SOCIOLOGY

I.Society as an Objective Reality

Society - a level of organization of groups that
are relatively self-contained
Philippine society bounded territories; nationstates
Globalization integrate societies into a world
system that weakens the territorial boundaries
of states.

SUICIDE (Book)
(1987)
-Looked into the statistics of suicide rates and
provided a sociological explanation for the
persistence of suicide
-External constraints of society worked through
control mechanism that either prevented
people from committing suicide or made them
prone to it
Anomie a situation in which society lacks
social regulation through social norms

societas socius comrade, friend,

ally

Strong regulations ensures that the members

properly follow the norms

Aristotle human beings are zoon politikon or

political animals (creatures nature to live in
society or groups)

Excessive regulations, however, can lead to

higher suicide rates especially when norms
prescribe altruism among its members (e.g.
suicide bombers, Japanese kamikaze pilots).

19th Century: Common opinion on people is

that society does not exist except for the
individuals who compose it.

Louis Althusser (Conflict Theory)

(1918-1990)

Methodological individualism collective

concepts such as groups, associations, and
societies does not exist, but only individual
members.

Social Reproduction explains how societies

manage to exist and persist over a long period
of time.

Ex:

support its very own reproduction

No society can endure over time if it does not

Class = composed of teachers and students

All societies need to create institutions to

Army = composed of soldiers

perpetuate the existence of society

Emile Durkheim

2 types of institutions that reproduce the

condition of social life:

(1858-1917)
-Founding father of French sociology
-Argued strongly against methodological
individualism
Sociological realism society is reality sui
generis and cannot be reduced to individual
parts (e.g. language).
Sought to prove the existence of the society by
demonstrating the external constraints that
society imposes upon its members. Suicide
(1897)

Ideological state apparatus (ISA) institutions

that are created by society to mold its
members to share the same values and beliefs
(e.g. Schools and churches)
Repressive state apparatus (RSA) coercive
institutions that use physical force to make the
members conform to the laws and norms of
society (e.g. Army and the police)

Talcott Parsons
(1902-1979)
Individual decisions can be predicted by the
structure of society

Latency
MORAL COMMITMENT
-Functions to ensure conformity in the society
-Moral commitment to family, church, etc.

-All societies will have to take care of its own

reproduction if they are to persist across space
and time

-Commitment to make the right choices

Four Functional Prerequisites

(A-G-I-L Scheme)

Family an essential unit of society

A-daptation
G-oal-attainment
I-ntegration
L-atency

-Diversity of families around the world from

many cultures

Adaptation
ECONOMY
-Societys ability to get resources from the
environment and distribute them through out
the society
-How is wealth produced?
-How does the economy work for us?
Goal-attainment
POLITICS
-How does society use its resources to meet its
goals and priorities?
-Function of decision-making bodies in the
society
-How does politics work for us?
Integration
LEGAL SYSTEMS
-Implement norms; controls and regulates
behaviour
-Controls negative behaviour and allows
positive behaviour that help maintain the
system

II.FAMILY AND MARRIAGE

-Filipinos are Family Oriented

-Family supplies our sense of self-identity

-There is no single correct definition of what a
family is
-A group of people who share common
residence, economic and reproductive ties.
(Mike Morris, 2012)
-Government - best source for the definition of
family (Article 1, Philippine Family Code)

Article 1, Philippine Family Code (1989)

Fixes the definition of marriage in the
Philippines
Marriage is a special contract of
permanent union between a man and a
woman in accordance with the law
*Excludes same-sex marriage
Philippine Family Code on Illegitimate
children
Children born out of wedlock
Article 176 they were initially not
allowed to use their fathers surname
R.A. 9255 illegitimate children can
now use their fathers surname as long

as the father recognizes the child as his

own

The United Nations (UN)

Uses the term nucleus family
a. Married couple with no children
b. Married couple with 1 or more
unmarried children
c. Father with one or more
unmarried children
d. Mother with one or more
unmarried children

Components of the Family

1) Biological with a child; married
2) Functional taking care of the
children
3) Residential living under one
residence

Cohabitants (Live-in Partners)

Couples who share common residence,
with a child, but without the benefit of
marriage
Not recognized as official families
They are not accorded health and
social security benefits of the partner

Household vs. Family

Two Types of Families

Nuclear Families
Married couple and their
biological/adopted children
Mostly found in urban areas (e.g. big
cities)
Extended Families
Include other members of the kinship
group such as cousins, uncles, and
grandparents
Mostly found in rural areas (e.g.
province)
Nuclearization of Families
Growing predominance of nuclear
families over extended families in both
rural and urban areas
Urbanization and economic
development
Western values (value of individual
choice)
Couples establish new
households (neolocal residence)
independent of the traditional
kinship structure (patrilocality /
matrilocality)

Doubts in the future of families

Household:

Declining marriage rate

-May consist of only one person

Increasing cohabitation rate

-Members need not to be related to each other

Family:
-Must have at least two members
-Members must be related

(Live-in partners)
Increasing annulment rate
Increasing domestic violence

 A contract that can be broken

Rules of Descent

Affiliates an individual through

the descent of one sex only, either
through males or females
Important in maintaining solidarity
among families, clans, and relatives

Unilineal tracing ones descent either

through the fathers or the mothers lineage
Ambilineal tracing ones descent through
both the fathers and the mothers lineage
Matrilineal tracing ones descent through the
mothers lineage
Patrilineal tracing ones descent through the
fathers lineage

Defining Marriage
Edward Westermark (1891)
Marriage is the relation of one or more
men to one or more women which is
recognized by customs or law and involves
certain rights and duties..

Polygamy any marriage that includes more

than two partners
Polygyny when a man is married to
more than one woman at a time
Polyandry when a woman is married
to more than one man at a time

Romantic Love
Modern concept of love: people should
marry out of free will and not based on
forced choices due to traditional
requirements
Unlike traditional societies where
people marry for family status, alliance,
and economic reasons, romantic love
requires mutual consent based on
strong feelings of attraction and sexual
desire
Main tenet: All is fair in love.
Love transcends economic
inequalities and physical
appearances

Emerging Issues on Families

Domestic Violence

Endogamy marrying only within an

ethnic group or community

Refers to the abuse by one person of

another in an intimate relationship

Exogamy marrying someone outside

ones ethnic group or community

Physical violence, emotional abuse,

sexual abuse

Consanguineal relations
From latin consanguinitas blood
relation
Kinship by blood relation
Cannot be broken

Affinal links
Kinship by marriage
Example: mother-in-law, father-in-law

R.A. 9262 Anti-Violence Against

Women and their Children Act of 2004
Divorce ends a marriage between a man
and a woman; there is a record of the marriage
Annulment voids the marriage as if the
marriage never occurred; the record has no
legal force/effect
Legal separation gives couple the right to
live separately from each other but they are not
allowed to remarry by the law

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender

(LGBT) Families
Studies show same-sex couple parents
create no significant disadvantage for
children
The sex of parents does not matter a lot
as the effects of the care that the
parents provide

Types of Religious Organizations

Church:

A religious organization that claims to

possess the truth about salvation

Membership by childbirth and baptism

Moderate in its demands on its

members

III. Religion
-Latin word RELIGARE meaning to tie or to
bind fast
Two main definitions of religion:

Substantive Definition

A system of beliefs, rituals, and

practices which connects this world with
the beyond. It is the bridge that allows
humans to approach the DIVINE, the
universal life force that encompass the
world.
Focus on what religion I S.

Example: ROMAN CATHOLIC

CHURCH 80% (74 million) Filipinos are
Catholics

Sect:

Perceives itself as a unique owner of

truth

Recruitment through conscious

individual choice

Requires high level of commitment

Example: IGLESIA NI CRISTO

Limits religion to the belief in

supernatural force
There are religions without god
or belief in any supernatural
being (e.g. Buddhism)

compromises with the prevailing

culture and the political sphere

Founded by Felix Manalo in

1914
2.2 million Filipinos are INC
members

Denomination:

Membership by childbirth and individual

choice

Any system of beliefs and practices

through which a group of people
struggles with the ultimate problems of
human life. (Milton Yinger, 1970)

Demands for compliance are moderate

Focus on what religion DOES.

Religion is anything that provides an

individual with the ultimate meaning that
organizes his entire life and view of the
world.

Maintains dialogue and cooperative

programs with other religious groups

Functional Definition

Harmonious mutual relationship

between the denomination and the
larger society

Example: NATIONAL COUNCIL OF

CHURCHES IN THE PHILIPPINES
(NCCP)

1 million Filipinos are NCCP members

Founded in 1963; is composed of 10
Protestant denominations

Feast of the Black Nazarene,

Sinulog festival in Cebu, fluvial
parades etc.

Cult:

Howard Becker (1932)

Latin cultus (to worship)

Any religious group with socially deviant

beliefs and practices

Example: PEOPLES TEMPLE

Founded by pastor Jim Jones

1978 Jonestown mass suicide

Believed that it would be better

to commit suicide than kill

Religion and Women

Men are traditionally considered as the

leaders of religious organizations while
women are the transmitters of religious
beliefs and practices

Before the birth of the male god, there

was MATRIARCHY the rule and
dominance of women in society

Feminists nowadays advocate for the

ordination of women as priests

Ex: Barbara Harris- First woman to become a

bishop of the Anglican church in 1989

New Religious Movements

An alternative label for cults that have been
negatively portrayed by mass media:

People who believe in UFOs

WICCA modern day witchcraft

Originated in the United

Kingdom in the 1940s

Fusion of Christian tradition and

paganism

A pre-Christian religion that

worshipped a
horned god
and a moon goddess

Religious Syncretism

Mixing of different religious and cultural

beliefs and practices due to the rapid
and accelerated movement of religious
ideas from one place to another partly
brought by globalization
Example: various Fiestas in the
Philippines

Secularization

THESIS OF SECULARISM:
Modernization necessarily leads to a
decline of religion, both in the society
and in the minds of individuals.

Replaces tradition with science-based

knowledge

The belief that this world is all there is

to reality. That there is no heaven, no
afterlife, no messiah.

The Philippines is also undergoing

secularization-- 9% of Catholic Filipinos
think about leaving the Catholic Church
(SWS Survey, 2013)

Religious Fundamentalism

Response to the threat of secularization

Secularization means giving up the

doctrine of the church for the sake of
conforming to the world. Benedict XVI

REACTIVITY first characteristic

feature of fundamentalism; the
defensive or protective attitude against
perceived threats (general trends, other
religions and ethic groups)

Not all perceived threats lead to

fundamentalism; defensive opposition that
produce HOSTILITY and VIOLENCE is
called fundamentalism

IV. Education and Reproduction

of Inequality
Education

The process of transmitting knowledge

and skills from one generation to the
next.

A social institution that has a strong

influence in shaping the minds of the
younger generation.

Important in reproducing the existing

belief system of a particular society.

Horace Mann

American politician and educational

reformer

Education could cure social ills.

Education gives people the knowledge

and technical skills they need to
participate in national development

Meritocracy education is the key to

succeed in life (Functionalist)

Randall Collins

American Sociologist

People should be hired based on actual

skills not on educational qualifications.

Credentialism the practice of relying

on earned academic credentials when
hiring people rather than actual skills.
(Conflict Theory)

Samuel Bowles and Herbert Gintis

Education is a tool for capitalism to

equip the workers with the necessary

skills so they can be hired and exploited

by employers

Education reproduces social and

economic inequalities (Division of Labor)

Pierre Bourdieu and Jean-Claude

Passeron

Education is advantageous to the

middle class

Middle class children possess more

cultural capital

School involvement of middle class

parents augment the academic
achievement of middle class children

Basil Bernstein

British Sociologist

Studied the linguistic code of lower class

and middle class students

Restricted Linguistic Code used

by lower class students

Elaborated Linguistic Code

used by middle class students

Education and Economic

Development
Education is seen as important
determinant of national development:
1. Provides basic knowledge and
skills that enhance the
productivity of labour.
2. Contributes to new innovations
that lead to inventions and
upgrading of technologies.
3. Effective instrument to spread
knowledge among different
sectors in the society.

Women and Education

United Nations Universal Declaration

of Human Rights (UN-UDHR) Article 1.
Everyone has the right to education
Yet, women have always been at a
disadvantage when it comes to
educational opportunities:
Gender stereotypes
Sexual harassment
Underrepresentation in
administrative institutions

Education and Globalization

Internationalization Of Education

Refers to worldwide discussions

affecting local educational
practices and policies.

BOLOGNA PROCESS uniformity of higher

education systems in Europe
WASHINGTON ACCORD international
agreement responsible for accrediting
engineering degrees

Multiculturalism and Education

V. ECONOMY, SOCIETY, AND

CULTURAL CHANGE
ECONOMY AS FOUNDATION OF
SOCIAL LIFE
The Importance of Economic Structure
KARL MARX social relations generated by
the economic production of a particular society
shape the life, beliefs and activities of that
society (e.g. Feudal society)
Conspicuous Consumption of the rich - the
Cultural Lifestyle of the poor is different from
those of the middle class and super-rich.

POLITICAL ECONOMY OF
INEQUALITIES
The distribution of wealth in a society is
dependent on the economic structure of that
society.
CLASS - Relations among people who share
the same interests in relation to the means of
production.
3 TYPES OF CLASS ACCORDING TO KARL
MARX
BOURGEOISIE those who own the means of
production.
PROLETARIAT those who own nothing
except to sell their labor power in order to live.

ASSIMILATIONIST PARADIGM:
Education is used to force individuals to
surrender their ethnic and cultural
attachments in exchange for citizenship

LUMPENPROLETARIAT outcast elements

which include beggars, prostitutes, gangsters,
criminals, and the chronic unemployed

Promoted cultural discrimination.

STRATIFICATION AS A SOURCE OF
INEQUALITY

Multicultural education - a wide variety

of school practices, programs, and
materials designed to help children from
diverse groups to experience
educational equality

STRATA social differences that are ranked

in a hierarchical manner (color, wealth, gender,
religion, and ethnicity)

MAX WEBER (vay ba) - class is a group of

individuals who have in-common specific
casual component of their life chances
represented exclusively by economic interest in
the possession of goods and opportunities for
income.
Weber distinguished Status from Class
CLASS is the differentiation of groups based
on economic divisions, while STATUS is the
differentiation of groups based on prestige,
reputation, and social standing.

Third in the social hierarchy of the caste

system

People who are engaged in commercial

activity

E.g. traders and businessmen

SHUDRA

Fourth and lowest of the

traditional caste system

Unskilled labourers whose function is

to serve the three castes above

CASTE SYSTEM

Type of social stratification used in

India
Membership is ascribed social status
that is neither earned nor chosen but
assigned at birth; inherited from parents
Process of placing people in
occupational groups.
Dictates the type of jobs a person can
have and the social interactions that
he/she may have (E.g. marriage).
BRAHMIN, KSHATRIYA, VAISHYA,
SHUDRA, DALIT

BRAHMIN

Highest caste in the system

Consist of those who are essential for

the continuation of knowledge

E.g. priests and teachers

KSHATRIYA

Second in the social hierarchy of the

caste system

Class of kings and warriors

Consist of public servants and military

men who are essential for the
maintenance of law and order

VAISHYA

DALITS

Also known as the untouchables

Sanskrit word dalita which means

broken

People who do not belong to any of the

four castes.

E.g. Street sweepers, latrine cleaners,

scavengers

CLASS SYSTEM

Individuals are positioned according to

their access to the means of production.

Individuals from a certain family

background can advance to a better
economic position.

EDUCATION - the accepted means to

advance from ones social mobility.

SOCIAL MOBILITY - the movement of

people between social classes.

STATUS
STATUS - economic opportunities determined
by honor and prestige
STATUS GROUPS - they form exclusive
communities; us versus them

MAX WEBER - one can increase his/her

economic opportunities by having more honor
and prestige - often not acquired by merits but
through birth to a status group (e.g. Royal
Families)

CLASS INEQUALITIES
CAPITAL does not only refer to economic
assets
1. CULTURAL CAPITAL - the forms of
knowledge, educational credentials, and artistic
taste that a person acquires from his/her family
background
2. SOCIAL CAPITAL - the resources based on
networks of influence (eg. Palakasan system)
3. SYMBOLIC CAPITAL - the acquisition of a
reputation for competence and an image of
respectability and honorability

Cultural Capital + Social Capital + Symbolic

Capital = HABITUS
The personal psychological dispositions of a
person that are shaped by the three forms of
capital and Family background.

Example: A middle class student whose

(middle class) family hired a tutor for his/her
subjects
The middle class family converted economic
resources to cultural and symbolic capital.