Upload
phebe-taylor
View
220
Download
2
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Sociology Homework: Nacirema article
Social Science:◦ Disciplines that study human social behavior or
institutions and functions of human society in a scientific matter
Psychology individual
Anthropology Biological and cultural development (compare past and present
cultures) History
past Economics:
production, distribution, and consumption of goods (financial) Government/Political Science :
Laws. government system functionstheories, purpose
◦ How would History, Anthropology, Psychology, Economics, and political science study Juvenile Delinquency?
Sociology?
Social Sciences
Sociology The study of human society and social
behavior ◦ Most interested in SOCIAL INTERACTIONS –
how people relate to one another What groups are you a part of?
◦ Do you act differently in different groups? What ideas/characteristics do most of us as
a society share? What varies? is there anything that ALL of us have in common?
Page 1 in packet
Sociology
SP: being able to look beyond commonly held beliefs to the hidden meanings behind human actions
◦ Remember: through the lens of a sociologist the view always remains on the social, or group
◦ Why does a young man join a gang? Does not explain by looking at the individual – he is violent or
a delinquent but explains by looking at the group influence Taught by society to be ‘masculine’ Protection in an unsafe environment
◦ Benefits to having SP?
Sociological Perspective
• Sociological Imagination: ability to range from the most impersonal and remote topics to the most intimate features of the human self and see relations between the two
- C Wright Mills believes all sociologist and students must possess this ability
Ability to see connection between the larger world and one’s personal life
◦ Look at picture page 5 How might a sociologist view the interconnection of
this closed factory and homeless person?
Sociological Perspective
How do we learn about our past societies?
Archaeology Study of past human societies
◦ Finding material culture (example: artifacts and cultural landscapes)
Prehistoric societies with no written records for historians to study◦ Material culture is the only data to analyze
Buried Treasures
Individually: complete page 2 of packet ◦ Part one: worksheet◦ Part two: writing response
Development of Sociology Industrial Revolution – Europe
◦ Rapid social and political changes The Urban move
◦ Social changes (e.g., increase in crime)
Culture Culture: shared products of human groups
◦ Material Culture: Physical objects that people create and use Automobiles, books, buildings, clothing etc.
◦ Nonmaterial culture: abstract human creations Beliefs, family patterns, ideas, language, political
systems, rules etc.
Culture vs. Society Not the same thing! Society – group of interdependent people
who have organized to share a common culture and unity ◦ Society = people◦ Culture – material and nonmaterial products that
people create
Components of culture 1. Technology- combination of objects and rules
- Example – computer (material) plus knowledge of computer skills & internet
Acceptable rules of internet Screwdriver
2. Symbols (anything that represents something else)
Helps create culture and communicate Shared meaning attached to it Chinese culture: clap hands to express worry or
disappointment, laugh “Ho-Ho to express anger, stick out tongue to show surprise (1938 research)
North America: ‘thumbs up” and “A-OK” symbols are insults to certain other cultures: U.S. President Richard Nixon made the A-OK sign in Brazil not realizing he was offering a crude insult
Components of culture 3. Language – organization of written or
spoken symbols into a standardized system ◦ Express ideas ◦ English – United States
4. Values – shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable. ◦ Help determine character of people in group ◦ Determines material and nonmaterial culture
Norms Norms: shared rules of conduct that tell people how
to act in specific situations◦ Cover your mouth when you cough – do not murder ◦ Can vary – selective norms, demographic ◦ 1. Folkways: norms that describe socially acceptable
behavior but do not have great moral significance attached to them Example:
Do not chew with your mouth open (Does not endanger well-being or stability of society)
-What are the social norms attached to riding elevators?
-How quickly would we give up on these norms if they were challenged? Elevator norm
Norms 2. Mores: (pronounced MORE-ay) great
significance attached to them/Endangers society’s well being and stability ◦ Example:
Fraud/Murder
Laws – written rules of conduct enacted and enforced by the government ◦ punishment for violating mores to protect social
well-beings ◦ Can also enforce folkways – example?
Parking Tickets
When we break a folkway we may notice people’s reactions *Experiments
*Improv everywhere mission: to break social norms and
watch people’s reactions Food Court Musical Frozen Grand Central Time loop
Breaking Norms
Technology: ◦ List 5 (remember – objects) and for each list at least
one rule attached to the objects Symbols:
◦ Write or draw 5 symbols – explain what each symbolizes to us
◦ Create one new symbol: What do you think is important to have a symbol for in our society but we do not yet have?
Values: ◦ List 5 American values
Norms: ◦ List 5 folkways for Americans ◦ List 5 folkways for high school students ◦ List 5 mores
Laws: ◦ 3 laws you support ◦ 3 laws you do not support
Complete page 7-8 in Packet
Taboo Taboo : a norm that society holds so strongly that
violating it results in extreme disgust. The violator is often considered unfit to live in that society.◦ Example: In some Muslim cultures, eating pork is taboo
because the pig is considered unclean.
American Taboo? ◦ Pedophilia, bestiality, cannibalism
Universal Taboo? ◦ Incest (among father and daughter) ◦ Cannibalism ◦ Evidence to suggest there are even exception to those
taboo’s and some sociologist claim there are no Universal Taboos
Cultural variation If you took a trip to Tokyo and meet some friends who
are Japanese and invite you to dinner at their house ◦ What would you expect ?
Bring a small gift Take off shoes and put on slippers you are offered When offered the place of honor at the table decline a couple of
times before accepting Sit on the floor – do not stretch out your legs (considered rude to
point soles of your feet at someone) During meal lift bowl to chest close to your mouth – use
chopsticks Slurping while eating soup or noodles is acceptable Never pour your own drink! Do not leave a mess When done place chopsticks on your plate and fold napkin neatly.
Cultural Univerals: features common to all cultures ◦ Examples? ◦ George Murdock – examined hundreds of cultures
to determine what they had in common ◦ Found 65 cultural universals: cooking, dancing,
family, feasting, greetings, funeral ceremonies, gift giving, housing, language, medicine, music, religion, sports, etc.
Studying Variation Ethnocentrism: viewing one’s own culture
and group as superior ◦ Often people have negative reactions to cultural
traits different than their own Cultural Relativism: Belief that cultures
should be judged by their own standards rather than by applying the standards of another culture ◦ Open minded – put yourself in their shoes◦ Helps us understand practices that seem
strange/different
TABOO
Read Case Study Page 6
Writing Response 3 – Think About it 1 & 2
Day 4: Class Starter The American Sociological Association
Variation within societies Subculture: group with its own unique values, norms,
and behaviors that exists within a larger culture ◦ Do not reject all values and practices of larger society ◦ Example: Age, gender, ethnic, religious, political, social-
class, occupations (teachers, police) Counterculture: rejects major values, norms, and
practices of larger society and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns ◦ challenge the values of the larger society◦ Anarchists, organized crime, hippies
Argot: a specialized vocabulary peculiar to a particular class or group of people
Variation within societies Counterculture: rejects major values, norms,
and practices of larger society and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns ◦ challenge the values of the larger society◦ Anarchists, organized crime, hippies
Argot: a specialized vocabulary peculiar to a particular class or group of people
Variation among societies The Arapesh and the Mundugumor
◦Page 32 Read about the two societies ◦Writing Response:
1. T-chart: compare the two societies
Characteristics of society What things are important to them
2. What factors account for the differences among these two societies? In other words why aren’t we all the same?