Sociology Quiz 2 (Chp 3)

Cultural Values

Collective conceptions of what is good, desirable, and proper—or bad, undesirable, and improper. Robin Williams (the sociologist) had list of basic values

Darwin v. Lemarck (Lemarckian concept)

Darwin: natural selection- biological theory of evolution, our traits are passed down slowly over a long span of time...giraffe example Lemarck: Traits can be passed through generations through acquired traits. faster, can directly be transmitted Lemarck was right when talking about culture because in it we pass down acquired traits....inheritance of acquired traits

ethnographic present

a description of a culture as it was prior to contact....ex: film we watched was produced in the 70's, but the film is not out of date because it shows the cultures as they were during that time period.

culture lag

a period of maladjustment when the nonmaterial culture is still struggling to adapt to new material conditions. Ideology not caught up with technology

Subculture

a segment of society that shares a distinctive pattern of customs, rules, and traditions that differs from the pattern of the larger society

dominant ideology

a set of cultural beliefs and practices that helps to maintain powerful social, economic, and political interests Ex: capitalistic society to preserve ruling class... Marxist view

Ethnocentrism

a tendency to think that our own culture is superior to other cultures. William Grahm Sumner ex: rule of law

Independent Invention (Pyramids example)

In similar environments, people will come up with similar things/solutions. Ex: many people explained anything that happened with gods and wanted to worship them

Formal norms

Written down rules that are precisely defined, publicly presented, and often accompanied by strict penalties for those who violate them. Ex: laws

Supir Warf hypothesis

culture filters what we see, language is symbolic, a code for a culture it allows us to talk about reality but limits what we can see about reality. ex: insurance worker had lots of clients with empty gas can accidents...bc the word empty symbolizes unharmful to a person ex: color terms, only having 2 or 3 color terms is very different for the color terms we have.

integrative culture

culture fits together ...example- women entering work force...changes social structure, tech, and ideology

Conflict Perspective on Culture

culture perpetuates and reinforces unequal power relations in society. Some groups will keep others subservient to protect their own self interest to maintain their culture

cultural capital

noneconomic assets such as family background and past educational investments which are reflected in a persons knowledge of language and arts. Pierre Bourdieu

Mores

norms deemed highly necessary to the welfare of a society often because they embody cherished principles. Ex: US has strong mores against murder and treason.

Folkways

norms governing everyday behavior. important role in shaping daily behavior of members of its culture. less likely to be formalized, and violation raises less concern than mores. Ex: walking up the escalator the wrong way

Argot

special words or phrases used by a specific group of people

culture industry

standardizes the goods and services demanded by consumers, Theodor Adorno

Sociobiology what it is

systematic study of how biology affects human social behavior. Asserts that many of the cultural traits humans display, such as women are viewed as nurturers and men and providers, are not learned but are rooted in our genetic makeup.

Culture (big C)

traits shared by all. small cultures = Capital C cultures.

framing

trying to determine what phrases will be used in the political environment ex: conservatives call pro choice people pro abortion because this gives it a more negative tone

cultural relativism

viewing peoples behavior from the perspective of their own culture. Priority on understanding other cultures rather than dismissing them as strange. Stresses that different social contexts give rise to different norms and values. This is an emic prospective because it's an insider's view

Counter Culture

when a subculture conspicuously and deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture

society

A fairly large number of people who live in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside it, and participate in a common culture. Largest form of a human group.

Language

An abstract system of word meanings and symbols for all aspects of culture; includes gestures and other nonverbal communication. An important component of cultural capital. Members of societies generally share a common language.

Sociobiology what it's founded on

Founded on Charles Darwin's theory of evolution... believe that certain forms of behavior become genetically linked to a species if they contribute to its fitness to survive. They focus on genetic heritage and shared characteristics groups and all humans rather than individuals.

Feminist theory with language

Gender related language can reflect the traditional acceptance of men and women in certain professions ex: mailman, policeman, fireman. We imply these positions can only be filled by males.

Gene and Meme

Gene: carries DNA...sometimes genes only express themselves when they have an environmental influence Meme: the cultural equivalent to a gene. It is a unit of selection of a cultural trait.

American "words of war"

Our language is a "war language." we say that's the bomb, waging a war on drugs, etc

McDonaldization

Represents melding of cultures

Feminists Perspective on Culture

Society's institutions all tell women they should be subservient to men.

Components of Culture

Technology: tools/how we use them Social Structure: societies organization Ideology: Beliefs, knowledge, norms Tech tends to change quickly, ideology slowly. All cultures hare these macro structures but when we talk about cultures we talk about specific adaptations

nonmaterial culture

The beliefs, practices, aesthetics, and values of a group of people.

cultural universals

all societies have developed certain common practices and beliefs, ex: marriage, cooking, dancing... These things may be universal, but the manner in which they are expressed varies from culture to culture

acculturated

being forced/needing to learn a new culture

nonverbal communication

communication using body movements, gestures, and facial expressions rather than speech. We are not born with these expressions, we learn them.

Positive sanction

conformity to a norm leads to this ex: pay raise, pat on the back

Cultural evolution

cultural change over time; not to be confused with progress. change in tech increasingly rapid

technology

cultural information about the ways in which the material resources of the environment may be used to satisfy human needs and desires

Diffusion (Pyramids example)

cultural item spreads from group to group...people in Egypt came to South America and got the idea of pyramids

generation gap

different generations have different values... cultural lag

2 forms of innovation

discovery: making known or sharing existence of an aspect of reality Invention: existing cultural items are combined into a new form that didn't exist before

Norms

established standards of behavior maintained by a society. Widely shared and understood. 2 ways to distinguish btw norms- formal and informal...Can be classified by relative importance to society, and when they are this is known as mores and folkways

negative sanction

failure to conform Ex: fines, threats

informal norms

generally understood but not precisely recorded. There aren't severe punishments, the most likely response is laughter. Ex: standards of dress

Symbols

gestures, objects, and words that form the basis of human communication.... units of culture that culture is transmitted through something that has arbitrarily assigned meaning Ex: thumbs up...words on computer are symbols, but the icons are signs

Functionalist view of language

it unifies members of society

ecology

looking at the interrelationships between species. with humans it's the relationship between cultures and societies. Ex: there are pyramids in Egypt and South America with people that had no connection to each other, how did we get similar traits? Diffusion or independent intervention?

Functionalist Perspective on Culture

maintain that social stability requires a consensus and the support of society's members; strong central values and common norms provide that support. Cultural traits are the stabilizing element in a culture. Culture trait will persist if it serves a purpose in the culture...everything will fit together, intergrative (systemic)

Conflict view of language

minorities have trouble expressing themselves, contributes to division and puts those in majority on top

Sanctions

penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a social norm. Ones that are associated with formal norms tend to be formal as well Ex: driver speeds, so they get a ticket. Sanctions for violations of informal norms can vary. Ex: if you go to an interview in PJs you probably wont get the job

enculturated

process by which we learn our own culture

culture (small c)

share a language or specialized argot, shared belief system

Culture shock

the feeling of disorientation experienced by someone who is suddenly subjected to an unfamiliar culture, way of life, or set of attitudes.

material culture

the physical things created by members of a society

culture war

the polarization of society over controversial cultural elements

biocultural approach

the scientific study of the interrelationship between what humans have inherited genetically and culture... bio= fixed, genes, fixed, innate culture=learning, required characteristics, variable, passed on through symbols this is nature v. nurture

Culture

the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects, and behavior. Consists of all objects and ideas within a society...extra somatic means of adaptation