Social studies

JS 1 SECOND TERM NOTE

Copy inside your note.

[First two topics before resumption]

SCHEME OF WORK.

WEEK TOPIC
1. Culture.
2. Culture.
3. Socialisation.
4. Socialisation.
5. Road safety as an agent of socialisation.
6. Friendship
7. Assertiveness, Passiveness, Manipulation, Aggression.
8. Behaviours that improve assertive skills, Negative outcome of assertiveness.

CULTURE

Culture is defined simply as a way of life of a people, which includes their

beliefs, their mode of worship, their art and crafts, language, religion,
technology, dressing, way of thinking, dancing, eating habits as well as their
political and economic systems.

Culture is the social heritage of a particular group of people.

Components of culture.

1. Tangible or material culture: these are physical object made by the society
to meet and satisfy the needs of people. They are things such as clothes,
foodstuffs, houses, beads, calabash, bridges etc.
2. Intangible or non material culture: these are abstract or intangible things
found in our ways of life, they are things we can neither see no touch but have
become part of us such as rules, beliefs, values, customs and languages.

Characteristics of culture.
1. Culture is created: culture is a s a result of what human beings have
concluded/agreed upin to be the best way to cope with and make good if their
environment. Simply put, culture was created for man and not man for culture.
2. Culture is learned: culture is not inherited or gotten by birth but it is learned.
Through inculturation, which is the process of learning, we learn culture from
families, media, peers and institution.
3. Culture is integrated: all the cultural aspects are inter-connected wsith each
other, that is, one must learn about all of its parts and not just a few. When one
part changes it tends to affect other aspects.
4. Culture is shared: no human being or society exist in complete isolation, so
culture is not a personal property. The fact that we share culture with other
members of our group enables us to act in socially appropriate ways.
5. Culture is based on symbols: a symbol is any object that is used to represent
another object(abstract) an has a particular meaning identified by the same
people who share the culture. However, for culture to be transmitted
successfully from one person to another or from one generation to another. A
system of symbols need to be created that translate the ideas of the culture.
6. Culture is dynamic: cultures are usually in constant change. Because most
culture are in contact with other cultures, they all exchange ideas and symbols
otherwise they would have problems changing environments.
7. Culture is universal: this means that culture is universal to mankind and not
peculiar to a particular group. Every culture is good in itself in relation to the
people who possess it. Culture remains relevant to them for as long as they
cherish it. It can be rightly said that no culture is superior/inferior to the other.
8. Culture is continuous: culture does not die as it is passed downs from one
generation to another.
9. Culture is prescriptive: culture prescribes for us the choices we have to make in
our language, food (eating), drinking, dressing and music.
10. Culture is adaptive: it can always be adjusted to fit into people’s
situations. It can determine how people are to act, but it does not mean we are
slaves of culture.

Features of culture
1. Language: it is a set of symbol used to communicate message. It enables us to
name or label things around us. All cultures have a spoken language, but not all
have a written language.
2. Folktales: various groups use folktales to teach children and adults moral
lessons about life.
3. Music and dance: music and dance are used for entertainment and they serve
as a means of expressing one’s mood or state of mind. In Africa, especially in
Nigeria, all ceremonies are accompanied with music and dance.
4. Art and craft: these are products of human imagination that teaches us about
cultural values. They include painting, literature, sculpture, etc. in western
Nigeria, people had distinctive face marks, customs and regalia for their kings
and people of importance.
5. Food: various ethnic groups have its own types of food. The type of food shows
the environment from which a tribe comes from.
6. Dressing: it is a part of culture that helps to identify a particular tribe or ethnic
group. For example, the Yoruba dress in ‘iro and buba’(for women) and
‘agbada’(for men), the fulanis dress with a lot of beads and so on. A lot of the
clothes Nigerians wear are made by them.
7. Religion and belief: beliefs have to do with an individual or societal religious
belief. The religion of a particular people is part of their culture.

Functions of culture.
1. Values: culture brings together the values and norms of a society in a more or
less systematic manner.
2. National pride: it provides one of the most important basis for social solidarity.
Social solidarity implies loyalty and devotion. When the people in a nation have
common feelings, common goals to achieve it results in national pride.
3. Trade mark: culture functions as a trade marks that differentiates one
culture/tribe from the other.
4. Molding of social personality: culture is the dominant factor in establishing and
molding the social personality. A person is known and described by his name,
language, his manner of dressing and his values. Culture gives all of these.
5. Bahavioural pattern: the culture of a society provides behavioural pattern. It
prepares man for group life. It also provides rules and norms to follow and
conform to.

SOCIALISATION
Socialization can be defines as a process of learning the norms, customs and
ideologies of a social group in other to fit in acceptably.
Socialization can be defined as the process whereby a new born baby, a man or
woman acquires acceptable behaviours through their interactions with other
members of the society.

Elements of socialisation.
This refers to those involved in the process of socialization. They include
1. The socialiser: thus is the instructor such as the parent, teachers, elders,
relations etc.
2. The socialisee: this is the learner, the one who receives instructions from the
socialiser.
3. The socializing agent: this is the environment where socializing takes place.

The process of socialization.

The process of socialization refers to the ways or various steps taken towards
achieving socialization. This could be achieved through western education which
is the formal way or through the process of traditional education whereby
people receive instructions in their homes and in open society, this is the
informal way.
The process through which socialization take place includes:
1. Direct learning: this occur when a child learns under a consciously planned
teaching and learning condition. In the classroom or elsewhere.
2. Learning from models: this is when a child or a mature person learns by
observing and imitating people around him/her. This form of learning can also
take place by watching television and films. Those whom individuals imitate are
called models.
3. Incidental learning: this happens when a child learns from things that are not
planned or intended directly to teach. Some of the things learned under the
process may not be desired.
4. Role learning: this is when an individual learns to perform their duties assigned
to him in the society. Role learning is the effort made by an individual while
trying to perform the duties assigned to him by the society.

Agents of socialization.
1. The family: the family is the first agent of socialization of a child. The parents,
brothers, sisters and other relatives act as the immediate socialization agents of
the child. These are various things a child learns from his family, some of which
are; good morals, religious beliefs, food, language, greetings, home chores, etc
2. The school: the school is the place where formal education takes place. As a
child grows, he joins the school where he spends most of his time in the day
relating with other individuals under the guidance of the teacher. Schools try to
teach individuals neatness, punctuality, orderliness and respect for authority.
3. The peer group: this group consists of individuals who share the same age,
educational level and location. The peer group can either have positive or
negative habits.
4. The mass media: the mass media plays an important role in the socialization
of children. It includes many forms of communication such as newspaper,
magazines, bill board, radios, films, internet, television, watsapp, facebook and
so on. Both positive and negative influence could be gotten from the media.
5. Religious organization: they affect the belief of members. Through their
sermons and teachings help to discourage bad habits and encourage people to
do good things. They also preach against inhumanity, exploitation and
oppression.
6. Community: this is a group of people living in the same geographical area or
neighborhood and share common interest together. The traditional community
plays an important role in socializing the child.

Importance of socialization.

1. Social interaction: a child is able to function well in the society by virtue of

socialization. By learning the language and culture of parents, children learn to
associate and mingle and the also learn to work together to help family
members.
2. Personal information: man is a social being, he has to learn how to function in a
society so that he can benefit from his relationship. As a process, socialization
helps a child to be molded to specific directions through the process of
accepting and or rejecting particular beliefs, attitudes and norms.
3. Sex roles: it explains why human beings, male and female behave in different
ways. This affects how both genders are treated even as they grow up.
4. Communal spirit: socialization encourages/promotes communal spirit which is
used to execute meaningful social and economic projects in the communities.
5. Acquisition of necessary skills: it is a means by which human infants begin to
acquire the necessary skills to perform effectively in the society.

Effects of socialization.
Good qualities.
1. Discipline: the individual is made aware of what is required of him in the society,
he also requires new skills that will help him contribute positively to the society.
2. Contentment: the individual learns the basic rules of being satisfied with what
he has and working for more if he desires.
3. Sensitivity: the individual learns empathy. He learns to be helpful, tolerant and
to judge correctly and fairly.
4. Integrity: the spirit of moral uprightness is instilled in an individual for his own
good and for the good of the general public.
5. Knowledge of basic rights: from socialization, the individual learns from his basic
rights and responsibilities and cannot be persuaded into accepting anything
less.

Bad qualities.
1. Lying and general dishonesty.
2. Stealing.
3. Disrespect for elders.
4. Thuggery.
5. Cultism.
1. Individual who associate with evil people or lured into evil environment could
learn and practice evil behavior.
2. Societies and communities who do not strictly oppose evil behavior such as
child abuse, laziness and violence. Any child who grows up in such society is
likely to take to such bad qualities.

ROAD SAFETY AS AN AGENT OF SOCIALISATION

Any group whose aim is to protect members of a society against one form of
danger or the other can be organized as a socializing agent. One of such group
is the road safety club.
Road safety club was established as a means of teaching the youths to
become better road users.
The club follows the establishment of the government agency called
federal road safety commission (FRSC). They are a volunteer group, they are not
paid for carrying out their duties.
The federal road safety commission used to sensitize youths on road
safety tips. And in other to enhance this program, the Federal Road Safety Corp
had to include road safety as one of the Community Development
Schemes(CDS) group during the one year service. The clubs where then
established in primary and secondary schools with weekly trainings and
different activities to continually teach youths.

History of road safety club.

The first deliberate policy in Nigeria on road safety was the creation in 1974 of
the National Road Safety Commission(NRSC), by the then military government.
The impact of the commission was however not sustained. In 1977, the military
administration in oyo state established the Oyo Road Safety Corps which made
 some local significant improvement that lasted till 1983, when it was disbanded
by the federal government.
When Nigeria become the second most prone traffic accidents countries,
the Nigerian government saw the need to establish the present FRSC in 1988 to
address accidents on the highway.

Roles of the road safety club.

Among the several roles of the FRSC under the 2007 Act, here are few of them.
1. Educating motorist and members of the public on the importance of discipline
on the highway.
2. Recommending measures, works and device designed to eliminate or minimize
crashes on the highways.
3. Controlling traffic on the highways.
4. Organizing quizzes and debates on road safety related issues in schools.

NYSC (RSC) this is a community development program for youth corp members
during their one year service and a partnership between the FRSC and NYSC.
Their roles are as follows:
1. They become special marshals or regular marshals in other to promote FRSC.
2. Club members are also trained to clear obstructions on any part of the highways
to make them safe. In carrying out this assignment, members learn to work
together as a group thereby getting socialized.
3. Club members also give prompt attention and care to victims of accidents.

The structure of the FRSC.

The road safety management has three(3) tiers which are:
1. The regular marshals: this are those who work in the offices of the FRSC.
2. The special marshal: this are women and men who volunteer to manage traffic
especially on busy roads.
3. Road safety clubs: this is the third tier, it is the club level in schools. The road
safety club membership is open to any body that is interested.

Roles of the road safety club in the socialization of youths.

1. Protection of vulnerable people from road accidents.
2. Advocacy and sensitization.
3. Guidelines.
4. Signs and symbols.

FRIENDSHIP
A friend is a person you know like and trust. Friendship could be between two or
more people, in as much as friendship plays a huge role in giving us happiness,
it does not and should not depend on what a friend could give the other.
 Importance of friendship.
Friendship is important to grow children, especially the adolescents because it
helps them to enjoy their growth from childhood to adulthood.
The following are the major importance of friendship
1. Conflict resolution: friendship gives people the opportunity to know how to
settle disputes.
2. Confidant: our friends help us to grow our confidence. Friends also discuss
issues and problems with each other. No good friend reveals each other’s
secrets to third party.
3. Change of unhealthy lifestyle: a good friend encourages a person to change
unhealthy lifestyle or habits.
4. Provision of fun and excitement: friends help you to catch fun and excitement
through recreation and companionship.
5. Loyalty: good friends always defend each other both positively and publicly.

Factors that determine choice of friendship.

1. Common interest.
2. Age.
3. Educational background.
4. Similar family background.
5. Ethnic background.
6. Common values.

Behaviours that enhance friendship.

1. Supportiveness.
2. Forgiveness.
3. Honesty.
4. Loyalty.
5. Respect.
6. Trust.

Factors that destroy friendship.

1. Rejection of peer group.
2. Dishonesty.
3. Disrespect.
4. Negativity.
5. Selfishness.

ASSERTIVENESS
Assertiveness: is the ability to express ones opinion, feelings, attitudes
and rights without fear and in a way that does not infringe on the rights of
others. In other words, he is not afraid to talk or air his mind. An assertive
person is bold and confident.
 Aggression: is the opposite of assertiveness. It involves the presenting
and expressing ones opinion with no respect for other people’s feelings, need
and opinions.
Characteristic of an aggressive behavior
1. Losses temper.
2. Shouts allot.
3. Wants to be right at all cost.
4. Boast allot.
5. Bullies others.
6. Lacks confidence and self esteem.

Passiveness: this is when a person is not responding to something that

they should respond to. They allow people to walk over them. When people are
passive they feel they have no control over their lives, they feel confused.
Characteristics of a passive behavior.
1. Inability to say what they want/need.
2. Always blaming and accusing others(they always play the victim)
3. Isolate themselves.
4. Frequently makes compromise at the interest of others.
5. Keep quiet when people take advantage of them.
6. Does not ask for help.

Manipulation: this is an attempt to indirectly change the opinion or

behavior of others. They use deception and force to get what they want.
Characteristic of a manipulative behavior.
1. They are two-faced.
2. They play one person.
3. They are always suspicious of other people motive.
4. They control groups.
5. They lie allot.

Behaviours that improve assertive skills.

1. Making firm decision: young people should be able to make firm decision. A firm
decision is one without discord or disparity. They should be able to say no to
sexual invitations or refusing alcohol when offered by friends.
2. Honesty: being honest requires courage and wisdom because a honest person
may be taken for granted. Making crucial changes in our lives requires being
honest with ourselves.
3. Refusal skills: refusal skills is when you clearly communicate that you do not
want something, you have the right to say no to someone who is persuading
you to do what you do not want to do or what is not right for you.
4. Offering a compromise: compromise is an assertive skill. This is when you agree
to less than what you first asked for while your partner or the other party also
does the same.
5. Speaking up for oneself: the ability to speak for yourself and to say no are
directly related to your ability to set boundaries. When you do not speak up for
yourself, it gives others the room to walk over you.
6. Positive self esteem: accepting who you are and what you have to offer the
world is a major part of having high self esteem. One needs to build his/her self
esteem and create a positive self awareness.

Negative outcome of assertiveness.

1. Back biting: people who cannot speak up for themselves perceive assertive
people as being too much and so they grumble and talk about such people
behind them.
2. Punishment: older people may take offence when a younger person tries to be
assertive they associate it with rudeness and so they may punish the child. Even
teachers may fall in this category.
3. Over apologetic: the other party may be excessively apologetic or strangely
humble to you which may leave you feeling bad at the end of the day.
4. Embarrassment: after an assertive person has boldly and honestly declared
their views, the other party may feel embarrassed in public.
5. Aggression: the other party may become hostile and hope to scare you into
submission.