🌍 UCSP REVIEWER FINALS.docx................

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1. ?????? UCSP REVIEWER
(Emerging Social Challenges and Human Adaptations, Realities of Social
Inequality, and Recognizing Social Inequalities and Stratification)
?????? I. EMERGING SOCIAL CHALLENGES AND HUMAN ADAPTATIONS
A. Innovation
Definition: Improving something that already exists.
Naturally occurs as society advances technologically.
Two Forms of Innovation:
1.Discovery – finding something not known before.
Example: Discovery of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (COVID-19).
2.Invention – combining ideas or objects to create something new.
Example: COVID-19 vaccines.
B. Cultural Change
Culture changes as societies adapt and interact globally.
Globalization:
oThe growing interdependence of the world’s cultures, ideologies,
economies, and politics.
oAllows easier connection between people from different nations.
oSpreads ideas, beliefs, and customs beyond borders.
Types of Cultural Change:
1.Cultural Diffusion – culture spreads from one group to another.
2.Assimilation – smaller culture fully replaces its own with the larger one.
3.Acculturation – learning a new culture and adding it to your own.
4.Amalgamation – combining small and large cultures into a new one.
oExample: Canada (multicultural nation).
C. Social Tension
Defined by: Talcott Parsons (1972).

2. Definition: The tendency for disequilibrium or imbalance in society between
two or more parties.
Causes: Violations of social norms, loss of social direction, rupture of social
ties.
Examples: Poverty, gender inequality, political unrest.
D. Collective Action
Definition: Any group action done by individuals sharing the same
sentiment to achieve a common goal.
Can be positive (peaceful rallies, awareness campaigns) or negative (riots,
harmful protests).
Examples: Rallies, social media movements, petitions.
E. Challenges to Human Society
1. Climate Change
Definition: Unintentional climate modification due to rising CO₂ levels from
human activities.
Causes: Deforestation, burning fossil fuels, industrialization.
Effects:
oGlobal temperature rise
oSea level increase
oFlooding
oAgricultural failure due to drought
2. COVID-19 Pandemic
Timeline:
oEmerged in 2019
oDeclared a pandemic: March 11, 2020
oFirst PH case: January 30, 2020
Government Action:
oPresident Duterte declared a State of Public Health Emergency
oLockdowns, community quarantines, school closures

3. Impact:
oFear and disruption of normal life
oMask use became symbol of fear and survival
oExposed inequality between rich and poor
oRevealed under-equipped healthcare sector
F. Responding to Societal Changes
1. Participatory Governance
Citizens are empowered to help make decisions using state resources.
Important in a democratic society.
Examples:
o8888 Citizens’ Hotline / Complaints Center
oSocial media civic engagement
2. Civil Society
Organizations that work for the common good, separate from but often
cooperating with government.
Also known as social movements.
Functions:
oRaise awareness
oInfluence policy
oBuild partnerships for change
3. Resource Mobilization Approach
Developed by Anthony Oberschall.
Uses existing resources (money, manpower, knowledge) to strengthen social
movements.
Emphasizes organizational base, continuous leadership, and norms to
guide members’ behavior.
⚖️ II. REALITIES OF SOCIAL INEQUALITY
A. Social Inequality

4. Unequal access to opportunities, resources, and benefits in society.
Two Ways to Measure:
1.Inequality of Conditions – unequal distribution of wealth/resources.
Example: A rich family in a mansion vs. a poor family in a shanty.
2.Inequality of Opportunities – unequal access to education,
healthcare, and jobs.
Example: Poor child unable to go to school; job discrimination.
B. Poverty
Definition: Lack of financial capacity to afford the minimum standard of
living.
Deprivation of choice and opportunity for a decent life.
Cyclical Poverty:
Poverty passed down through generations (“trapped in poverty”).
Example: Borrowing money to pay off debt, remaining in debt.
Classifications of Poverty:
1.Absolute Poverty (Extreme) – severe deprivation of basic needs (food,
shelter, healthcare, etc.).
2.Relative Poverty (Subjective) – poverty based on social context.
oExample: Someone who can’t afford a car feels “poor” compared to
coworkers who own one.
C. Global Inequality
Uneven distribution of resources, wealth, and power among nations.
Measured by:
oHuman Development Index (HDI)
oGross National Income (GNI)
oGross Domestic Product (GDP)
oPer Capita Income
UNDP (United Nations Development Programme):
Classifies countries into four types:

5. 1.Developed Economies
2.Economies in Transition
3.Developing Economies
4.Least Developed Economies
G7 (Major Developed Nations):
Canada, France, UK, Germany, Italy, Japan, USA
The Philippines = Developing Economy
HDI Measures:
Life expectancy
Mean and expected years of schooling
Income per capita
Philippines: Rank 107/189 (HDI = 0.718, low tier of high development).
D. Racial Inequality
Racism: Prejudice based on race.
Racial Inequality: Result of racism—unequal treatment or outcomes due to
race.
Race: A social construct based on physical traits (skin color, hair type).
Example:
oIn the U.S., light-skinned individuals often have more access to
education, healthcare, and jobs (social privilege).
Important Event:
oDeath of George Floyd (May 2020) – killed by police officer Derek
Chauvin in Minneapolis, sparking global Black Lives Matter protests.
E. Gender Inequality
Unequal treatment based on gender or sexual orientation.
Often affects women and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Forms of Discrimination:
1.Direct Discrimination: Denial of service or opportunity due to gender.

6. oExample: Rejecting a gay applicant.
2.Indirect Discrimination: Unequal policies that favor one gender.
oExample: Women getting lower wages than men in same job.
F. United Nations Response: SDGs
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – 17 global goals to be achieved by 2030
to reduce inequality and improve living conditions.
Key SDGs Related to Inequality:
1.No Poverty
2.Zero Hunger
3.Quality Education
4.Gender Equality
5.Reduced Inequalities
6.Decent Work and Economic Growth
7.Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
8.Partnerships for the Goals
??????️ III. SOCIAL STRATIFICATION (UCSP – Agullo, Espinosa, Tejada)
A. Concept of Stratification
Definition: Arrangement or classification of people based on specific
criteria.
Originated from the division of labor in early societies.
Example: Men hunted, women gathered.
Determines people’s rights, privileges, power, and opportunities.
Causes and is influenced by social inequality — lower strata have fewer
opportunities.
B. Sociological Perspectives
1.Functionalist Perspective (Wilbert Moore & Kingsley Davis, 1945)
oKnown as the Davis-Moore Hypothesis.
oStratification is necessary and beneficial.

7. oEncourages people to work hard for important roles.
oFunctional relevance: Those who contribute more to society deserve
higher rewards.
2.Conflict Perspective (Karl Marx)
oStratification benefits the few (ruling class) and oppresses the
majority.
oEmphasizes inequality and exploitation.
3.Interactionist Perspective
oFocuses on how people of similar backgrounds and classes interact.
oPeople form groups based on shared education, income, or status.
C. Systems of Stratification
1.Closed System – social status is fixed by birth (no mobility).
2.Open System – mobility is possible through effort, work, or wealth.
Types of Systems:
Caste System (India): Based on karma (labor) and dharma (duty).
oBrahmins – priests
oKshatriya – warriors/nobles
oVaishya – merchants/landowners
oShudra – commoners/peasants
oDalits – untouchables/outcasts
Philippines (Precolonial):
oMaginoo (noble)
oMaharlika (warrior)
oTimawa (freeman)
oAliping Namamahay (slave with house)
oAliping Saguiguilid (house slave)
Estate System:
oNobility (lords, landowners)
oClergy (priests, church)

8. oCommoners (peasants, traders, artisans)
Class System:
oBased on achieved status and lifestyle.
oKarl Marx: Two main classes – Bourgeoisie (owners) and Proletariat
(workers).
oModern expansion: Upper class, Middle class, Lower class.
Philippine Context:
PIDS (Philippine Institute for Development Studies): Classified
socioeconomic groups by average monthly income (2020).
NEDA: Uses these classifications for aid and government programs (e.g.,
ayuda).
D. Slavery
The most extreme form of inequality.
Slaves = owned people, treated as property, deprived of rights.
Common in Babylonia, Greece, Rome, Egypt, Persia, China, India.
European colonization (1500s) worsened slavery.
Abolition: After the American Civil War (1865), outlawed in the U.S.
Modern-day slavery: Includes forced labor, human trafficking, debt
bondage, child marriage, and sexual exploitation, often in poor countries
like the Philippines.