Sociology 100- Ch. 3

Taboo

Excluded or forbidden from use or mention

What are the most powerful of all norms?

Taboos

What is the focus of Miner's article "Body Rituals of the Nacirema"?

The article focuses on the beliefs and practices of this North American people concerning the care of their bodies.

Gestures

the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate with one another

According to Howard (2011), what effect did social media have on the 2009 revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt?

Networks formed online were crucial in organizing a core group of activists, specifically in Egypt. Civil society leaders in Arab countries emphasized the role of "the internet, mobile phones, and social media" in the protests. (Brown et al, 2012)- Journalism.org "The Role of Social Media in the Arab Uprisings"

What are the two major categories of culture?

material culture and nonmaterial/symbolic culture

Sanctions

positive or negative reactions to the ways that people follow or disobey norms, including rewards for conformity and punishments for violations

What is the symbolic interactionist approach to culture?

values and norms are social constructions that may vary over time and in different contexts; meaning is created, maintained, and changed through ongoing social interaction.

What are the three types of norms?

Folkways, mores, and taboos. pg.78

How would symbolic interactionism explain religion?

Religion consists of beliefs and rituals that are part of the interaction among followers. Reciting the Lord's Prayer, bowing toward Mecca, and keeping a kosher home are meaningful displays of different religious values and norms. Leaders may play a role in creating social change.

How would structural functionalism explain religion?

Religion is an important social institution that functions as the basis for the morals and ethics that followers embrace and that are applied to both society and the individual, thus promoting social order.

How would conflict theory explain religion?

Religion serves to control the masses by creating rules for behavior; sanctions against violators may not be equally or fairly applied. Culture wars reflect tensions among groups over which values and norms will dominate.

What does the color red mean in different cultures?

The color red can hold many different meanings in various cultures. Among them are fear and fire, wealth and power, purity, fertility, seduction, love, and beauty.

What is the "Twitter revolution"?

Twitter and YouTube have proved to be active platforms for American ISIS sympathizers to pick up terrorist propaganda

What is the conflict theorist approach to culture?

Values and norms are part of the dominant culture and tend to represent and protect the interests of the most powerful groups in society.

What is the structural functionalist approach to culture?

Values and norms are widely shared and agreed upon; they contribute to social stability by reinforcing common bonds and constraining individual behavior.

Subculture

a group within society that is differentiated by its distinctive values, norms, and lifestyle

Counterculture

a group within society that openly rejects and/or actively opposes society's values and norms

Multiculturalism

a policy that values diverse racial, ethnic, national, and linguistic backgrounds and so encourages the retention of cultural differences within society rather than assimilation

Moral holiday

a specified time period during which some norm violations are allowed

Language

a system of communication using vocal sounds, gestures, or written symbols; the basis of symbolic culture and the primary means through which we communicate with one another and perpetuate our culture

How do the otaku see/view their intense knowledge?

badge of honor

Culture wars

clashes within mainstream society over the values and norms that should be upheld

Otaku

devoted fans, usually of manga, anime, or video games

What do negative sanctions express and in what forms do they come?

express disapproval and may come in the form of a frown, harsh words, or perhaps a fine or incarceration

Values

ideas about right and wrong, good or bad, desirable or worthy in a particular group; they express what the group cherishes and honors

What is one of the reasons that Miner's article has become so popular?

it demonstrates how easy it is to fail to see our own culture, precisely because we take it for granted.

Technology

material artifacts and the knowledge and techniques required to use them

Mores

norms that carry a greater moral significance and are more closely related to the core values of a cultural group

Norms

rules or guidelines regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable and appropriate within a particular culture; these typically emanate from the group's values

Signs

symbols that stand for or convey an idea

Hegemony

term developed by Antonio Gramsci to describe the cultural aspects of social control, whereby the ideas of the dominant social group are accepted by all of society

Cultural diffusion

the dissemination of material and symbolic culture (tools and technology, beliefs and behavior) from one group to another

Culture

the entire way of life of a group of people (including both material and symbolic elements) that acts as a lens through which one views the world and that is passed from one generation to the next

Social control

the formal and informal mechanisms used to elicit conformity to values and norms and thus promote social cohesion

Sapir-Whorf hypothesis

the idea that language structures thought and that ways of looking at the world are embedded in language

Symbolic culture

the ideas associated with a cultural group, including ways of thinking (beliefs, values, and assumptions) and ways of behaving (norms, interactions, and communication)

Cultural imperialism

the imposition of one culture's beliefs and practices on another culture through mass media and consumer products rather than by military force

Real culture

the norms, values, and patterns of behavior that actually exist within a society (which may or may not correspond to the society's ideals)

Ideal culture

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

Material culture

the objects associated with a cultural group, such as tools, machines, utensils, buildings, and artwork; any physical object to which we give social meaning

Folkway

the ordinary conventions of everyday life about what is acceptable or proper and are not always strictly enforced

Cultural relativism

the principle of understanding other cultures on their own terms, rather than judging or evaluating according to one's own culture

Ethnocentrism

the principle of using one's own culture as a means or standard by which to evaluate another group or individual, leading to the view that cultures other than one's own are abnormal or inferior.

Cultural leveling

the process by which cultures that were once unique and distinct become increasingly similar

Dominant culture

the values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful (in terms of wealth, prestige, status, influence, etc.)

What do positive sanctions express and in what forms do they come?

they express approval and may come in the form of a handshake, smile, praise, or perhaps a reward

Laws

types of norms that are formally codified to provide an explicit statement about what is permissible or forbidden, legal or illegal in a given society