Chapter 3 Culture

Charles Schwab & Co. In 1990, Charles Schwab & Co. began looking for ways to expand. They decided one way to increase profits would be to take greater account of the increasing ethnic and racial diversity in America … …. why?

The United States is the most multicultural of all the world ’ s nations.

What is Culture “ The values, beliefs, behaviors, and material objects that together form a people ’ s way of life …”

Culture When looking at a culture, Sociologists find it useful to distinguish between Material and Non-material aspects of culture … … Between things and thoughts

Non-material Culture The intangible world of ideas created by members of a society. Examples?

Material Culture The tangible things created by members of a society. Examples?

Culture Culture shapes how we think, the ways we act, what we do, and helps form our personalities. Effects all aspects of a person ’ s life, even if they are unaware of it.

Culture Only humans rely on culture rather than instinct to ensure the survival of their kind. Every other form of life behaves in uniform, species-specific ways. Instincts tell a creature how to successfully navigate its environment, but through culture we create an artificial environment of our own to meet our needs.

Culture Shock Personal disorientation one feels when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life that is different from their own. Common for travelers though you may experience culture shock within your own culture. Examples?

No one way of life is ‘ natural ’… … what does come naturally to humans is creating culture.

Yąnomam ö Case Study

Culture & YOU What is culture and why is it important to you?

Components of Culture Although Cultures vary greatly as we have seen, they all have 5 common components ….  Symbols  Language  Values and Beliefs  Norms  Material Culture

Symbols Anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture. Examples?

Culture and Symbols Symbols can vary greatly between cultures. Culture shock is really the inability to read or interpret the meaning in their surroundings. Symbols can vary within a single society.

Symbols

Language A system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another. “… the key to the world of culture. ”

Language and Cultural Transmission Language not only allows communication but also ensures the continuity of culture. Cultural Transmission- The process by which one generation passes culture to the next.

Sapir-Whorf Thesis People perceive the world through the cultural lens of language. Each language has its own distinct symbols that serve as building blocks of reality Each language has expressions not found in other symbolic systems. All languages fuse symbols with distinctive emotions so that a single idea may feel different in different languages.

Values and Beliefs Values: Culturally defined standards by which people assess desirability, goodness, and beauty that serve as broad guidelines for social living. Beliefs Specific statements that people hold to be true.

Values and Beliefs Simplified More simply put: Values are abstract standards of what ought to be Beliefs are particulars matters that people consider true or false Examples?

Norms Rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members. Proscriptive: what members of a society should NOT do Prescriptive: what we should do

Mores and folkways Mores- norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance. Folkways- norms for routine or casual interaction.

Social Control Attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behaviors. Values and norms do not describe actual behavior so much as they suggest how we should behave. Ideal vs. Real

Material Culture and Technology Culture also includes a wide range of things/ artifacts that are created by a society. This also includes technology- knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY What does it mean to you? Explain…

In 1970, sociologist Robin Williams identified ten values that he considered central to our way of life. Equal Opportunity- Everybody should have the chance to get ahead Achievement and Success- Competition, rewards, worthiness Material Comfort- Pursuit of wealth and material goods Activity and work- Culture of ‘doers,’ value action over reflection Practicality and efficiency- Activity has value when it earns money Progress- Optimistic, “very latest”= “very best” Science- expect science to solve problems and improve lives, rational Democracy and free enterprise -Elected leaders, capitalism, rights Freedom- free to pursue personal goals, individual trumps group Racism and group superiority- History of treating some ‘more equal’ than others * Note: some values are inconsistent and even in conflict Taking a step back… …Key Values of U.S. Culture

What causes values within a single society to be at times in conflict with one another? Conflict between values reflects the cultural diversity of U.S. society. It also reflects cultural change. Values in Conflict:

We can observe cultural diversity when we compare two societies as we did with the Yąnomamö We can also see cultural diversity within a single society as in the United States: U.S. is the most multicultural of the world’s high-income countries In what ways? Japan is the most monocultural of all high- income countries What accounts for this difference? Cultural Diversity

High culture: cultural patterns that distinguish society’s elite Opera, theatre, Beethoven Popular Culture: cultural patterns that are widespread among a society’s population Blues, football, High Culture and Popular Culture

A subculture is any cultural pattern that sets apart some segment of society’s population. Examples? Almost everybody participates in multiple subcultures, often without ever even knowing it Examples? Subculture

An educational program recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States and promoting the equality of all cultural traditions. E pluribus unum How do you think we should handle cultural diversity? Multiculturalism

Eurocentrism- the dominance of European cultural patterns Afrocentrism- the dominance of African cultural patterns Offered as a corrective for centuries of minimizing or altogether ignoring the cultural achievements of African societies and African Americans How do you feel about this? Other views

Cultural patterns that strongly oppose or outright reject those widely accepted within a society. Example: 1960’s youth movement which rejected the mainstream culture as overly competitive, self-centered, and materialistic Counterculture

Ethnocentrism: The practice of judging another culture by the standards of one’s own culture. Cultural Relativism: The practice of evaluating culture by its own standards. Ethnocentrism vs. Cultural Relativism

Material Culture and Technology Culture also includes a wide range of things/ artifacts that are created by a society. This also includes technology- knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings.

Cultural Change “All things shall pass…” Culture is constantly in a state of change What elements may cause cultural change Change in one dimension of a culture usually sparks a change in others Cultural Integration The close relationship among various elements of a cultural system

Cultural Lag Some elements of culture change faster than others. William Ogburn Observed that technology moves quickly, generating new elements of material culture (like test-tube babies) faster than nonmaterial culture (such as ideas about parenthood) can keep up with them. Ogburn called this delay ‘Cultural Lag’ The fact that some cultural elements change more quickly than others, disrupting a cultural system Examples?

Causes of Cultural Change Cultural Changes are set in motion in three ways… Invention Discovery Diffusion

Invention Invention- the process of creating new cultural elements Telephone (1876) Airplane (1903) Computer (1947) The process of invention goes on constantly Examples? HINT: Think of Commercials.

Discovery Discovery- recognizing and better understanding something already in existence Food of another culture, distant star, new species Many discoveries result from painstaking scientific research Examples?

Diffusion Diffusion- the spread of cultural traits from one society to another Because of new means of communication, information can be sent around the globe in seconds and cultural diffusion has never been greater America has contributed many cultural elements to the world (ex. Computers, jazz, etc.) Diffusion works the other way too- much of what we consider to be “American” actually comes from elsewhere (ex. Clothing, furniture, clocks)

Global Culture Today more than ever we find many of the same cultural practices the world over Jeans, pop music, familiar products can be found in many of the major cities of the world English is emerging as the preferred second language worldwide Societies now have more contact with one another than ever before Are we witnessing the birth of a single global culture?

Global Contact The Global economy- the flow of goods: There has never been more international trade. The global economy has spread many of the same consumer goods throughout the world. Global communication- the flow of information: Satellite-based communications allow people to experience the sights and sounds of events taking place thousands of miles away, often as they happen. Global migration- the flow of people Today’s transportation technology, especially air travel, makes relocating easier than ever In the United States 33 million people (12 % of the population) were born elsewhere

Limitations to Global Culture The global links previously discussed may make the world more similar but there are three major limitations to the global culture thesis Global flow of goods, information and people is uneven (cities vs. rural areas) Desperate poverty in much of the world deprives people of even the most basic necessities Although many cultural practices are now found throughout the world, people everywhere do not attach the same meanings to them

Global Culture Would the development of a single global culture be a positive thing or a negative thing? May decrease the number of cultural misunderstandings between people of different cultures May lead to the loss of many existing cultures Greater economic and military powers in North American and Europe would have a greater influence than the rest of the world

Theoretical Analysis of Culture Structural-Functional Analysis Social-Conflict Analysis Sociobiology

Structural-Functional Analysis The structural-functional paradigm depicts culture as a complex strategy for meeting human needs. Considers values the core of culture Thinking functionally helps us understand an unfamiliar way of life Example from the case-study

Social Conflict Analysis The social-conflict paradigm stresses the link between culture and inequality. Asks why certain values dominate society in the first place. Example: Social-conflict analysis ties our competitive values to our society’s capitalist economy, which serves the interests of the nation’s wealthy elite

Sociobiology Sociobiology is a theoretical paradigm that explores ways in which biology affects how we create culture. Rests on Darwin’s theory of Evolution All living things live to reproduce themselves The blueprint for reproduction is in the genes Random variations in the genes allow a species to try out new life patterns Over thousands of generations, the genetic patterns that promote the continuation of a species survive and become dominant

Cultural Universal Cultural Universals refer to traits that are part of every know culture. George Murdock compared hundreds of cultures and found dozens of cultural universals Family Funeral rites Child care Jokes Sociobiology claims that the large number of cultural universals reflect the fact that all humans are members of a single biological species

Standards PDE 430 Category III- Instructional Delivery: Student teacher/candidate, through knowledge of content, pedagogy and skill in delivering instruction, engages students in learning by using a variety of instructional strategies. PDE Chapter G- Instructional Planning Skills: The teacher plans instruction based upon knowledge of subject matter, students, the community and curriculum goals. PSSA Title 7.3- The Human Characteristics of Places and Regions PA Academic Standard B- Explain the human characteristics of places and regions by their cultural characteristics. ESL/ELL English Language Proficiency Standard 5: Social Studies. Grade Level Cluster 9-12; Writing Level 5 Bridging: Explain and evaluate contributions of significant individuals or historical times in politics, economics, or society. PA Alternative Academic D- Reading Critically in All Content Areas: Demonstrate after reading understanding and interpretation of both fiction and nonfiction text. Assessment Anchor R11.A.2- Demonstrate the ability to understand and interpret nonfiction text.