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Sociology Unit 2: Culture and Society Unit 2 Overview Unit EQ: How are culture and society related to human interaction? You will need to be able to “Do” the following: • Define the key components of a culture. • Explain the difference between culture and society. • Generate examples of cultures and societies, and various sub-types of groups and formal organizations. • Know the difference between various types of norms and be able to generate examples. You will need to be able to “Understand” the following: • Culture consists of all the shared products of human groups. • All cultures are made up of the same five basics components. (technology, symbols, language, values, and norms) • There are certain core values that the vast majority of Americans share Culture EQ: 1. What are the basic components of culture? 2. How does cultural change occur? Vocabulary • • • • • • • Culture Society Values Norms Folkways Mores Laws • • • • • • Cultural universals Subculture Counterculture Ethnocentrism Cultural relativism Cultural diffusion Lessons Culture • Society and Culture are NOT interchangeable – Society consists of people – Culture consists of shared products of human groups. • Material Culture: physical objects that a culture creates • Nonmaterial Culture: Abstract human creations. Assignment: In pairs, come up with 5 examples of each type of culture. Write your responses. Material Culture • Automobiles • Books • Buildings • Clothing Nonmaterial (Symbolic) Culture • • • • • Beliefs Family patterns Ideas Language Political and economic systems Norms Technology Values The Five Components of Culture Language Symbols Language • Symbols combined in infinite ways for the purpose of communicating abstract thought • Language allows culture to exist • Language frees people from immediate experiences – Allows shared past – Allows shared future – Allows shared perspectives • Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: language shapes thought International Gestures Quiz Think you know what it means to give a high five in Honduras or a thumbs-up in Thailand? Test your body language IQ to find out if you’re culturally savvy. 1. How would you let a French person know he’s boring you to tears? a. pat your mouth and let out a giant yawn b. mime playing an imaginary flute c. push your nose with your middle and index fingers 2. Your Puerto Rican friend wiggles her nose at you. What’s she saying? a. “What’s going on?” b. “I smell a rat—literally.” c. “My nose itches!” 3. Which gesture is considered offensive in Egypt? a. using the right hand for eating b. showing someone the sole of your shoe c. walking hand in hand with someone A NSWERS: 1. b; 2. a; 3. b Norms • Shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific situations. • Groups use Norms to enforce cultural values • Expectations for behavior, not actual behavior • Some norms apply to everyone in society, others to select groups Assignment: In groups, come up with 5 examples of a norm. Write your responses on the board. Types of Norms • Folkways – Norms that describe socially acceptable behavior but do not have moral significance attached to them. – Failure to follow results in minor punishment or reprimand – Some non-conformity to Folkways is permitted because it does not endanger society. • Mores – Great moral significance is attached to them – Societies establish punishments for violating in order to protect social well-being – Serious mores are formalized as laws • Taboos – The most important norms – Violation brings revulsion Assignment: Classify your examples as folkways, mores or taboos Sanctions • Expressions of approval or disapproval given to people upholding or violating norms • May be positive or negative • May be formal or informal Assignment: With a partner, come up with two examples of each kind of sanction Group Assignment • Your group should pick a situation, place, or event and identify the norms. • Create a 1-2 minute skit which shows a violation of norms (both folkways and mores) and its consequences • Perform the skit Lesson 4: Value System • One of the 5 components of culture is values. Values are defined as shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable. • Values that are central to a culture are called core values. With a partner, brainstorm a list of 10 things you regard as Core American values. American Values: A Pictorial What values are reflected in these images? The American Value System American Values Personal Achievement Progress and Material Comfort Work Individualism Efficiency and Practicality Morality and Humanitarianism Equality and Democracy Freedom Descriptions/Examples Personal Achievement Doing Well at school and at work is important. Gaining wealth and prestige is a sign of success. Progress and Material Comfort History is marked by ongoing progress, and this progress improves people’s lives. Work • Discipline, dedication, and hard work are signs of virtue Individualism Hard work, initiative, and individual effort are the keys to personal achievement. Efficiency and Practicality Every problem can be solved through efficiency and practicality. Getting things done well in the shortest time is very important. Morality and Humanitarianism Judgments should be based on a sense of right and wrong. This sense of morality also involves helping the less fortunate. Equality and Democracy Everyone should have an equal chance at success and the right to participate freely in government. Freedom Personal freedoms, such as freedom of religion, speech, and the press, are central to the American way of life Value Systems EQ: How have our values changed? Vocabulary • Self-fulfillment • Narcissism 2 Lessons New Values: Narcissism Narcissism: the feeling of extreme self-centeredness Cultural Variation EQ: 1. What are the basic components of cultural variation? Vocabulary • • • • • • Cultural universals Subculture Counterculture Ethnocentrism Cultural relativism Cultural diffusion Lessons Cultural Universals • Cultural Universals: features evident in all cultures • What are some features that all cultures have? • (Try and Guess 7) Cultural Universals Cultural Universal Examples Arts and Leisure Athletic sports, dancing, decorative art, games, music Basic Needs Clothing, cooking, housing Beliefs Body adornment, folklore, funeral rites, religious ritual Communication and Education Education, language, greetings Family Courtship, kin groups, marriage Government and Economy Calendar, division of labor, government, law, property rights, status differentiation, trade Technology Medicine, toolmaking Cultural Variations: Subculture • Subculture: Groups that share values, norms, and behaviors that are not shared by the entire population. Cultural Variations: Counterculture • Counterculture: Groups that reject the major values, norms, and behaviors that are practiced by the larger society Response to Variation • Ethnocentrism: the tendency to view one's own culture and group as superior to all other cultures and groups • Cultural relativism: a belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards How is this political cartoon a reflection of ethnocentrism? Cultural Change • Cultural diffusion: the process of spreading cultural traits from one society to another • Cultural leveling: the process through which cultures become more and more alike How does globalization contribute to this trend?