SOCY 121

socialization

(Used by sociologists) The learning process in which a human learns the characteristics of his/ her social groups including the skills, values, attitudes, roles, and norms considered appropriate. - Emphasis on learning through social interactions. - Emphasis on HOW it is learned.

collective orientation

(ex: Inuit/ Eskimo and many Asian cultures.) - Group needs/ wants are placed over the individual needs/ wants. - A culture with a collective orientation teaches values like sharing, group cooperation, modesty, and putting the group before the individual.

individual orientation

(ex: U.S.) - Individual needs/ wants are placed over the group need/ wants. - Culture with an individual orientation teaches values like winning and competition, assertiveness and individual boasting and bragging.

examples of nonverbal communication that differ throughout the world

- Facial expressions. - Gestures. - Eye contact. - Posture. - Treatment of time. - Concepts of personal space and touching.

Participant observation

- The fieldwork technique that involves participating in the culture and actively observing at the very same time. - The most important fieldwork technique in Cultural Anthropology.

ethnographic fieldwork

-Long term immersion in a culture with the goal of learning about the culture - involves systematic data collection to fain accurate and reliable data (evidence) about the cultural system of society.

enculturation:

:(Used by cultural anthropologists) The learning process in which a human learns all aspects of his/ her cultural system. - Emphasis on learning cultural content. - Emphasis on WHAT is learned.

Emic Approach

A cultural insider's (native's) view on why/ how things occur, using categories, concepts, and perceptions meaningful to the people who live within a culture.

Etic Approach

A cultural outsider's view on why/ how things occur using the outsider's categories and concepts to describe the culture being studied.

statutes

A social position in a group or society.

Culture

A system of shared beliefs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of a society use to adapt to their physical and social environment, and that is transmitted from generation to generation though learning.

values

Broad ideas regarding what is desirable, correct, and good that are shared by most members of a society.

cultural anthropology

Focuses on understanding the differences and similarities in contemporary and historically recent cultures.

Cultural Relativism

Objectively viewing another society's cultural behaviors and beliefs from within the context of the cultural system in which they actually occur to try to understand the logic and reasons behind that society's customs.

How is culture learned?

Passed from generation to generation

norms

Social rules that specifically appropriate and inappropriate behavior in given situations based on shared understandings and exceptions.

The sociological perspective

Stresses understanding human behavior by placing it within its broader social context. It's stressed that people's social experiences - the groups by whom they belong and their experiences within these groups - underlie and shape their behavior.

Cross- Cultural Comparison

Studying all varieties of societies around the world, including both small- scale and large- scale societies, to gain an understanding of cultural similarities and differences

How are symbols important

Symbols are One of the Most Critical Components of Culture: - They unify people into a group. - They help people identify objects and ideas. - They are powerful. - They provide meaning. Symbols are part of language - humans symbolize through language.

Ethnocentrism

The belief that one's own culture and way of life is superior to all others.

roles

The culturally defined behaviors (rights, duties, and expectations) that people view as appropriate and inappropriate for the occupant of a particular status.

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

The idea that people's language shapes their perceptions and views of the world.

Culture Shock

The psychological disorientation experienced when trying to operate in different, unfamiliar cultural situations

Ethnography

The study and description of particular groups of living peoples using fieldwork techniques to collect evidence directly from the people.

Ethnohistory

The study of recently living people using historical records as primary evidence.

Sociology

The study of society and human behaviors as they are affected by social interaction within social groups and organizations

cultural emphasis

The vocabulary in a language emphasizes words that are adaptively important in the culture.

Cultural anthropology GOAL

To gain the broadest and most complete understanding of what it means to be "human" by viewing the full range of human cultures, through comparison of the way cultures are organized in different times and places.

what constitutes a case study?

When a paragraph or more is written about a particular society to demonstrate how something works - that is a case study.

1. The anthropological foundation perspective that a culture's customs and ideas should be viewed within the context of that culture is known as: a. Cultural relativism b. The etic approach c. The emic approach d. Ethnocentrism e. Holism

a. Cultural relativism

6. Cultural anthropologists distinguish between emic and etic perspectives. An emic explanation for an event in a culture would be an explanation that: a. derives from the natives of that culture. b. derives from outsiders to the culture. c. is social scientific in perspective. d. is analytic. e. all of the above. f. none of the above.

a. Derives from the natives of that culture

7. In a culture with a "collective" orientation [like the Inuit/Eskimo], which of these would be valued: a. sharing b. boasting c. motor skills d. winning in competition e. all of the above f. none of the above

a. sharing

10. Symbols are one of the most critical components of culture. Which of the following statements is not true of symbols? a. Symbols are completely separate from language. b. Symbols unify people into a group. c. Symbols provide meaning. d. Symbols are powerful. e. Symbols help people identify objects and ideas.

a. symbols are completely separate from language

8. Ethnocentrism is an important concept in cultural anthropology that is used to interpret real world problems because it can affect one's ability to objectively understand other cultures. Ethnocentrism involves the belief that: a. one's own culture is no better or no worse than any other. b. other cultures are inferior to one's own. c. other cultures are superior to one's own. d. to understand another cultural feature, you must look at it from within its proper cultural context. e. it is not possible to fully understand any culture other than your own.

b. other cultures are inferior to ones own

1. LaLone studied what group?: ______ a. Paduang b. Quechua Indians c. Yanomamo d. Inuit/Eskimo e. Hmong

b. quechua indians

12. It is helpful to apply the concept of "culture shock" to interpret your feelings and reactions when encountering other cultures. Culture shock includes: a. an ethnographic fieldwork data-collection technique. b. the psychological distress that can result from trying to operate in an unfamiliar culture. c. two cultures making war with one another. d. an ethnographic fieldwork technique that makes people answer questions by subjecting them to shock treatments. e. the belief that your culture is superior to all others. f. none of the above

b. the psychological distress that can result from trying to operate in an unfamiliar culture

1. The concept of "culture" includes: a. The ideas people learn b. The material things people share c. The ways people behave d. All of the above e. Only a and c

d. all of the above

9. One way cultures are shaped is that all cultures must be at least minimally adapted to their external environments. To say that culture is adaptive means that: a. any person can adapt to any culture if she is around it long enough. b. everyone within a society follows the same cultural rules. c. culture-bearers (such as humans) have many instincts which help them survive. d. culture functions to help a population survive in a particular environment. e. all of the above. f. none of the above.

d. culture functions to help a population survive in a particular environment

1. Briggs had to deal with a different father-daughter relationship while studying what group? _____ a. Paduang b. Quechua Indians c. Yanomamo d. Inuit/Eskimo e. Hmong

d. inuit/ eskimo

3. Cultural anthropologists apply the concept of enculturation to refer to the process by which people acquire their own culture through the learning process. This concept: a. means that only certain designated elders teach culture. b. is the same as culture shock. c. means that children have learned all the culture they are going to learn by the time they are one year old. d. is similar to socialization, but emphasizes that an individual learns her/his entire cultural system and cultural content through this learning process. e. all of the above. f. none of the above.

d. is similar to socialization but emphasizes that an individual learns her/ his entire cultural system and cultural content thought this learning process

11. Cultural anthropologists apply the concept of holism to interpret the way a culture is structured and functions. They view culture as a whole integrated cultural system. To say a cultural system is integrated means: a. all of the cultural parts are identical. b. all of the parts are independent and unconnected to one another. c. the parts have little impact on one another. d. the parts are maladaptive. e. all of the cultural parts are tightly connected to all other cultural parts.

e. all of the cultural parts are tightly connected to all other cultural parts

4. Cultural anthropologists compare and contrast the concepts of ethnocentrism and cultural relativism. Which of these statements is true of the concept/attitude of cultural relativism? Cultural relativism: a. means that a culture's traits should be viewed in the context of that culture's opportunities and limitations b. means that a culture's traits should be analyzed in terms of their function, meaning, and fit with other traits inside that culture c. means that an individual with this perspective believes his or her culture is superior to others d. all of the above e. only a and b are correct f. none of the above

e. only a and b are correct

5. Holism is an important foundation concept for understanding culture. Holism involves: a. an ethnographic fieldwork interviewing technique. b. a food-getting strategy that cultural anthropologists have studied. c. an approach in which the researcher focuses on filling in the holes in our understanding of a culture. d. a specialized focus on what people consider to be holy religious behavior. e. a specialized approach that focuses research on only on a few selected aspects of humans' lifestyles. f. an approach that studies humans by examining all aspects of the human experience.

f. an approach that studies humans by examining all aspects of the human experience.

linguistic anthropology

focuses on human communication

physical anthropology

focuses on reconstruction of human remains -- biological factors

archeology

focuses on reconstruction of past cultures -- materials

culture changes and evolves

its dynamic not static; cultural evolution

What are the three main categories that define "culture"?

o Artifacts- material possessions. o Shared Beliefs- ideas, values, attitudes. o Behaviors- behavior patterns.

case studies require:

o Name of group/ society. o Where they're located (by continent or region of the world.) o Name of the ethnographic fieldworker. o Major points in the case study.

Relatively unobtrusive techniques

o Simple observation. o Mapping. o Census taking. o Document analysis:

society

people who share a culture and territory

two types of interviews:

structured and unstructured

Holism

•A holistic approach that attempts to study all aspects of human culture - also known as a holistic perspective.