The Social Science and the three faces of the Social
- 1. THE SOCIAL SCIENCE AND THE THREE FACES OF THE SOCIAL LESSON 1: UNDERSTANDING CULTURE, SOCIETY, & POLITICS: SOME KEY OBSERVATIONS By: Jeremias B. Magdaong Jr.
- 2. SOCIETY •AN ORGANIZED GROUP OF PERSONS ASSOCIATED TOGETHER FOR RELIGIOUS, BENEVOLENT, CULTURAL, SCIENTIFIC, POLITICAL, PATRIOTIC, OR OTHER PURPOSES. •SOCIAL SCIENCE IS ANY DISCIPLINE OR BRANCH OF SCIENCE THAT DEALS WITH HUMAN BEHAVIOUR IN ITS SOCIAL AND CULTURAL ASPECTS. THE SOCIAL SCIENCES INCLUDE CULTURAL (OR SOCIAL) ANTHROPOLOGY, SOCIOLOGY, SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, POLITICAL SCIENCE, AND ECONOMICS.
- 3. CULTURE, SOCIETY & POLITICS AS CONCEPTUAL TOOLS •CONCEPTS ARE CREATED AND HAVE BEEN USED TO HAVE A FIRM GRIP OF PHENOMENON. •“THE RATIONAL PURPORT OF A WORD OR A CONCEPTION.” •CONCEPTS ARE MADE TO EXAMINE CLOSELY AND DETERMINE WHAT IS ESSENTIAL BEHIND THE MEANING.
- 4. WHY DO WE HAVE TO VIEW CULTURE, POLITICS & SOCIETY AS CONCEPTUAL TOOLS? •IN A GENERAL SENSE, THESE CONCEPTUAL TOOLS SHALL GIVE US A BETTER AND BROADER UNDERSTANDING IN DESCRIBING THE FACETS OF SOCIAL EXPERIENCE IN RELATION THE PHENOMENA CONCERNED OR THE COMMUNITY WE LIVE IN TODAY. •AND IN TURN, THESE CONCEPTUAL TOOLS SHALL ALLOW US TO FORM OTHER CONCEPTS ABOUT OUR UNDERSTANDINGS AND ALSO HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE IT AS WELL.
- 5. AS A HEURISTIC TOOL (SIMPLIFYING TOOL), CONCEPTS ALLOWS THE DISCOVERY OF NEW ASPECTS OF A PHENOMENON. IN THIS CASE, A CONCEPT CAN BE CONVINCED MORE AS A ‘MEANS’ RATHER THAN AS AN ‘END’. WITH THE STUDY OF CULTURE, ANTHROPOLOGISTS ARE ABLE TO HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDINGS OF THE COMPLEX PROCESSES AND DYNAMICS THAT CHARACTERIZE THE GREAT VARIETY OF “ WAYS OF LIVING” PRACTICED AND OBSERVED AROUND THE WORLD. IF THESE FACETS OF SOCIAL EXPERIENCES ARE TO BE VIEWED AS CONCEPTUAL TOOLS, WE NOW HAVE THE CAPABILITY TO THOROUGHLY UNDERSTAND IT AND HOW DOES IT IMPACT THE PHENOMENON IN QUESTION.
- 6. STUDENTS AS SOCIAL BEINGS •OUR CATEGORIES AS MALE/FEMALE, RICH/POOR, OR TALL/SHORT AND EVEN THE PROBLEMATIC EFFECT OF THE COLOR OF OUR SKIN ARE EVIDENCE OF THE OPERATION OF THESE SOCIAL FORCES. WE HAVE DISTINCT CATEGORIES AND EVEN CHARACTERISTICS THAT WE POSSESS THAT ARE SPECIFICALLY ASSIGNED TO US BY SOCIETY AT LARGE. GENDER IN PARTICULAR, LABELS US AS AND FUNDAMENTAL, INTRUSIVE, AND LIMITING BECAUSE IT CAN BE EASILY GENERALIZED BY PERSONAL TRAITS AND SOCIAL POSITIONS SURROUNDING IT AND ARE SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED FOR US.
- 7. SOCIAL REALITIES: BEHAVIOR AND PHENOMENON •THERE ARE TIMES THAT WE FIND OURSELVES IN A SITUATION UNLIKE OTHER SITUATIONS. WE PERSONALLY ENCOUNTER DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING THINGS, BEHAVING, AND MAKING SENSE OF EVENTS. WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY OF OBSERVING PEOPLE BY MEANS OF LINKING THE BEHAVIOR AND PHENOMENON AT HAND. OBSERVATION TOWARDS UNEVENTFUL SITUATION CAN HELP US UNDERSTAND THE DIFFERENT BEHAVIORAL STEPS OF AN INDIVIDUAL IN TERMS OF PERSPECTIVES.
- 8. EXAMPLE: JAMES DISTURBS ME IN ANY POSSIBLE WAY, HE BULLIES ME IN FRONT OF THE CLASS, CALL NAMES, AND SOMETIMES PICK A FIGHT TO ME. IT HAPPENED WHEN I BEFRIENDED HER EX-GIRLFRIEND AND IN TURN, WE ARE HAPPILY TOGETHER AND TO THIS DAY, HE’S HOLDING A GRUDGE TO ME AS IF I'M A PRIMARY ENEMY IN HIS LIFE.
- 10. EXAMPLE 2 MY BESTFRIEND IS ALWAYS USING THE PHONE AND COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT IT. SHE USES FACEBOOK IN PARTICULAR; READING AND MAKING POSTS AND OR COMMUNICATION TO THE POINT THAT IF SHE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE STUCK IN A ROOM, HER FIRST ITEM OF RESORT WOULD BE A PHONE AND A GOOD SIGNAL
- 11. INCLINED TO SOCIAL MEDIA
- 12. VALUES AND BELIEFS AS BEHAVIOR MOTIVATORS •IT CAN BE OBSEREVED THAT HUMAN BEHAVIOR, WHETHER INDIVIDUAL OR COLLECTIVE, ARE PROPELLED BY POWERFUL MOTIVATORS IN A FORM OF VALUES AND BELIEFS. •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. •BELIEFS IS SOMETHING ONE ACCEPTS AS TRUE OR REAL.
- 13. WHY DOES VALUES AND BELIEFS A GATEWAY TO BEHAVIOR MOTIVATION? •VALUES AND BELIEFS ARE ASSESSMENTS OF WHY AN INDIVIDUAL POSSESS THIS KIND OF BEHAVIOR IN A CERTAIN SITUATION OR PHENOMENON
- 14. SOCIAL DYNAMICS: SOCIAL, POLITICAL AND CULTURAL CHANGE •WITH THE UPRISE AND ADVENT OF INNOVATION TOWARDS OUR SOCIETY, THE POLITICAL AND CULTURAL SOCIETY ARE THE CONSIDERED AS PRIMARY EXAMPLES FROM IT. PEOPLE ARE GAINING KNOWLEDGE BY THE SECOND AS OF HOW THEY PERCIEVE THE VALUES AND BELIEFS TO WHICH IT ALSO CONSTRUBITES THE CULTURE AND POLITICAL CHANGE IN OUR SOCIETY.