SOCS185 CULTURE AND SOCIETY
What are some useful approaches for building strong cross-cultural teams, whether collocated, remote, or hybrid?
Appreciate and respect the diversity of the team's members Build trust by establishing reliability, consistency, and mutual respect in all team activities and messaging Set standard working hours for all team members, regardless of location Ensure clarity in all communication, whether written or verbal, formal or informal
What are the strategies that will help in communicating with people from low-context cultures?
Avoid relying on body language as a main communication tool Use clarifying questions to ensure the meaning has been communicated Focus on delivering the content of the message with clarity Separate personal relationship-building from task execution
What strategies can be used to help build a rapport with colleagues from other cultures?
Be respectful of all cultures Create opportunities to establish relationships with colleagues from other cultures Demonstrate an interest in bridging cultural differences
What strategies can be used to help build a rapport with colleagues from other cultures?
Being respectful of other cultures Demonstrating an interest in bridging cultural differences Creating opportunities to establish relationships
What are some approaches to building strong cross-cultural teams, whether collocated, hybrid, or fully remote?
Choose technology that will facilitate productive communication Appreciate and respect the team members' cultural diversity Work to ensure clarity in communication Establish and maintain trust with consistent messaging and mutual respect
Culture wars are largely the product of which two factors?
Disagreements over core values and moral positions
Effective communication is extremely important in diverse, often virtual teams. What are the approaches to build strong cross-cultural teams regardless of physical location?
Establish and maintain trust with consistent messaging and mutual respect in all team activities and messaging Make relationships and camaraderie secondary concerns Appreciate and respect the team's cultural diversity and recognize it as the team's greatest asset Ensure clarity in communication in all situations, speaking clearly and enunciating to allow for differences in language competency
True or false: Individual freedom is an example of a norm.
False
What strategies can you use to help adjust and communicate effectively with an audience that's primarily from a low-context culture?
Focus on delivering your message clearly and explicitly
What is the relationship between action and structure?
Human action has a strong impact on social structures.
Which of the following is true according to sociologists who use conversation analysis to study social interactions?
All talk is organized and ordered.
What specific benefits does practicing cross-cultural communication bring?
Resolution of trust issues Accurate interpretation of communication Development of assumptions regarding other cultures
What are the benefits of improving cross-cultural communication skills?
Resolving trust issues Reducing incorrect assumptions about what people mean Interpreting communication accurately
What strategies can you use to help adjust and communicate effectively in a low-context setting?
Separate personal relationship-building from task execution and develop your ability to work and achieve goals independently Focus on delivering the content of the message with clarity and providing answers to basic questions such as what, where, when, and how Use clarifying questions to help in ensuring that the intended meaning has been communicated Use your body language, including subtle gestures and increased tonality, as your main methods of communication
What strategies can make your cross-cultural rapport-building efforts more effective?
Showing an interest in bridging cultural differences between your culture and others Looking for opportunities to establish relationships with diverse colleagues Showing respect for cultures that differ from your own
When sociologists use the term culture, they are referring to which of the following?
The customs, knowledge, and behavior that every society has The unique artifacts that are found in every society
What are the benefits for business professionals who embrace diversity and develop cross-cultural communication skills?
They have an increased ability to make quick, assumption-based decisions They have an increased ability to interpret communication accurately They can move past and resolve trust issues
True or false: Individuals can exercise control over their achieved status.
True
Which of the following is NOT an example of a symbol?
a call system, which allows people to communicate
The rise in numbers of adults living alone has triggered fears that Americans are becoming more socially isolated. Sociologists argue that this rise actually reflects
a change in the structure of social connections.
The most significant change that globalization has had for the United States is
a decline of manufacturing in the United States.
When sociologists use the term society, they are referring to which of the following?
a large number of people who live in the same territory people who participate in a common culture
Which of the following acts as a bridge between a culture's ideas and its practice by suggesting appropriate actions?
a norm
Anything that represents something else, such as an image, sound, or gesture, is known as
a symbol.
Which of the following are types of statuses?
ascribed achieved
The process of adopting the ideas and practices of the dominant culture is known as
assimilation
What are the strategies that will help in communicating with people from high-context cultures?
Listening carefully and using observation to gauge the audience's understanding of your message Avoiding the use of titles and honorifics, as they can be confusing to outsiders and risk causing offense Adopting the speech patterns and vocal mannerisms of the audience to show respect and build rapport Closely observing nonverbal cues and using open-ended questions to reconstruct and contextualize the message to ensure understanding Fostering emotional connections, building relationships early, and working to maintain them
What strategies can help when communicating with people from high-context cultures?
Pay attention to the audience's cultural norms while delivering the message Build relationships early and work to maintain them Use observation to gauge the understanding of your message
What strategies can help you in communicating effectively in a high-context setting?
Pay attention to the cultural norms of your audience while delivering the message Employ observation to gauge the audience's understanding of your message Ask open-ended questions to help reconstruct the received message and check for understanding Never look directly at the audience while delivering your message
A sociologist who analyzes the patterns in face-to-face conversations that produce the smooth, back-and-forth turn-taking of such exchanges is using Blank______ analysis.
conversation
People who advocate recycling materials are examples of
cultural activists.
People who promote specific cultural practices are
cultural activists.
The shift of manufacturing jobs to low-wage countries is part of what some analysts call the "Blank______ of America."
deindustrialization
The concept of Blank______ is at the center of functional analysis.
equilibrium
According to Georg Simmel, what is it that creates society?
face-to-face, micro-level interactions
The Blank______ perspective views society as a set of interdependent institutions that each serve a specific purpose in order to maintain social order.
functionalist
Whatever potential a new technology has, Blank______ are the keys to understanding its social significance.
human action and how people use it
Sociologist David Karp, in his studies, alluded to the importance of specific--------for clinically depressed adults to define their reality.
language
The symbolic meaning of a holy book combined with its physical existence demonstrates the interconnection of
material and nonmaterial culture.
Societies that recognize, value, and protect cultural differences among their members are considered
multicultural
Scholars who question the depth of divisions between groups that prioritize different values believe that these differences are highlighted by which of the following?
political elites trying to mobilize voters and raise funds political commentators who want to attract audiences and sell books
The term social structure refers to
recurring patterns of behavior.
Functionalists argue that society functions best when social structures
remain in balance with each other.
Imagine you have spent many hours discussing LGBTQ issues with your aunt, who once supported the idea that conversion therapy was an effective "treatment" for LGBTQ youth. Through conversation and sharing stories about friends who suffered from such treatments, you help her realize that these practices are harmful. In the next election, she votes against a candidate because he advocates the use of conversion therapy. Your face-to-face interactions with your aunt, and her subsequent change of hea
shape society.
Sociologist Eric Klinenberg differentiates between "singles," who may live with roommates or family members, and Blank______, who live alone, but may still have robust social connections.
singletons
According to the functionalist perspective, the family, government, economy, and education are all examples of
social institutions.
Schools, religious institutions, organized religions, and the government are all examples of
social institutions.
The major arenas of social life where durable routines and patterns of behavior take place are called
social institutions.
Sociologists refer to recurring patterns of behavior as
social structure.
When sociologists speak of norms, they are referring to
the rules and expectations for appropriate behavior that are established by a society.
Which elements are part of material culture? (Choose every correct answer.)
toys tools clothing
A deeply held principle or standard that people use to make judgments about the world, especially in deciding what is desirable or worthwhile, is referred to as
values
Sociologist David Karp showed that when clinically depressed adults named their experience "depression," they
viewed depression differently.
Ideology, simply put, is a comprehensive
worldview.
Sociologists study cultural ideology by paying close attention to the Blank______ made by the people who live within a culture.
basic assumptions