Cultural Diversity

Chapter 2 Section 1 The Meaning of Culture

The Meaning of Culture

 What is Culture?

 The Components of Culture  Examining Culture

What is Culture?

 Culture: consists of all the shared products of human groups.

    Physical objects Beliefs Values Behaviors  Material Culture: the physical objects that people create and use.

 Examples: automobiles, books, buildings, clothing, computers, cooking utensils.

What is Culture cont.

 Non-material culture: abstract human creations.

 Examples: beliefs, family patterns, ideas, languages, rules, skills, work practices, political and economic systems.

 Society: a group of interdependent people who have organized in such a way as to share a common culture and feeling of unity.

The Components of Culture

  Culture is both learned and shared Specific examples of the material and nonmaterial elements of culture vary society but all cultures have certain basic components.

 Ex. Technology, symbols, languages, values, norms.

Technology

  Culture consists of not only physical objects but also the rules for using those objects.

The relationship between the objects and the rules is known as    Technology You need basic skills to know how to use money. Sociologists look at the rules that accompany this such as “ spending ” .

Symbols

  The use of symbols is the basis of human culture.

We use symbols to create our culture and communicate with others.

  Words, gestures, images, sounds, physical objects, event or element of the natural world serves as a symbol.

Give examples of each.

Language

 Language: is the organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system.

 When organized according to accepted rules of grammar, words can be used to express any idea.

Values

 Language and symbols are important because they allow us to communicate our values.

 Values are shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable.  The types of values held by a group help to determine the character of its people and its culture.

Yanomano Tribe

Norms

  Norms are used to enforce their cultural vales.

Norms are shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific situations.

 Remember norms are expected behavior not actual behavior.

  Example: cover your mouth when you yawn, do not kill a human being.

Name any others

Norms

 Folkways: are norms that describe socially acceptable behavior but do not have great moral significance attached to them.   They outline the common customs of everyday life.

Some degree of nonconformity to folkways is permitted because it does not endanger the well being of society.

Norms

  Mores: have great moral significance attracted to them because the violation of these rules endangers society ’ s well being.

Murder, fraud   Laws: written rules of conduct enacted and enforced by the government.

Enforce both folkways and mores.

Examining Culture

  Sociologists must keep up with all the changing behaviors, ideas, and objects in society.

They break them into groups and study them each.

 Traits  Complexes  Patterns

Culture Traits

 Definition: an individual tool, act, or belief that is related to a particular situation.

    Ball Goal posts Pads cleates

Culture Complexes

 Definition: a cluster of interrelated traits.

 Cleats, ball, goal posts, pads make up football

Culture Patterns

 Definition: the combination of a number of culture complexes into an interrelated whole.

 There are separate complexes for baseball, basketball, football, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and combine all of them into an American athletic pattern.