Understand how culture makes possible the variation in human societies.

DEFINE Ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Know the difference between material and

nonmaterial culture. Understand the importance of language in

shaping our perception and classification of the world.

Describe cultural universals Explain what subcultures are Understand the roles of innovation, diffusion,

and cultural lag in cultural change.

CULTURE IS A BLUEPRINT FOR LIVING IN A PARTICULAR SOCIETY

All that human beings learn: to do To use To produce To know To believe as they mature and live out their

lives in the social groups to which they belong

Human beings have basic biological needs; they must eat, stay warm, protect themselves, reproduce and raise children

Unlike other animals, humans methods for meeting these needs can vary widely. This is due to the habits and methods taught through socialization

EX: Food choices and food preparation: Most Americans would not eat:

Dogs, Monkeys, Horses, Ants, Larvae

The term used by sociologist to describe the difficulty people have adjusting to a new culture that differs markedly from their own. The expectations of “normal” behavior can be quite different.

Culture shock can also be experienced within a person’s own society. This is usually the result of some sub-culture: Prison or the Military.

ETHNOCENTRISM. Is the process of making judgments about other cultures according to the customs and values of your own culture.

CULTURAL RELATIVISM, the recognition that social groups and cultures must be studied and understood on their own terms before valid comparisons can be made.

Cultural relativism is used by sociologists and anthropologists to avoid ethnocentrism

Sociologists find it helpful to break down culture into 3 separate components: material culture

Consists of human technology—all the things human beings make and use, from small hand-held tools to skyscrapers

nonmaterial culture Consists of the totality of knowledge, beliefs,

values, and rules for appropriate behavior.

language

NORMS

Rules of behavior that are agreed upon and shared within a culture and that prescribe limits of acceptable behavior.

They define “normal” expected behavior and help people achieve predictability in their lives.

Norms have varying levels of prescriptive force, how closely one is expected to adhere to them

Strongly held norms that usually have a moral connotation and are based on the central values of the culture.

Violations strong negative

reactions, social disapproval

Examples Desecration of a

church or temple Sexual molestation

of a child, Incest

Norms that have a large range of expected adherence, depending on the situation and individual outlook.

Violations- people viewed as peculiar or eccentric

Examples Don’t stare Wear clothes in public Respond when spoken to

Folkways change much more easily than mores

Examples of changing folkways:

Not too long ago a man was always expected to hold a door open for a woman, and a woman was never

expected to hold a coat for a man.

How much have norms about proper dress in reference to how much of the body is visible

changed over time?

On the other hand what mores have changed about the correctness of rape, murder, child abuse, etc.

Ideal norms Expectations of what

people should do under perfect conditions.

They are taught to children at a young age.

Tend to be simple

- 10 Commandments

- Do not lie

Real norms Norms that are

expressed with qualifications and allowances for differences in individual behavior. Specify how people

actually behave. Reflect the fact that

a person’s behavior is guided by norms as well as unique situations.

VALUES

A culture’s general orientations toward life—its notions of what is good and bad, what is desirable and undesirable.

America - “Rugged Individualism” Japan - Work together and respect

others

Values can also be understood by looking at patterns of behavior

How do people in a society behave?

Language enables humans to organize the world around them

Language makes it possible to teach and share values

Provides the principal means through which culture is transmitted

All people are shaped by the selectivity of their culture, a process by which some aspects of the world are viewed as important while others are virtually neglected

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis Argues that the language a person uses

determines his or her perception of reality

Consider the number of words and expressions pertaining to technology that have entered the English language in the last 20 years.

twittering texting cyberspace virtual reality hackers phishing Spamming googling.

What does it mean to say that culture is symbolic?

DEF: Symbol - Anything that represents something else and carries a particular meaning recognized by members of a culture. Need not share any quality at all with whatever it

represents. Stand for things simply because people agree that

they do.

EVERY CULTURE USES SYMBOLS, BOTH LANGUAGE AND PHYSICAL PATTERNS, TO EXPRESS COMMONLY HELD MEANINGS.

THE SAME SYMBOL MAY HAVE A VERY DIFFERENT MEANING IN ANOTHER CULTURE OR DIFFERENT SYMBOLS MAY MEAN THE SAME THING IN DIFFERENT CULTURES

Cultural Adaptation A process by which human beings adjust to

changes in their environment. EXAMPLES: Changes in eating habits as other foods

becomes more plentiful or less expensive. Changes in attitudes towards marriage

and childbearing outside of marriage. (What might this be an adaptation to? Why is it occurring?)

Def: DIFFUSION - the movement of cultural traits from one culture to another.

This can be marked by a reformulation in which the cultural trait is modified in some way so that it better fits the new culture.

ExampleAmerican culture adopting Yoga as a health

regimen and largely ignoring it’s spiritual meanings.

Describes the phenomenon through which new patterns of behavior may emerge, even though they conflict with traditional values

Material culture (technology) usually can change much faster than non-material culture (norms and values)

This can lead to stress and strains between different elements of the culture

Subculture Refer to the distinctive lifestyles, values, norms, and beliefs of certain segments of the population within a society.

POLITICAL

OCCUPATIONAL

RELIGIOUS

DEVIANT

GEOGRAPHIC

ETHNIC

Certain models or patterns that have developed in all cultures to resolve basic social problems.

DEF: Taboo - The prohibition of a specific action.

EX: Incest Taboo DEF: Rites of passage - Standardized rituals

marking major life transitions EX: Rites that mark the reaching of

puberty, they separate acceptable behavior/expectations for adults vs children

DIVISION OF LABOR – In all societies groups divide the responsibility for completing tasks among members

MARRIAGE AND FAMILY – All cultures have an organization of a smaller group that consists of some combination of parents and children

Every Culture contains Ideologies

DEF: Strongly held beliefs and values

They are the cement of social structure.

A common ideology is what allows the members of society to see themselves as a group