United Nations Millennium Development
Goals and United Nations Sustainable
Development Goals
Understanding the Concepts of
Anthropology, Sociology and Political
Science
 Concepts of Anthropology
 Concepts of Political Science
 Concepts of Sociology
Anthropology
 The study of humanity, the study of
humankind
 The study of humanity, including
our prehistoric origins and
contemporary human diversity
 The study of humankind in all times
and all places
 Concepts of Anthropology
Goals of Anthropology
 Discover what makes people
different from one another in order
to understand and preserve diversity
 Discover what all people have in
common
 Look at one’s own culture more
objectively, like an outsider; make
the strange familiar and the familiar
strange
 Produce new knowledge and new
theories about humankind and
human behavior
 Four Fields of Anthropology
 Cultural Anthropology - study of
living people and their cultures,
including variation and change
 Biological anthropology - study of
humans as biological organisms,
including their evolution and
contemporary variation
 Linguistic Anthropology - study of
communication, mainly (but not
exclusively) among humans
 Archaeology - study of past human
cultures through their material
remains
 Applied Anthropology
 Anthropology put to use
 Application of anthropological
knowledge to help solve social
problems or to shape policy goals
 Applied anthropology is not a
separate field of Anthropology.
However, application should be a
valued part of every field of
Anthropology
Sociology
 Concepts of Sociology
 Sociology (Latin: socius,
"companion"; -ology, "the study
of", Greek λόγος, lógos,
"knowledge") is the study of human
societies. Combining the two words
will mean the study of associates or
companions.
 Sociology was coined by August
Comte (1798-1857), who was
regarded as the “father of
Sociology.”
 A science which studies human
civilization
 A systematic study of groups and
societies that people build and how
these affect their behavior
 It focuses on various social
connections, institutions,
organizations, structures and
processes
 It gathers social inputs which are
composed of frequent forms and
manners: attitude, viewpoints,
consolidated values and norms of
social institutions which form part
of social array
*The scientific study of Sociology
enables us to:
  Obtain possible theories and
principles about society as well as
various aspects of social life
 Critically study the nature of
humanity which also leads to
examining our roles within the
society
 Appreciate that all things (in
society) are interdependent with
each other
 Broaden our familiarity on
sociological facts which are
acquired through empirical process
 Expose our minds to the different
perspectives on attaining the truth
 Concepts of Sociology
 Social organization – includes the
study of social institutions, social
inequality, social mobility, religious
groups and bureaucracy
 Social psychology – focuses on the
study of human nature and its
emphasis on social processes as
they affect individual or responses
 Applied Psychology – concerned
with the specific intent of yielding
practical applications for human
behavior and organization. Also,
aims to assist in resolving social
problems
 Population Studies – this area
includes size, growth, demographic
characteristics, composition,
migration, changes, and equality vis
a vis (in relation to )economic,
political, and social systems
 Human Ecology – pertains to the
study of the effects of various social
organizations (religious, political
and a like ) to the population’s
behavior
 Sociological Theory and Research –
focuses on the discovery of
theoretical tools, methods and
techniques to scientifically explain
a sociological issue
 Social Change – studies the factor
that cause social organization and
social disorganization like calamity,
drug abuse, drastic and gradual
social change, health and welfare
problems, political instability,
unemployment and
underemployment, child and
women’s issue
Political science
 Concepts of Political Science
 Deals with the study of government
and political processes, institutions,
and behaviors
 A study of the complex behavior of
various political actors
 Systematic study of political and
government institutions and
processes
 Administer justice
 Promote physical, economic, social,
and cultural well-being of the
people
 Preserve the internal and external
autonomy of the state
 Administer foreign and diplomatic
relations
 Politics
- Originated from the Greek word,
Polis which means city or state
- The art and science of governing
city/state
- The social process or strategy in
any position of control which
people gain, use or lose power.
 State is defined as a community of
persons more or less numerous,
permanently occupying a definite
portion of territory , having a
government of their own to which
the great body of inhabitants render
obedience, and enjoying freedom
from external control. Like any
other political institutions, it is a
creation of men for their common
interest.
 Nation is defined as a large
aggregate of people united by
common descent, history, culture,
or language, inhabiting a particular
country or territory.
 Government is defined is the
working agency of the state. It is
the political organization of the
state. Government is defined as the
 agency through which the force of
the state is formulated.
UCSP: Some Key Observations
 Conceptual tools
 Culture
 Society
 Politics
 Concept
 Are created and have been used to
have firm grip of phenomenon.
 Are initially invented as icons to
capture (or represent) phenomena
and in the process assist their
users/inventors “to describe” facets
of social experience in relation to
the phenomena concerned.
 Allow the discovery of new
concepts, or relate concepts to each
other, or even deconstruct old ones
and replace them with something
new.
 Can be conceived more as a
‘means’ rather as an ‘end’.
*phenomenon- a rare or significant fact or
event (m-w.com)
 Social Agents And Actors
 The way we are being steered to
live our lives– presupposes
omnipotent forces shaping the very
fabric of our existence.
 Our categories/labels as
male/female, rich/poor, or
tall/short, and even the problematic
effect of the color of our skin are
evidences of the operation of these
social forces.
 Our society read our worth and
socially construct categories we
possess.
 Social Realities: Behavior and
phenomenon
 Doing, behaving and making
things differently.
 Why do we do such a thing?
 What makes it normal and
acceptable and unacceptable to
some people in some places?
1. Istambay
2. Lagay
3. Political dynasty
4. Food taboos
5. Same-sex partnership
6. Use of a go-between/padrino
 Values as behavior motivators
 Values have major influence on a
person’s behavior and attitude,
they serve as guidelines on
behavior.
 They are the criteria people use in
assessing their daily lives,
arranging their priorities, and
choosing between alternative
courses of action.
 Values are a person’s or a
collectivity’s principles or
standards of behavior and are
considered as judgment of what is
important in life.
 They are important and lasting
beliefs or ideals shared by the
members of a culture about what is
good or bad and desirable or
undesirable.
 Beliefs as behavior motivators
 BELIEF is something one accepts
as true or real.
 It takes the form of firmly held
opinion or conviction, or
regardless of the lack of verifiable
evidence.
 May be based on tradition, faith,
experience, scientific research, or
some combination of these.
 Examples of social, cultural and
political change
Which of these scenarios are new,
emerging and familiar?
 Selfieing
 Transnational families
 Youth volunteerism
 Video gaming
 Anthropological and Sociological
Perspectives on Culture and Society
 Concepts of Society and Culture
 Aspects of Culture
 Orientations in Viewing Other
Cultures
 Anthropology and Sociology
 Anthropology is defined as the
origin, development, and nature of
human species (humankind,
humanity) while Sociology is
defined as the scientific study of
social groups (companionship)
 Anthropological Perspectives
 Unilineal Evolutionism – states
that new cultural forms emerge
from the past the pass through
similar stages of development
Example: from Animism to Monotheism
i.e. Roman Catholic or Islam
 Cultural Diffusionism – asserts
that culture originates from one
more culture centers which are
results of borrowed elements to the
new culture.
Example: from Animism to Monotheism
i.e. Roman Catholic or Islam
 Historical Particularism-
believes that each group of people
has its own unique culture which is
influenced by its history,
geography, and environment.
Example: Filipino people are influenced by
superstitious beliefs, which
originate from their ancestors.
 Anthropological Structuralism -
conveys that cultural phenomena
and practices have a relationship to
one another by which human
organize and structure their
experiences.
Example: Father and Son
Husband and Wife
 Cultural Materialism – on the
other hand, considers the idea that
culture is influenced by
technology, resources, economic
values, religious belief and the
utilization of things.
Example: Pork is prohibited in the Muslim diet.
 Anthropological Functionalism –
cultural elements and practices are
interrelated and interdependent and
persist because they have a
purpose.
Example: Filipinos’ actions are influenced by
their religion.
 Sociological Perspective
 Sociological Functionalism –
views society as an organized
network cooperating groups
operating orderly to generally
accepted norms.
Example: To produce more productive
graduates in the community, the
government must pour money into
education.
 Sociological Conflict Perspective
– sees the social environment is a
continuous struggle which is in
contrast with functionalism
Example: Rich vs. Poor
 Evolutionism – explains how
human groups came to exist, grow,
and develop.
Example: Before, people use telephone to
communicate with one another, now
with the advancement of technology,
many of us use cell phones as a
means of communication.
 Symbolic Interactionism – deals
with patterns of behavior in large
units of society such as
organization, communities, etc
Example: Why does an individual in the
community avoid eye contact when
talking to a stranger?
 Context Analysis
Anthropological Sociological
Perspectives Perspectives
Unilineal
Evolutionism Evolutionism
Cultural Conflict
Diffusionism
 Historical
Particularism
Cultural Symbolic
Materialism Interactionism
Anthropological
Structuralism Functionalism
Anthropological
Functionalism Society and Culture
 Society and Culture
 SOCIETY is derived from the
Latin word “societas” or
“socious” which means
companion or associate.
 Thus, SOCIETY refers to all
people, collectively regarded as
constituting a community of
related, interdependent individuals
living in a particular place,
following a certain mode of life
 It refers to a population of people
that is organized in a cooperative
manner.
 It is a population that occupies the
same territory.
 CULTURE is a complex whole
which encompasses beliefs,
practices, values, attitudes, laws,
norms, artifacts, symbols,
knowledge, and everything that a
person learns and shares as a
member of society
 The individual’s taste, inclination,
and interest in the “fine arts”
 Being civilized
 A complex whole
 Perspectives on Society
 Anthropological Perspective
- A group of people sharing a
common culture
 Sociological Perspective
- An association organized by
men
 Anthropological Perspective
- A unique character of every
human society
 Sociological Perspective
- The imprint made by group of
people
 What are the aspects of Culture?
Aspect here is defined as a particular part or
feature of culture which has the following
characteristics:
 dynamic, flexible, & adaptive,
 shared & contested through time,
 learned through socialization or
enculturation
 patterned social interactions, and
 integrated and at times unstable.
 Aspects of Culture
 Artifacts - Objects made by
human beings either hand-made or
mass-produced
 Arts and Recreation - Arts,
Music, Drama and Literatures,
Games and Sports, and Use of
Leisure Time
 Clothes - The people usually wear
in the community
 Customs and Traditions - The
things we do. Passed through
centuries, generation and time by
our common ancestors
 Food - The staple food that the
people in the community often eat.
 Government - The one that
implement rules, keep peace and
order, and address conflicts in the
community
 Knowledge - The psychological
result of perception, learning, and
reasoning
 Language - The mental faculty or
power of vocal communication
 Religion - A strong belief in a
supernatural power that control
human destiny
 Shelter - A structure that provides
privacy and protection from danger
 Tools - Objects used to improve
the performance of a task
 Values - The morals that we live
by.
 Yes, they are smarter than us.
No, we are smarter than them.
We cannot compare our level of thinking to
theirs.

 Superiority and Inferiority

 Ethnocentrism - is the tendency
to judge other cultures by one’s
own standards. Refers to the
tendency to view one's own
culture as the norm. There is a
tendency to assume one's culture
is superior to others.
 Xenocentrism – the extreme
likeness for things which are
foreign. It is the belief that what
is foreign is best in terms of one’s
lifestyle, products or ideas.
 Cultural relativism - is the
recognition that one culture
cannot be arbitrarily judged by the
standards of another. Every
culture must be "judged" by its
own cultural in criteria because
standard of right and wrong and
good and bad are relative to the
cultural context within which they
appear.

 Conclusion
 Cultural Relativism
- A cultural relativist would say that
Japanese think they are the smartest
people because that’s their standpoint.
 Ethnocentrism and Xenocentrism
- Filipinos are outstanding workers all
around the world.
- Philippines is only a Third World
country.

Cultural Relativism Superior

Ethnocentrism Inferior
Xenocentrism Context