Sociology Chapter 3: Culture
What are the component/elements of culture?
1. Norms 2. Values 3. Symbols 4. Language 5. Material Culture and Technology
Subculture
A culture that shares in the dominant culture of society but also has its own distinctive values, norms, and lifestyles
Taboo
A powerful social belief against a specific act that is considered loathsome
Law
A rule of society that has been formally enacted by a political authority and is backed by the power of the state
Counterculture
A subculture whose norms, values and lifestyles are fundamentally at odds with the dominant culture
Language
A system of verbal and written symbols that can express complex meanings
Nonmaterial Culture
Abstract human creations that have meaning
Material Culture
All physical objects that a society produces and gives meaning to Artifacts, or human creations, that reflect cultural values
Multiculturalism
An approach that recognizes the value of all cultural traditions
Social Control
Attempts by which society regulates people's thoughts and behaviors; conformity to norms
Cultural change
Change in cultural values is usually slow, but continuous
Cultural Lag
Coined by William F. Ogburn. Material culture tends to change quickly, but changes in underlying values and norms change more slowly in response to changes in material culture
High Culture
Cultural patterns for elites
Popular Culture
Cultural patters that are widespread in society
Language is key to...
Cultural transmission
Culture Elites
Groups who have more power in deciding what culture is produced
Cultural change results from...
Invention Discovery Diffusion
Technology:
Knowledge that a society applies to the task of living in a physical environment
What are the two aspects of culture?
Material and Nonmaterial Culture
Folkways
Norms for routine or casual interactions. Ordinary conventions of everyday life; conformity is expected but not required
Symbols
Objects, gestures, sounds, or images that have cultural meaning Humans give the world meaning through symbols
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
People perceive the world through the cultural lens of language
Culture Shock
Personal disorientation that comes from encountering an unfamiliar way of life and not knowing the appropriate way to act
Cultural Universals
Practices found in every culture
Norms
Rules that guide human behavior
Values
Socially shared ideas about what is good, right, etc. Influence the content of its norms Slowly change over time
Beliefs
Specific thoughts or ideas that people hold to be true
Mores
Strong norms that have a moral significance; violations of mores are considered serious
Cultural integration
The degree to which the parts of a culture form a consistent and interrelated whole
Dominant culture
The group whose values, norms, traditions, and outlooks are imposed on society as a whole
Cultural Transmission
The process by which one generation passes culture to the next
Cultural relativism
The recognition that one culture cannot be arbitrarily judged by the standards of another
Ethnocentrism
The tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one's own culture
Culture
The way of life of society
Mores, taboos, and symbols define the....
boundaries of society
Language is a source of _____________ and a ____________ of who we are and our social status
social power, social marker