the remains of ancient and historical populations to

promote and understanding of how humans have adapted to their environment and
developed
2. Cultural anthropology- promotes the study of a society’s culture through their
belief, systems, practices, and possessions
3. Linguistic anthropology- examines the language of a group of people and its
relation to their culture
4. Physical anthropology- looks into the biological development of humans and their
contemporary variation
5. Applied anthropology- attempts to solve contemporary problems through the
application of theories and approaches of the disciples

Key informants- individuals in a society who have significant knowledge on the topic
being studied by anthropologist

Participant-observation method- entails the participation of the researcher on the daily

practices and rituals of the group being studied

Characteristics of culture:

• Culture is everything
-Implies all the belief systems, set of behavior and material possession
-Material culture- tangible and visible parts of culture
-Non-material culture- intangible parts of culture
• Culture is learned
-beliefs, attitudes, and practices that an individual learns through family, school,
church, and social institutions
-enculturation- process of learning your own culture
-acculturation- culture can be modified to accommodate desirable traits from
other cultures
-deculturation- when the culture of the older generation comes into conflict with
the needs and realities of the younger generation
• Culture is shared
 • Culture affects biology
-humans are born into culture that have values on beauty and body. As such,
they alter their bodies to fit in norms dictated by their culture
• Culture is adaptive
• Culture is maladaptive
-Culture can also cause problems for the people who subscribes to it
• Culture changes

SOCIOLOGY AND THE STUDY OF SOCIETY

Sociology- scientific study of society including patterns of social relationship, social

interaction, and culture

Auguste Comte (1830)- coined the term sociology, refers to a scientific inquiry that covers
all human activities

C. Wright Wills (1959)- coined the phrase “sociological imagination” to refer the ability of
sociologist to understand society systematically

Sociological concepts:

Society- product of human interactions as humans subscribe to the rules of their culture

Social interaction- compilation of ways and means by which humans interact with each
other within the confines of society

Social organization- refers to the inter-relationship of parts of society

-Roles- set of accepted behaviors

-Group- basic unit of organization
-Institution- building blocks of society

SUBDISCIPLES OF SOCIOLOGY

Social psychology- the study of impact of group of life to a person’s nature and
personality

Social change and disorganization- inquires on the shift in social and cultural
interactions and the interruption of its process through delinquency, deviance, and
conflicts

Human ecology- pursues the study that relate behavior to existing social institution

Demography- inquires on the relationship between population, character, and dynamics

with that of political, economic, and social system
Applied sociology- uses sociological research and methods to solve contemporary
problems, it uses an interdisciplinary approach

Society- refers to all people collectively regarded as constituting a community of related

interdependent individuals living in a definite place, following a certain mode of life

Reasons people live together as a society (Ariola,2012):

1. For survival
2. For gregariousness
3. Specialization

Characteristics:

1. It is a social system
2. It is relatively large
3. It socializes its members and from those without
4. It endures, produces, and sustain its members for generation
5. It holds the members through a common culture
6. It has a clearly defined geographical territory

POLITICAL SCIENCE AND THE STUDY OF POLITICS

Political science- a discipline in social science concerned primarily in the state,

government, and politics. It focuses widely on political theory and its practice and the
analysis of political systems and behavior

Goals of political science

• Understand civic skills and humane ideals for public participation

• Examine the operation of the government
• Equip each of us intellectual resources that will harness you to greater heights

Political theory- examines the contemporary application of political concepts such as

human rights, equality, peace and justice, seeks to understand the variations of its
implementation in societies with the aim of understanding the nature of these concepts
and the elements that affect them

Public administration- examines the various administrative schemes implemented by the

government officials

Comparative politics- aims to promote content to the differences in government and

political systems
Public policy- is a deliberate and systematic attempt to address various social, economic,
and political issues that affect society

International relations- allows nations to cooperate with one another, pull resources and
share information as a way to face global issues that go beyond any particular country or
region

Political behavior- is the study of the way people think, feel, and act with regard to politics

Symbols- is an object, a word, or action that stands for something else, without natural
relationship that is culturally defined

Symbolism- is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is

much deeper and more significant

Major characteristics of symbolism

1. Symbolism is understood as well as believed

2. It holds a comprehensive view and carries the values of the whole
3. It translates the abstract to concrete
4. Symbols translate the complex to simple
5. It is frontless to front
6. Symbols introduces unknown to familiar
7. It unveils from mysterious to understanding
8. It stands for both and good
9. It provides model to guide

TYPES OF SYMBOLS

Cultural symbols- manifestation that signifies ideology of a particular culture that has
meaning within the culture (Phil. Flag, Phil. Eagle, National anthem, national hero)

Social symbols- relating to human societies and its mode of organization (social classes,
social problems, social issues) (wedding ring, red cross, peace sign, etc.)

Political symbols- used to represent a political standpoint, seen in various media and
forms such as banners, flag, motto, etc. (black, blue, brown, etc.)

Economic symbols- used in production, distribution, and consumption of goods and

services like currency, market, labor, demands, and other economic activities

CULTURAL PRACTICES IN THE PHILLIPINES

 • Traditional medical practices
• Religious and spiritual practices
• Culinary practices
• Child-rearing practices

SOCIALIZATION- continuing process where by an individual acquires a personal identity

(attitude, values, and behavior) and learn the norms, values, behaviors, and social skills
appropriate to his or her social position (process of learning how to become a part of a
culture)

IMPORTANCE OF SOCIALIZATION

1. Converts man, the biological being into man the social being
2. It contributes to the development of personality
3. Helps to become disciplined
4. Helps to reach different roles
5. Provides the knowledge of skills

WAYS OF SOCIALIZATION

1. It starts with the face and body language

2. Keep a clean sense of humor
3. Be attentive throughout the conversation
4. Maintain an open and positive frame of mind
5. Respect the distance and personal space of others

AGENTS OF SOCIALIZATION

1. Family
2. School
3. Peers
4. Media
5. Religion
6. Workplace

Social group- is two or more people who identify with and interact with each other, a
collection of people who regularly interact with one another based on shared expectations
concerning behavior and who share sense of common identity (family, friends)

Social category- people who share common characteristics but do not necessarily
interact of identify with one another, shared social characteristics like gender, race,
ethnicity, nationality age, class, etc. (women, homeowners, millionaires, college students)
Social aggregate- simple collection of people who happened to be together in a particular
place but do not significantly interact with

Crowd- loosely formed collection of people in one place (students in a large stadium with
interaction at a limited extent)

Primary group- joined by primary relationships where people spend a great deal of time
together, engage in a wide range of activities and they feel that they know one another
pretty well (bound by emotion and loyalty ex. Family, gangs, friend groups)

Secondary group- involve weak emotional ties and little personal knowledge of one
another, it exists for only a short period of time beginning and ending without particular
significance (students enrolled in the same university, workers, employees)

In group- simply any group that someone belongs to and feels emotional attachment to
members, a social group that a person psychologically identifies as being a member

Out group- one that someone doesn’t belong to and feels competition or hatred towards

Reference group- a social group that serves as a point of reference in making evaluations
and decisions, can be used as a basis of what someone aspires to be, role model

Network- a series or web of social ties involving people or groups of individuals connected
to each other