UCSP First Semester Reviewer Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards generated from the UCSP 1st Semester Monthly Examination Reviewer covering foundational concepts in anthropology, sociology, political science, evolution, and social norms.

Culture

A complex whole that includes knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.

Human Cultural Variations

The differences in social behaviors that different cultures exhibit around the world as a direct consequence of how societies adapt, interact, and develop in their respective environments.

Isolation (Cultural Variation)

A condition that prevents contact with other people, allowing a culture to continue developing free from external influence and contamination.

Dominant Cultural Themes

Prevailing patterns within a culture that give distinction and direction, determining whether new ideas, values, and inventions are accepted or absorbed.

Social Differences

Individuals' dissimilarities based on their social characteristics and qualities, which can result in discrimination.

Gender

Socially-constructed characteristics, roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes that a given society deems appropriate for men and women.

Socio-economic Status

The social standing or class of an individual or group, measured as a combination of education, income, and occupation.

Upper Class

A socio-economic class consisting of elite families who are the most productive in terms of resource generation and successful in their respective fields.

Middle Class

A socio-economic class composed of small business owners, managers, professionals, office workers, and farm owners whose average income provides a comfortable living.

Lower Class

A socio-economic class composed of farm employees, skilled and unskilled artisans, service workers, unemployed, underemployed, indigent families, or informal settlers.

Ethnicity

A category of people who share a common culture, ancestry, language, history, traditions, or heritage that helps shape identity and belonging.

Religion

An organized system of ideas about the spiritual sphere or the supernatural, along with associated ceremonial or ritualistic practices.

Exceptionality

The state of being intellectually gifted and/or physically or mentally challenged in areas such as communication, intellect, or physical abilities.

Nationality

The legal relationship that binds a person to a country, affording the state jurisdiction over the person and offering state protection.

Jus-Solis

A principle of acquiring nationality based on one's place of birth.

Jus-Sanguinis

A principle of acquiring nationality based on bloodline or parental citizenship.

Political Identity

A group affiliation describing the way a member expresses specific political opinions and attitudes.

Politics

Derived from the Greek word POLITIKA meaning 'affairs of the cities', it refers to the theory, art, and practice of government and exercising governance.

Political Institution

An organized system of positions, rules, and responsibilities through which power is obtained and used to make decisions for society.

Anthropology

The scientific study of humans, their origins, behavior, physical, social, and cultural development across time and space.

Franz Boaz

The founder of modern anthropology and father of American anthropology who rejected the biological basis of racism and social evolutionism.

Marcel Mauss

A proponent of social ethnology who analyzed religion through a social perspective and assisted Emile Durkheim.

Ethnology

The comparative study of cultures and social structures from different societies using firsthand data.

Alfred Reginald Radcliffe Brown

A British social anthropologist who popularized structural functionalism, viewing social institutions as interdependent parts maintaining societal stability.

Bronislaw Kasper Malinowski

A Polish anthropologist who stressed fieldwork and participant observation, shifting away from 'armchair anthropology'.

Ethnography

The practice of writing about people based on direct observation and qualitative research.

Physical Anthropology

The subfield of anthropology studying human origins, biological evolution, adaptation, and physical variation over time.

Archaeology

The subfield of anthropology dealing with prehistoric and past human societies by studying their material remains and tools.

Linguistic Anthropology

The anthropological subfield focusing on language and discourse and how they reflect and shape human society and culture.

Cultural Anthropology

The branch of anthropology dealing with cultural variation across societies, studying each context regarding social structures, laws, and religion.

Political Science

The study of power allocation, systems of governance, political behavior, public policies, and state affairs, derived from Greek 'polis' and Latin 'scire'.

State

An organized political community living under a single government composed of population, territory, government, and sovereignty.

Sovereignty

The ability of a state to govern itself independently without outside influence or interference.

Sociology

A branch of social sciences dealing with the scientific study of human interactions, whole societies, and group behaviors (derived from 'socius' and 'logos').

Beliefs

Convictions or tenets that individuals regard to be true even in the absence of empirical proof.

Values

A culture's standards for discerning what is good, right, just, and desirable in society.

Halaga

An aspect of the Filipino value system representing worth, encompassing pagpapakatao (self-worth), pakikipagkapwa tao (noble action), and pagkamaka-tao (compassion).

Asal

An aspect of Filipino values expressing one's actions or manners toward others, consisting of kapwa, damdamin, and dangal.

Diwa

An aspect of Filipino values denoting the inner self or kalooban that reflects intertwined emotion and reasoning.

Kapwa

A core Filipino value denoting a shared inner self and identity with another person.

Bahala Na

A Filipino fatalistic expression meaning 'whatever happens, happens', representing adaptability and reliance on a higher power.

Norms

Guides or models of behavior specifying proper, appropriate, right, or wrong conduct in society.

Folkways

Everyday customary patterns describing socially proper behavior in daily life, sanctioned lightly by embarrassment or sarcastic remarks.

Mores

Norms considered morally essential and necessary to a group's welfare and survival.

Taboo

The prohibition of an action based on the belief that it is either too sacred or too dangerous/accursed for ordinary individuals.

Laws

Rules or norms that are legally enforced by a distinct political organization.

Ethnocentrism

The tendency to regard one's own culture as superior and judge other cultures solely by the standards of one's own culture.

Cultural Relativism

The concept that cultural beliefs and practices must be analyzed within their own societal context without applying universal moral absolutes.

Xenocentrism

The belief that foreign products, lifestyles, or ideas are superior to one's own.

Temporocentrism

The belief that one's own time period is more important than the past or future.

Subculture

A smaller group within a broader society that develops its own distinct norms, values, beliefs, and language.

Counterculture

A subculture whose norms and values sharply contradict those of the larger prevailing society.

Culture Lag

The delay or inability of society to adapt immediately to cultural changes due to disparities in rates between material and non-material culture.

Material Culture

Physical, tangible objects or artifacts created by human beings by altering the natural environment.

Non-Material Culture

Intangible human creations such as words, values, customs, behaviors, laws, and knowledge.

Cultural Heritage

The legacy of tangible artifacts and intangible attributes inherited from past generations, maintained in the present, and passed on to future generations.

Macroevolution

The long-term process of cultural and social change resulting in major transformations such as speciation, agriculture, and civilization.

Dryopithecus

A genus meaning 'oakwood apes' that lived in densely forested lowlands across Africa, China, India, and Europe.

Ramapithecus

A hominid genus found in the open grasslands of Punjab, India, featuring robust jaws, thickened tooth enamel, and upright posture.

Australopithecus

The immediate forerunner of the genus Homo found in South Africa that walked erect and used stones as weapons.

Homo Habilis

Known as 'handy-man' or 'tool-making man', living 2.4 to 1.4 million years ago with smaller molars and larger brains.

Homo Erectus

Named Pithecanthropus erectus ('erect ape man'), this missing link was the first human ancestor to truly walk upright and use fire.

Homo Sapiens Neanderthalensis

A human relative characterized by skull expansion, elaboration of stone tools, pointed spearheads, and big game hunting.

Homo Sapiens Sapiens

Modern human ancestor whose early skeletal remains were found in Europe (Cro-Magnon), known for cave art, developed blades, and chins.

Force Theory

A theory holding that society was formed through superior physical force and the subjugation of the weak by the strong.

Social Contract Theory

A theory proposing that free and equal individuals created society through mutual agreement.

Evolutionary Theory

A theory holding that society is not artificially made but is the result of gradual, continuous evolution from unorganized to organized forms.

Socialization

The lifelong process by which individuals acquire norms, values, and behaviors necessary to function in society.

Enculturation

The process through which cultural bearers learn the specific values, customs, language, and traditions of their own cultural group.

Ascribed Status

A social position given at birth or assigned involuntarily later in life.

Achieved Status

A social position acquired willfully through personal effort, talent, choices, and accomplishments.

Conformity

The act of adjusting one's behavior or thinking to match group standards or societal expectations.

Deviance

Any behavior, belief, or condition that violates established social norms or societal rules.

Innovation (Strain Theory)

A mode of adaptation where an individual accepts cultural goals but uses culturally disapproved or illegal means to achieve them.

Ritualism (Strain Theory)

A mode of adaptation where an individual adheres to socially approved rules but abandons the overall cultural success goals.

Retreatism (Strain Theory)

A mode of adaptation where an individual abandons both cultural goals and the legitimate means of achieving them.

Rebellion (Strain Theory)

A mode of adaptation where an individual rejects existing cultural goals and means and substitutes them with new ones.

Sanctions

A system of rewards and punishments utilized to ensure individuals conform to societal norms.

Human Dignity

An individual or group's inviolable sense of self-respect, self-worth, and physical and psychological integrity.

Common Good

Refers to what is shared and beneficial for all members of a community, achieved through active political participation and citizenship.