Sociology Quiz 4 (common)

What is the definition of culture?

All of the above

The French social theorist Jean Francois Lyotard described contemporary culture in this way: "one listns to reggae, watches a western, ears McDonald's food for luck and local cuisine for dinner, wears Paris perfume in Tokyo and 'retro' clothes in Hong Kong." He was writing about postmodernism, but what concept can help examine this mishmash of activities?

Cultural diffusion

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

Cultural relativism

The tendency to use your own group's way if doing things as the yardstick for judging others is called:

Ethnocentrism

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

Gestures

The Sapir-whorf hypothesis (also called the principle of linguistic relativity) suggests that:

Language can structure our perception of reality

What do sociologists call sets if shared beliefs about what is worthwhile and desirable?

Values