Imagine you have just been told that you must evacuate your home immediately.

List List 1010 items that you items that you would take with you.would take with you.

Culture

An entire way of life/ shared products of human groups

Society = interdependent people who share a common culture

>> Societies produce culture

5 Universal Elements of 5 Universal Elements of CultureCulture

Symbols LanguageValues/BeliefsNormsPhysical Objects/TechnologyThese are present in every These are present in every

culture!!culture!!

Norms

Norms = shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific situations

2 types of norms =Folkways = no great significance Mores – great moral significance

Laws are used to enforce norms!

Norms

Think about norms that exist in your life. Come up with and write down:

- 3 norms that exist within your family

- 3 norms that exist within the school/ your peer group

- 3 norms that exist in society

What is important in studying different

cultures?

Understanding diversity

Ethnocentrism Judging another culture based on one’s own

Viewing own culture as better

Cultural relativism Judging culture by its own standards

Sociologists MUST strive to use cultural relativism….NOT be

ethnocentric

Groups within cultures

Counterculture = Rejects the values, norms, &

practices of a larger society & replaces them

Subculture = Unique values, norms, &

behaviors – does not reject all ideas of the larger culture

Examples of Subcultures/Countercultur

es Some categories of

subcultures: Religion, Music, Fashion,  Youth,

Examples of specific subcultures: Amish,  Mormons,   Hippies,   Punk

Cultural UniversalsCultural Universals

Common features found in all human culturesEx. – cooking, eating, language, toolmaking, religion, body adornment, myths/folklore, sports, dancing, medicine, housing, etc.

3 LEVELS OF CULTURE

Cultural TraitCultural Trait

Individual tool, act, or belief that is related to a particular situation or need

Cultural ComplexCultural Complex

Cluster of interrelated traits

Cultural PatternCultural Pattern

Combination of a number of culture complexes into an interrelated whole