culture. culture ◦ the beliefs, values, behaviors and material objects that, together, form a...

Culture

Culture ◦ The beliefs, values, behaviors and material

objects that, together, form a people’s way of life

Material Culture ◦ The tangible products of human society.

Homes, neighborhoods, technology

Nonmaterial culture◦ The intangible world of ideas created by members

of a society Rules, norms, behaviors

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

Culture shock◦ Disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar

way of life. Foreign travel, moving to a new school


Only humans depend on culture rather than instincts to ensure the survival of their kind.


Symbols◦ Anything that carries a particular meaning

recognized by people who share a culture

Societies create new symbols all the time.

Reality for humans is found in the meaning things carry with them◦ The basis of culture; makes social life possible


People must be mindful that meanings vary from culture to culture.

Meanings can even vary greatly within the same groups of people.◦ Fur coats, Confederate flags, etc.


LanguageA system of symbols that allows people to

communicate with one another Cultural transmission

◦ One generation passes culture to the next. Historically it has been accomplished through oral tradition.

Sapir-Whorf thesis◦ People perceive the world through the cultural

lens of language


Values◦ Broad guidelines for social living; values support

beliefs; culturally defined standards Of desirability, goodness, & beauty

Beliefs◦ Specific statements people hold to be true◦ Matters individuals consider to be true or false


Equal opportunity Achievement and success Material comfort Activity and work Practicality and efficiency


Progress Science Democracy and free enterprise Freedom Racism and group superiority


Williams's list includes examples of value clusters

Sometimes one key cultural value contradicts another

Value conflict causes strain Values change over time


Cultures have their own values Lower-income nations have cultures that

value survival Higher-income countries have cultures that

value individualism & self-expression


Norms◦ Rules and expectations by which a society guides

the behavior of its members.

Types◦ Proscriptive

Should-nots, prohibited, Don’t Litter, Don’t Drink and Drive

◦ Prescriptive Shoulds, prescribed like medicine, Drink your milk,

Exercise regularly


Mores and Folkways◦ Mores (pronounced "more-rays")

Widely observed and have great moral significance, stealing, public nudity, incest

◦ Folkways Norms for routine and casual interaction, Holding the

door open for someone, saying Bless You after some one sneezes


Social Control◦ Attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts

and behavior

Guilt◦ A negative judgment we make about ourselves

Shame◦ The painful sense that others disapprove of our

actions


Ideal culture◦ The way things should be◦ Social patterns mandated by values & norms

Real culture◦ Way things actually occur in everyday life◦ Social patterns that only approximate cultural

expectations

Example: Declaration of Independence


Culture includes a wide range of physical human creations or artifacts.

A society's artifacts partly reflect underlying cultural values.

Material culture also reflects a society's technology or knowledge that people use ◦ To make a way of life in their surroundings


High culture–Cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite. ◦ Examples include classical music, opera, classical

literature (Shakespeare)

Popular culture–Cultural patterns that are widespread among society’s population◦ Examples include rap music, comic books, reality

TV shows


Subculture–Cultural patterns that set apart some segment of society’s population◦ Example: Teenagers

Counterculture–Cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within a society◦ Hippies, KKK, Punk Rockers


An educational program recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States ◦ Promoting the equality of all cultural traditions

Eurocentrism–The dominance of European (esp. English) cultural patterns

Afrocentrism–The dominance of African cultural patterns


Culture lag◦ Some cultural elements change more quickly than

others; might disrupt a cultural system Example: Medical procedures and ethics


Invention–Creating new cultural elements◦ Telephone or airplane

Discovery–Recognizing and better understanding something already existing◦ X-rays or DNA

Diffusion–Spread of cultural traits◦ Jazz music or much of the English language


Ethnocentrism◦ The practice of judging another culture by the

standards of one’s own culture

Cultural relativism◦ The practice of judging a culture by its own

standards Example includes muslim women wearing head

scarves in secular France


The Basic Thesis◦ The flow of goods–Material product trading has

never been as important.

◦ The flow of information–Few places left where worldwide communication isn’t possible

◦ Flow of people–Knowledge means people learn about places where life might be better


Limitations to the thesis◦ Global culture is much more advanced in some

parts of the world. It is uneven.◦ Many people cannot afford to participate in the

material aspects of a global culture.◦ Different people attribute different meanings to

various aspects of the global culture.


Structural-functional◦ Culture is a strategy for meeting human needs◦ Cultural universals–Traits part of every known

culture; family, funeral rites, jokes Evaluate

◦ Ignores cultural diversity; downplays importance of change

Social-conflict◦ Cultural traits benefit some members at the

expense of others◦ Rooted in Karl Marx & materialism


◦ Society’s system of material production has a powerful effect on the rest of a culture

Critical evaluation◦ Understates the ways cultural patterns integrate

members into society


Sociobiology◦ Theoretical approach that explores ways in which

human biology affects how we create culture

◦ Approach rooted in Charles Darwin and evolution


◦ Living organisms change over long periods of time based on natural selection

Critical evaluation◦ Might be used to support racism or sexism◦ Little evidence to support theory; people learn

behavior within a cultural system


Culture as constraint◦ We know our world in terms of our culture

Culture as freedom◦ Culture is changing and offers a variety of

opportunities◦ Sociologists share the goal of learning more about

cultural diversity


culture. culture ◦ the beliefs, values, behaviors and material objects that, together, form a...

Documents

culture slide

pearson education

basis of culture

culture societies

technology nonmaterial

culture shock disorientation

groups of people

value conflict