MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

Week 2

People of the same society share aspects of their culture, such as

language or beliefs.

In this lesson, we will discuss culture, which refers to our language,

values, beliefs, behavior, and material objects that constitute our way

of life. Culture is a defining element of society.

At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:

1. Articulate observations on human cultural variation,

social differences, social change, and political identities

2. Demonstrate curiosity and an openness to explore the

origins and dynamics of culture and society, and political

identities.

Definition of Culture

Culture is everything that is made, learned, or shared by the members

of a society, including values, beliefs, behaviors, and material objects.

Two parts of Culture

Manual Title 1
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

1. Material culture is the visible part. It may be the food we eat,

your cars, your houses or anything that members of society

make, use and share.

2. Non-material culture is intangible but this influences our

behavior like our language, beliefs, values, rules of behavior,

family patterns and political system

Five Components of Culture

1. Technology is one component that makes our life easier. We

can have volume production of goods that can be used by us

through this component.

2. Symbols are cultural representations of reality. They give

meanings to events and things like a statue, handshake, college

ring, flag etc.

3. Language is the most powerful of all human symbols as it

allows us to communicate with one another. It also conveys our

beliefs and culture.

4. Values are ideas. They determine our character. They are the

standards by which we assess goodness, acceptability, beauty

or desirability.

Manual Title 2
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

5. The fifth component is norm. Norm is a rule that guides our

behavior. It gives concrete terms how we should behave – what

we should do and what we should not do.

Classification of Norms:

1. Mores distinguish right from wrong

2. Folkways distinguish between right and rude. They are

referred as customs. They are measurements of behavior

but not approved by society.

3. Laws are written rules of conduct enacted and enforced by

government

4. Taboo is an activity that is forbidden or sacred based on

religious beliefs or morals. Breaking a taboo is extremely

objectionable in society as a whole. Around the world, an

act may be taboo in one culture and not in another.

Examples are:

1. Mores laws: child abuse, rape, carnapping, etc.

2. Folkway laws: jaywalking, counterflowing, etc.

Manual Title 3
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

3. Law: Driving while drunk, theft, murder, and trespassing are

all examples of laws. If violated, the person violating the law

could get reprimanded, pay a fine, or go to jail.

4. Taboos: abortion, addiction, cannibalism, offensive language,

slavery, etc.

Difference between Culture and Society

Society – consists of people who interact to share a common culture

Culture – consists of beliefs, behaviors, objects and other

characteristics common to a particular group or society.

Where did culture originate? Biological or Societal? Nature or

nurture?

Nature refers to your innate qualities or nativism while nurture is your

personal experiences. Nature is your genes, the physical and

personality traits determined by your genes which stays with you

wherever you were born or raised.

Nurture refers to your childhood, or how you were brought up.

Nature is built from your biological and family factors while nurture

from your societal or environmental factor.

Manual Title 4
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

Cultural Change

We can say that culture is learned – from our families, peers,

institutions and media. As we absorb other’s culture, we change ours.

It is shared as we share it with our group members.

It is based on symbols because these symbols give meaning to people

either to agree or not on their use.

Culture is integrated because if we learn culture, we should be ready to

relate all of the aspects, not only a part or a few.

It is also dynamic because of interaction and change. These changes

may be in the form of discoveries, inventions or cultural borrowings.

However, cultural diversity is also present in society. Because of the

existence of multiple cultures, it creates differences within the society.

Sub-cultures

You must also be informed about subcultures. Subcultures exist in

small cultural groups but differ in some way. Examples of subcultures

include: “heavy metal” music devotees, tattoo enthusiasts, gangs,

skinheads, etc.

Manual Title 5
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

When you oppose to the norms and values of a dominant culture, you

possess a counterculture. Examples of this are: protest groups, hippies,

etc.

When your culture is dominant, and it absorbs subcultural and

countercultural groups, the process is called assimilation.

If culture respects cultural variations, we call this multiculturalism.

To end this session, we add ethnocentrism which involves judging

other cultures against the standards of one’s culture; and cultural

relativism which says that a culture should be sociologically evaluated

according to its standards, and not those of any other culture.

This lesson might have presented you with important concepts to

improve your behavior and ways of dealing with other people like

your parents, siblings, peers and play groups.

Social Groups and Organization

This lesson deals with how man needs other members of society to

survive and to enjoy life. The issue here is how to organize ourselves

to for alliance into groups and organizations.

Manual Title 6
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

Classification of People

“No man is an island” goes the saying. Man can not thrive without the

presence of other men. There is a natural tendency for man to live

with others in a group, to look for a companion or group of

companions in order to fulfill the need to belong and to experience

some form of comfort.

People are usually classified based on the group he or she is an

aggregate of. This group may be something he consciously chose for

himself or something he was born into.

GROUP

A group serves many functions like giving an individual a sense of

identity as well as emotional intimacy.

It consists of two or more people who are distinct in the following

three ways:

a. Interact overtime

b. Have a sense of identity or belonging

c. Have norms that non-members don’t have.

For example: A class of students is a group who meet a few times in a

week for an entire semester and identify themselves on the basis of

Manual Title 7
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

what classes they are taking. Students in a class must follow their

professor’s class and test schedule, as well as rules for behavior and

contribution in class.

AGGREGATE

An aggregate is a collection of people who happen to be at the same

place at the same time but who have no other connection to one

another.

An example: the people in a restaurant on a particular evening are an

example of an aggregate, not a group. Those people do not know one

another, and they will likely never see again in the same place and the

same time.

CATEGORY

Third classification is category, which is a collection of people who

share a particular characteristic. They do not necessarily interact with

one another and have nothing else in common.

Examples of categories may include people who have green eyes, or

people who were born in the Philippines, or women who gave birth to

twins.

Manual Title 8
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

One important characteristic of a group is for group members interact

on a regular basis through communication.

Social Group

Those who interact with one another and share similar characteristics

and a sense of unity is called a social group. These groups may be

families, companies, circles of friends, fraternities and sororities and

local religious congregations

Nature of Social Group

➢ The group provides specific form as to the nature of interaction

in the society.

➢ Members should develop a structure where each member

assumes a specific status and adopts a particular role.

➢ Certain orderly procedures and values are agreed upon.

➢ The members of the group feel a sense of identity.

Types of Social Group

1. Social Group according to Ties (This is considered a primary

group)

 It is the most fundamental unit of human society

Manual Title 9
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

 A long-lasting group characterized by strong ties of

love and affection

 Do’s and don’ts of behavior are learned in this group

Examples: families, gangs, cliques, play groups, friendship groups

2. Social Group according to Ties (A Secondary Group)

 Group with which the individual comes in contact later

in life

 Characterized by impersonal business-like, contractual,

formal and casual relationship.

 Usually large in size, not very enduring and limited

relationships.

 People needed other people for the satisfaction of their

complex needs.

Examples: Industrial Workers, business associates. Faculty staff,

Company employees

3. Social Group to Form of Organization (Informal Group)

 Arises spontaneously out of the interactions of

two or more persons

 It is unplanned

 Has no explicit rules for membership and does

not have specific objectives to be attained

Manual Title 10
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

 members are bound by emotion and sentiments

4. Social Group according to Form of Organization (Formal

Group)

 Social organization

 Deliberately formed and their purpose and

objectives are explicitly defined.

 Their goals are clearly stated and the division of

labor is based on member’s ability or merit

5. Social Group according to Self identification (In-Group)

It is a social unit in which individuals feel at home and with

which they identify themselves

6. Social Group according to Self identification (Out-Group)

It is a social unit to which individuals do not belong due to

differences in social categories and with which they do not

identify.

7. Social Group according to Purpose (Special Interest Group)

A group which is organized to meet the special interest of the

members

8. Social Group according to Purpose (Task Force)

Manual Title 11
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

A group is assigned to accomplish jobs which cannot be done

by one person.

9. Social Group according to Geographical Location and Degree

of Relationship (Gemeinschaft)

 A social system in which most relationships are

personal and traditional

 It is a community of intimate, private and exclusive

living and familism

 Culture is homogeneous and traditional-bound

10. Social Group according to Geographical Location and Degree

of Relationship (Gesselschaft)

 A social system in which most relationships are

impersonal, formal, sontractuaal or bargain-like

 Relationship is individualistic, business-like, secondary

and rationalized

 Culture is heterogeneous and mored advanced

Social Organization

Social organization

The type of collectivity established for the pursuit of specific aims or

goods

Manual Title 12
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

Characterized by a formal structure of rules, authority relations, a

division of labor and limited membership or admission

Organization is an orderly relationship or arrangement of parts.

It is used to refer the interdependence and inter-related of parts in

groups

Examples of social organization:

Family, church, college, factory, a play group, a political party, a

community

Types of Social Organization

1. Political Organization: State (Government)

2. Economic Organization: Factory

3. Religious Organization: Church

4. Financial organization: Bank

5. Educational organization: School and Colleges

Goal of Social organization

That members of an organization are inter-related to each other for the

pursuit of a common goal

Preparedness to accept one’s role and status:

Manual Title 13
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

 Organization is an arrangement of persons and parts

 By arrangement, it is meant that every member of

the organization has an assigned role, a positon and

a status

Norms and Mores of Social Organization:

Every organization has its norms and mores which control its

members, as a result, an organization can function smoothly if its

members follow the organization norms.

Sanctions:

If a member does not follow the norms he is compelled to follow them

through sanctions (conditions) which may range from warning to

physical punishment. For example; a member may be expelled, or

dismissed.

To end our discussion on Social Groups and Organization, remember

that a group is a major source of solidarity and cohesion in society.

Manual Title 14
MODULE OF INSTRUCTION

References
Acton, Ashton Q. (2014). Issues in international sociology and social

work research and application. USA: Scholarly Editions.

Difference Between Anthropology and Sociology. Retrieved from:

www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/...anthropology-and-

sociology. (06 June 2015)

Ferrante, J. (2014). Sociology a Global Perspective. 9th edition. USA:

cengage Learning. Print

Mauss, M. (2005). The Nature of Sociology Berghahn Series. USA:

Durkheim Press. Print

Sociology/Anthropology. Retrieved from:

Manual Title 15