Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Objectives: After the discussions and exercises, the students will be able to:
1. Explain the major concepts related to culture and society;
2. Explain and differentiate the various theoretical views of culture;
3. Identify some issues related to our own and other cultures;
4. Develop a general acceptance of our own tolerance for other cultures.
I. SOCIETY
1. Definitions of society
a. Hunting and food gathering societies are the earliest form of human
society. They are subsistence societies that forage for vegetation and
game on the basis of what is needed for each day’s existence.
b. Horticultural societies are those that plant gardens and fields using
only human muscle power and hand-held tools. They are two types:
c. Pastoral societies rely on herding and the domestication of animals for
existence. Animals raised provide milk, dung for fuel, skin, sheared fur,
and even blood (which is drunk as a major source of protein in East
Africa). Pastoral societies develop in many regions not suitable for plant
domestication. Since pastoral groups follow their herds in quest for
pasture and water, these groups are relatively small and mobile.
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1. Population:
a. Genetic constants-those that are rooted in our species’
common genetic heritage: the ability to reason and devise
cultural solutions to social problems, powerful emotions and
appetites every society’s most precious resource and cause of
its many problems.
b. Genetic variables—they are absent or occur in different
forms in other individuals; not distributed equally among
societies; color of skin, texture of hair, eye shape, blood type,
etc.
c. Demographic variables—size, density, distribution,
migration, age, sex, deaths and births, etc.
2. Culture
a. Symbol systems (Language; spoken and written, body
gestures, etc)
b. Information-every culture has a substantial store of
information about the:
1. biophysical world: plant and animal life, minerals, soil,
water, climate, etc
2. society itself; origins, history its people, its heroes
3. ultimate causes of events in this world
4. coping with recurring problems from food to social
conflict
5. guiding individuals in making judgments about what is
good and beautiful and right
6. satisfying culturally activated and intensified needs such
as the desire for artistic expression or for ritual
3. Social Structure—the network of relationships among members of a
society
c. Individual—the building block in every social structure
d. Role
e. Groups
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f. Statuses
g. Classes
II. CULTURE
b. Definition of Culture
c. Types of Culture
d. Theories of Culture
comes into play. (Lenski and Lenski) Sanctions used are ridicule, raised
eyebrows, critical and sarcastic remarks, disapproval and
embarrassment to those who do not conform.
The following are forms of social norms: folkways, mores, and laws
ii. Mores – norms that are important to the welfare of the people and
their cherished values; consists mostly of taboos. They have great moral
significance and strong sanctions. They apply to sex behavior, marriage
and family relations, physical and moral aggression against members of a
group, betrayal of a group, attitudes toward authority, religion and the
unfortunates in society, dealings in business and the varied professions,
and other vital matters which involve group welfare. Violations of mores
result in strong disapproval and even severe punishment.
iii. Laws – formalized norms enacted by people who are vested with
governmental power and enforced by political and legal authorities
designated by the government. Laws regulate or control the people’s
behavior and conduct.
The following values were found by Fr. Jaime Bulatao, SJ, to be held highly
by the Filipinos: emotional closeness and security in the family; authority
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7. Related Concepts
8. Cultural Change
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ultural change is change in the distinctive way of life of the people, such
as changes in tools; changes in norms, values, and knowledge; addition of
new words or alteration in structure of the language; changing norms of
morality, ethics, and propriety; new forms of government and political
parties; rise of new sects and religions; new discoveries and findings in
science; and alterations in the forms of music, dance, poetry, and other arts.
These changes are accompanied with changes in social organizations,
patterns of social relations, values, and attitudes (Panopio and Rolda 1988).
9. A Global Culture?
Societies around the world are increasingly coming into contact with one
another as
shown by global economy (flow of goods), global communication (flow of
information) and global migration (flow of people). These global links make
cultures of the world similar but the formation of global culture should
consider these facts: 1) The global flow of goods, information, and people is
uneven. Urban areas have stronger ties with one another while rural areas
remain isolated. North America and Western Europe influence the rest of the
world. 2) People in many parts of the world cannot afford various new goods
and services. 3) People do not attach the same meaning to cultural
practices found in many parts of the world (Macionis 2003).
According to the conflict model, norms and roles are regular ways to
distribute society’s resources—money, power, and prestige. Most norms
and roles operate to the advantage of some and to the disadvantage of
others. The acceptance of norms and roles as they exist perpetuates an
unequal distribution of society’s resources and therefore inequality.
Attempts to devise new understandings that are more equitable. New
gender roles would lead to more equality between the genders and would
allow men and women to achieve without regard to extraneous limitations
due only to labels, not ability.