Sociology Chapter 2

conflict theory approach

focuses on culture as a social product queries whose interests are served by how culture develops investigates how culture can reinforce power divisions within society argues that money brings power and status, and that cultural capital does the same

values

shared ideas about desirable goals ex: tenderness and cooperation toughness and competition some tend to be universal like stability, security, strong family, good health

norms

shared rules of conduct that specify how people ought to think and act folkways, mores, laws

laws

mores or rules that are enforced and sanctioned by the authority of government. they may or may not be norms

Cultural lag

occurs when changes in one part of the culture do not keep up with changes in another part

cultural lag

occurs when one part of a culture changes more rapidly than another

multiculturalism

over the last quarter century, Americans have shifted from valuing assimilation to valuing _________________

ethnocentrism

tendency to judge other cultures according to the beliefs and practices of one's own culture

sources of globalization

-economic change (cell phone, internet) -political change (NAFTA, EU, collapse of Soviet Union)

the carriers of culture

1. language 2. values 3. norms

Most important factors for cultural diversity and change

1. physical and natural environment 2. isolation from other cultures 3. cultural diffusion 4. Technological developments 5. mass media 6. dominant cultural themes

sociobiologists

argue that humans have developed altruism (unselfish behavior) as an adaptive mechanism

sapir whorf hypothesis

argues that the grammar, structure and categories embodied in each language affect how its speakers see reality. Aka linguistic relativity hypothesis

nonmaterial culture

language, values, rules and knowledge shared by a society

multiculturalism

belief that the different cultural strands within a culture should be valued and nourished

social control

consists of the forces and processes that encourage conformity, including self control, informal control and formal control

Social control

consists of the forces and processes that encourage people to follow the norms and values of their culture and society. Conformity to norms is reinforced by indoctrination and learning and through sanctions: reward for conformity and punishments for nonconformity.

learned

culture is _________, but has biological roots

subcultures

groups that share in the overall culture of society but also maintain a distinctive set of values, norms, and lifestyles and even a distinctive language. ex: deafness

countercultures

groups whose values, interests, beliefs and lifestyles conflict with those of the larger culture

cultural capital

having the attitudes and knowledge that characterize the upper social classes in this way, culture serves as a symbolic boundary that keeps the social classes apart

symbolic interactionist approach

interested in how people interpret and use what they see in the media explores the meanings people derive from culture and cultural products, and how those meanings result from social interaction

language

is a central component of culture. It embodies culture, symbolizes common bonds, and serves as a framework for perceiving the world.

sociobiologists

most sociologists emphasize that culture is socially created. However, ________________ emphasize that human culture and behavior also have biological roots

mores

norms associated with fairly strong ideas of right or wrong; they carry a moral connotation

folkways

norms that are the customary, normal, habitual ways a group does things

dysfunctional norms

norms that work against the interests of a society

material culture

physical objects a society produces, such as tools, streets, sculptures and toys. These objects depend on the nonmaterial culture for meaning

cultural diffusion

process by which aspects of one culture or subculture are incorporated into another

globalization

process through which ideas, resources, practices and people increasingly operate in a worldwide rather than local framework

assimilation

process through which individuals learn and adopt the values and social practices of the dominant group, more or less giving up their own values in the process

popular culture

refers to aspects of culture that are widely accessible and commonly shared by most members of a society, especially those in the middle, working and lower classes

high culture

refers to the cultural preferences associated with the upper class

culture shock

refers to the discomfort that arises from exposure to a different culture

Culture shock

refers to the disconcerting experiences that accompany rapid cultural change or exposure to a different culture

Globalization

refers to the process through which ideas, resources, practices, and people increasingly operate in a worldwide rather than local framework. Globalization has had enormous political, cultural, and economic effects.

Cultural perspective

regardless of theoretical perspective, sociologists maintain that culture is: 1. problem solving 2. relative 3. a social product

cultural relativity

requires that each cultural trait be evaluated in the context of its own culture

sanctions

rewards for conformity and punishments for nonconformity

Values

spell out the goals that a culture finds worth pursuing, and norms specify the appropriate means to reach them

language

the ability to communicate in symbols - speaking, writing, or hand signs 1. embodiment of culture (meanings of a society, rituals, ceremonies, stories, prayers) 2. is a symbol (symbolizes a groups separation from others while unity within the group) 3. is a framework (sapir whort hypothesis argues that grammar, structure and categories embodied in each language affect how its speakers see reality

heterogeneous

the cultures of large and complex societies are ________________. Subcultures and countercultures with distinct lifestyles and folkways develop to meet unique regional, class, and ethnic needs

globalization of culture

the process through which cultural elements (including musical styles, fashion trends, and cultural values) spread around the globe

sociobiology

the study of the biological basis of all forms of human (and nonhuman) behavior maintains that human behavior is based in biology developed through evolution and natural selection

culture

the total way of life shared by members of a community. It includes language, values, symbolic meanings, technology and material objects

structural functionalist

this approach on culture emphasizes how culture shapes us rather than how culture itself is shaped

symbolic interactionist

this approach on culture focuses on how people interpret and use cultural materials such as mass media

conflict theorist

this approach on culture focuses on why culture develops in certain ways and not others and whose interests these patterns serve

structural functionalist approach

treats culture as the underlying basis of interaction views culture as a given emphasizes how culture shapes us rather than in how culture is shaped itself concentrates on illustrating how norms, values and language guide our behavior

language, value

two central components of culture