Ch. 3 Culture

Symbolic Culture Communications: iii. ______: a system of symbols people use to communicate with each other

Language

__________: honoring the diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds of various individuals and groups

Multiculturalism

Changes in marijuana laws over the course of U.S. history illustrate that _____ change over time and across contexts, and that changes in such norms are not always ________.

norms, predictable

"Body Rituals among the Nacirema" (Miner, 1956) provides insight into how people unfamiliar with _______ culture might perceive it

American

Symbolic Culture a. ________: signs, gestures, and language

Communications

__________: a subgroup whose norms and values are incompatible with, or in direct opposition to, the dominant culture

Countercultures

______ ______ occurs when different groups share their material and nonmaterial culture with each other

Cultural diffusion

______ ______: the imposition of one culture's beliefs and practices on another culture through media and consumer products a. One example is the proliferation of western media and other cultural products into the rest of the world b. This concept views Western media and culture as an invading force that enters a country and overwhelms its native culture

Cultural imperialism

_______ ______ occurs when cultures that were once distinct become increasingly similar to each other

Cultural leveling

_______ is a guide to our lives.

Culture

_______ _____: clashes that result from living in a diverse society believe should be observed in principle

Culture wars

______ _____: mainstream culture, which consists of the values, norms, and practices of the most powerful groups; may produce hegemony a. _______: the cultural aspects of social control whereby the ideas of the dominant group are accepted by all

Dominant culture, Hegemony

When she arrived at her host family's home on her study abroad in Cambodia, Jamie was treated to a welcome dinner consisting of local delicacies, including fried spiders. Jamie refused to eat any of it because it sounded gross, and asked her hosts if they had any "normal" food, such as hamburgers. What behavior is she exhibiting? __________

Ethnocentrism

_________: the use of one's own culture as the standard to measure all other cultures and seeing anything outside one's own cultural experience as abnormal

Ethnocentrism

Norms: _______: loosely enforced norms involving customs that ensure smooth social interaction and acceptance

Folkways

Symbolic Culture Communications: ii. ______: signs that we make with our body; also known as body language and nonverbal communication

Gestures

_____ _____ illustrates the point that it is very easy to fail to see one's own culture, precisely because it is taken for granted in his famous article, "Body Ritual among the Nacirema" (1956)?

Horace Miner

_____ _____: the norms, values, and patterns of behavior that members of a society believe should be observed in principle

Ideal culture

______ _______: any physical object that holds social meaning a. Any physical thing that people create, use, or appreciate might be considered _______ ______

Material culture

______ structure consists of tangible, physical items within society whereas _______ culture consists of ideas, beliefs, gestures, and language

Material, symbolic

Norms: ______ _____: a specified time period during which some norm violations are allowed

Moral holiday

Norms: ______: norms that carry great moral significance and involve severe repercussions for violators

Mores

_____: rules and guidelines regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable. Norms can be divided into folkways, mores, and taboos.

Norms

_____ _____: the norms, values, and patterns of behavior that actually exist within a society

Real culture

______: mean of enforcing norms i. ______ sanctions express approval for conformity; _______ sanctions express disapproval for violations ii. _____ ______: the mechanism that ensures that people behave in acceptable ways to some degree

Sanctions, positive, negative, social control

Symbolic Culture Communications: iv. The ____-_____ hypothesis maintains that language shapes our perceptions of the world

Sapir-Whorf

Symbolic Culture Communications: i. ____ (or _____): anything that conveys social meaning

Signs, symbols

________: a particular social world that has a distinctive way of life; can be based on ethnicity, age, interests, or anything else that draws individuals together

Subculture

Norms: _______: norms ingrained so deeply that even thinking about violating them evolves strong feelings of disgust, horror, or revulsion

Taboos

Technological change a. ________: material artifacts and the knowledge and techniques required to use them b. Recent exponential change in material culture has drastically transformed social interaction. Technological determinism means that computers and other forms of mass communication are defining how we think, feel, and act

Technology

True or False: Skateboarders are an example of a subculture.

True

______: the set of shared beliefs about what a group of people considers worthwhile or desirable in life i. For example, American values include equality and the individual freedoms of democracy

Values

In the recent past, hip-hop was a distinctly American form of music, emanating from major urban centers in the United States. Now, you can find hip-hop artists almost anywhere in the world, from Beijing, China to Santiago, Chile. This is an example of ______ ______.

cultural diffusion

Talia is from a working-class family, and she pays for her own college tuition by working nights as a waitress. On television, she sees a commercial that says, "You deserve a luxury car." She wants the car and buys it even though it leaves her with more debt than she can afford. What happened? _______ ______

cultural hegemony

The government of Iran officially censors all non-Islamic media content. The government likely considers the spread of Western media such as pop music and television programs an example of _____ ______.

cultural imperialism

While on vacation in Montreal, Canada, Candice wants to go to a restaurant where the locals go, hoping for something different than what she can get back home in Jacksonville, Florida. However, while looking for a place to eat, all she sees are the same chain restaurants she has near her home. This is an example of _____ ______.

cultural leveling

______ _____:seeing each culture on its own terms and being culturally sensitive

cultural relativism

While driving to work one day, a sociologist noticed a bumper sticker on a large pickup truck that stated: "Gun control means using both hands!" Later, he saw a small electric vehicle with a bumper sticker that stated: "Protect children, not guns!" The sociologist would most likely describe this debate over guns as an example of a(n) ______ _____.

culture war

______: the entire way of life of a group of people, which forms people's basic beliefs and assumptions about the world and the way things work and defines their moral parameters of what is right and wrong a. all people are totally dependent on culture to deal with the demands of life in a society b. culture is ______

culture, learned

For example, an American who thinks citizens of another country are barbarians if they like to attend bullfights is demonstrating ______. This is not to say that to be proud of one's heritage is inappropriate. On the contrary, a little ethnocentrism is beneficial in that it assists in building ______ _______. It is a unifying force. Ethnocentrism becomes a problem when we expect others to become like us.

ethnocentrism, group solidarity

Alanna was annoyed because several guests at her dinner party showed up without letting her know they would be attending, and she had to adjust her plans. These guests violated a _____.

folkway

Because American culture is so visible worldwide, the country's moral and political values also come under intense _____ _______. We must realize that America may be viewed with suspicion and contempt by some other cultures because of the messages widely transmitted through American television shows, magazines, movies, and music

global scrutiny

There exists a distinction between the norms and values that members of a society believe, in principle, should be observed (_____ culture) and the pattern of behavior that actually exist (_____ culture)

ideal, real

In the United States, forgetting to pay back your friend for a meal would violate a(n) ______ norm, whereas purposefully leaving a restaurant without paying the bill would violate a(n) ______ norm.

informal, formal

A sociologist who studies the use of architectural elements, building materials, paint, and lighting in a historic district is studying ______ ______.

material culture

Josie wore a pair of short shorts to school. They were against the rules. Because this was the third time that she had broken the same rule, the principal gave her a detention. The principal's action was a means of enforcing norms through _______ _______.

negative sanction

Ethnocentrism refers to the tendency to view one's own culture as the ____. This is accompanied by the tendency to judge other individuals or cultures by the standards of one's culture. "Our" truths and values are so central to whom "___" are that it is difficult to accept the possibility that our culture represents only one of many. A particular culture does not represent universal "____"

norm, we, truth

In the 1950s smoking cigarettes was a widely accepted behavior both in public and private. In recent years cigarette smoking has been banned in many public places and strongly discouraged in private spaces, especially when children are present. This historical shift demonstrates that _____ can change over time.

norms

How has culture been studied? a. Sociologists typically study culture in the _____ society to which they belong b. They study the mundane as well as the exceptional to learn about ____ _______ of culture

same, all aspects

Anthropologists claimed to have discovered that the Hopi tribe of the American Southwest had no words to distinguish past, present, or future. They concluded that the Hopi did not "see" or experience time in the same way as those whose language provided such words. Such results demonstrate the ____-_____ ______ concept.

sapir-whorf hypothesis

Connor is very active in the "cosplay" scene. He designs costumes that embody his favorite sci-fi film characters and wears them to comic conventions (comic-cons). Jordan has a mohawk and wears a leather jacket. He is a member of an anarchist collective that seeks to destroy the current political and economic system, and replace it with a fairer and more just society. The difference between Connor and Jordan is that Connor is a member of a(n) ______, whereas Jordan is a member of a ______.

subculture, counterculture

Among a group of military veterans who meet up regularly, the characteristic of others that they most often speak about is loyalty, which they see as the most desirable quality one can have. For this group, loyalty is a _____.

value