Sociology Exam 2

Which term describes a policy of honoring diverse racial, ethnic, religious, linguistic, and national backgrounds?

Multiculturalism

The ability to understand another culture in terms of that culture's own norms and values, without reference to any other culture's standards, is called:

cultural relativism

subculture

culture within culture. has its own set of values, norms, practices and beliefs

When Charles and Kim visit Great Britain, Charles quickly decides to NOT drive the rental car because he perceives the drivers as strange and weird and he wants nothing to do with them. Kim, on the other hand, is excited about driving the car. She looks forward to learning how to do things differently than in the United States. In this example, Charles is experiencing _____ while Kim is experiencing _____

ethnocentrism; cultural relativism

social control

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

What is the sociological term for signs people make with their bodies?

gestures

counterculture

group within society that openly rejects or actively opposes societies values and norms

Eviatar Zerubavel

looks. at how different groups use language to construct an understanding o their heritage through what he calls "social memory"

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 for a group of people (including both material and symbolic elements). Lens through which one views the world and is passed from one generation. to the next.

cultural imperialism

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

cultural leveling

the process by which cultures become similar to one another; refers especially to the process by which Western culture is being exported and diffused into other nations

gestures

the ways in which people use their bodies to communicate without words.

taboos

type of mores, most powerful, evokes strong feelings of disgust or horror

Cultural relativism

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

ethnocentrism

using one's own culture as a means to judge other groups, viewing them as abnormal or inferior

dominant culture

values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful (wealth, prestige, status, influence) hegemony--> ideas of the dominant group are accepted by all

How is a subculture different from a counterculture?

Both are distinct from mainstream culture, but a counterculture actively opposes important aspects of the mainstream.

What do sociologists call it when cultures that were once distinct become increasingly similar?

Cultural leveling

what is the definition of "culture"?

Culture is the entire way of life of a group of people, and it acts as a lens through which we view the world.

laws

Enforceable rules of conduct in a society

How is culture transmitted and internalized?

We learn values and beliefs slowly and incrementally.

language

a system of communication using vocal sounds, gestures and written symbols (*most significant components of culture)

How are norms enforced in everyday settings?

by sanctions

culture wars

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

During the American occupation of Japan after World War II, the Japanese observed soldiers playing baseball and later adopted it as one of their favorite pastimes. This is an example of:

cultural diffusion

Because of their economic strength, Western media companies are powerful enough to impose their products on markets worldwide. This phenomenon is known as:

cultural imperialism

Symbolic cultue

ideas associated with a cultural groups including ways of thinking (beliefs and values) and ways of behaving (norms)

The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis suggests that:

language can structure our perception of reality.

Whorf Hypothesis

language structures thought and that ways of looking at the world are embedded in language (principle of linguistic relativity) Hopi had no words to distinguish time

sanctions

means of enforcing norms, rewards for conformity and punishments for violations positive sanctions- approval negative sanctions- disapproval

moral holiday

mild norm violations are tolerated

ideal culture

norms and values that members of a society believe should be observed in principle

mores

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

material culture

objects associated with cultural groups (tools, machines, artwork, buildings...)

folkway

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

real culture

patterns of behavior that actually exist

multiculturalism

policy that honors the diverse racial, ethnic, national and linguistic backgrounds of various individuals and groups

norms

rules and guidelines regarding what kinds of behavior are acceptable; they. develop directly out of a cultures value system laws folkway mores tabbos

Values

set of shared beliefs that a group of people consider to be worthwhile or desirable in life good vs. bad right vs. wrong beautiful vs. ugly

Signs

symbols that stand for or convey an idea (numbers/ letters, traffic symbols)