LESSON 1-5 COMMUNITY

REVIEWER
Why do we need to learn about communities?
- Understanding the dynamics within our community aids us in responding to
the collective challenges we face.
Sociology- looks into group formations, relationships, dynamics and interactions
within a social structure and social action.
Political Science- focuses on power relations, authority, leadership, and decision
making
Anthropology- helps examine the emergent complexities from the history and
culture of individuals and communities
Community - considered as a Late Middle English term.
- derived from the Latin word communitas which means
“fellowship”
- Latin roots , communis, means “common”.
-Com translates to “with” or “together” whereas munire
translates to “to strengthen”, “to fortify”, or “to defend”.
Social Science- perspective toward understanding communities is premised on the
social dimension of individual life
PLATO- he conceptualized the ideal (political) community, referred to as the polis
(city-state)
ARISTOTLE- he emphasized the role of political institutions in maintaining and
sustaining order within a community.
INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE
Social Institutions – arise from voluntary shared agreements among individuals
that generally also shape their behavior as a collective.
Institutions are established rules that ensure the regular and predictable
behaviour of actors within a community
DOUGLAS NORTH- “rules of the game” that shape the community and society in
general.

GEOFFREY HODGSON- Agreed on Douglas North’s concept and suggested that

institutions both constrain and enable behaviour.
Formal Institutions- are explicitly communicated, embodied in legally codified
documents or artifacts
Informal Institutions- are practices, norms, traditions, culture, conduct and belief
systems of a community
Normative- refers to the ideal standards, models or conduct that is based on
what is collectively considered as appropriate or proper.
CIVIL SOCIETY PERPECTIVE
Civil Society- refers to political community of organized groups operating within
the authoritative parameters of the state.
Non-Government Organizations(NGO’s) and People’s Organizations- are
common examples of civil society organizations.
Some Examples of NGOs
*Galing Pook Foundation Inc.
*World Vision Foundation Inc.
*Tuloy Foundation Inc.
Examples of POs
*Partido ng Manggagawa
*Rotaract Club
*Philippine Alliance for Human Rights Advocates
Social Movement –it is a form of collective behaviour which springs largely from
the attitudes and aspirations of its participants
ORGANIC PERSPECTIVE
 - it refers to local or grassroots groups within a particular locale that are
driven and organized because of community issues and concerns.
Grassroots organizations or movements are typically composed of volunteers
from the local/ community level.
Lesson 3: Individual Dimensions of a Community
Interrelationships- it is the association of an individual with other individuals
through their commonalities in attributes, sentiments, histories, and experiences.
Alfred McCoy - He conducted a study in the role of the family in the socio-
political and historical development in the Philippines
“ An Anarchy of Families: State and Families in the Philippines”
ANSA-EAP
- Affiliated Network for Social Accountability
(examples of Civil Society Organizations)
Organizations- Interconnected individuals strengthen their bonds and form
organizations, it serves as initiators of community action
Lesson 4:Structural Dimensions of a Community
Geographic Dimension- The geographic dimension in a community focuses on
how a community is shaped by the physical space it uses and the location of it
resources-human , natural, and technological
Socio-Political Dimension- It refers to the relationships of power and control
between individuals and groups in a community.
Economic Dimension- Refers to the means by which members of a community
allocate, produce, and distribute scarce resources to address their wants and
needs.
Cultural Dimension- Culture refers to the people’s way of life
Lesson 5:Community Dynamics and Processes
2 kinds of power structures in a community.
 1. Formal power structure- form the legal authoritative basis of elected and
appointed government officials and leaders of civic organizations.
2. Informal power structure- exists alongside the formal-institutional power
structure; it is harder to empirically identify; but is an equally significant
factor in a community’s development.
Legal-Authoritative Decision-makers – are individuals or bodies whose authority
is based on formal rules and institutions.
Influencers- are individuals or groups who do not have direct authority, but are
capable of shaping decisions that affect the community.
Leadership- refers to the processes and qualities 0f command and decisiveness
with regard to the necessary actions that ensure the welfare of the community.
Community Leaders- are individuals selected, nominated and appointed as
stewards, vanguards and champions of issues relevant to a community.
Social Change- It occurs for a number of reasons. It can be due to the opposing
and contradicting forces within a community leading to the alteration of its
conditions and structural dimensions.