1. CHAPTER 2 Cultural Diversity
Sociology
4/19/2017
CHAPTER 2 Cultural Diversity
Section 1: The Meaning of Culture
Section 2: Cultural Variation
Chapter 2

2. Objectives: Section 1: The Meaning of Culture
Define the meaning of the term culture and explain how material culture and non- material culture differ.
Identify and describe the basic components of culture.

3. Culture Section 1: The Meaning of Culture
Culture – consists of all the shared products of human groups which include physical objects, beliefs, values, and behaviors shared by a group
Material Culture – are physical objects that people create and use such as books, buildings, clothing, and cooking
Nonmaterial Culture – are abstract human creations that include beliefs, family patterns, ideas, and language

4. Basic Components of Culture
Section 1: The Meaning of Culture
Basic Components of Culture
Technology – physical objects and rules for using them
Symbols – anything that represents something else and has a shared meaning
Language – the organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system
Values – shared beliefs about what is good and bad or right or wrong
Norms – shared rules of conduct

5. Objectives: Section 2: Cultural Variation
Describe cultural universals and explain why they exist.
Explain what the terms ethnocentrism and cultural relativism mean.
Identify factors that account for variations among and within cultures.

6. Cultural Universals Section 2: Cultural Variation
Cultural universals – general traits common to all cultures
Exist because some needs are so basic that all societies must develop certain features to ensure their fulfillment

7. Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
Section 2: Cultural Variation
Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism
Ethnocentrism – the tendency to view one’s own culture and group as superior to other different cultures
Cultural Relativism – belief that a culture should be judged by its own standards rather than by those of another culture

8. Factors That Account for Variations Among and Within Cultures
Section 2: Cultural Variation
Factors That Account for Variations Among and Within Cultures
Subculture – shared values, norms and behaviors that are not shared by the entire population
Counterculture – rejection of the major values, norms, and practices of the larger society and replacing them with a new set of cultural values