1. Sociology Unit 1, Ch 2: Cultural Diversity

2. Section 1: The Meaning of Culture
Mind map: what do you think about when you see “culture”?
Sociologists consider:
People’s language, art, ceremonies and rituals, religion, rules of behavior, social organization, ways of producing food, and work roles.
Distinguishes one human group from another.
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3. What is culture to sociologists?
Humans are not controlled by natural instincts.
Able to adapt to and change their environment
How people deal with their environment forms the foundation of their culture!
Culture
All shared products of human groups
Physical objects and beliefs, values, and behaviors shared by a group
Learned and shared
Society
Group of interdependent people who have organized in such a way as to share a common culture and feeling of unity
Consists of the material and nonmaterial products that people create
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4. Material pg. 25 Nonmaterial Culture Culture
Physical objects that people create and use form a group’s material culture
Ex: automobiles, books, buildings, clothing, computers, and cooking utensils
Formed by abstract human creations
Ex: beliefs, family patterns, ideas, language, political and economic systems, rules, skills, and work practices
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Components of Culture
1.) Technology
Culture consists of not only physical objects but also rules for using those objects … tech!
Using items of material culture, particularly tools, requires knowledge of various skills, which is a part of nonmaterial culture.
Ex: ability to access and surf the internet
Ex: hacking is illegal
2.) Symbols
Through symbols we create our culture and communicate it to groups members and future generations.
Anything that represents something else, has shared meaning
Word, gesture, image, sound, physical object, event, etc.
Vary from culture to culture, but all cultures communicate symbolically.
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Components of Culture
3.) Language
Organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system.
English, principle language here, used in:
Books, schools, magazines, radio and TV.
Ever been to a foreign country and been unable to speak the language?
Now you understand how important the use of language is in daily life.
4.) Values
Language and symbols help us communicate our values.
Shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong.
Values held by a group help determine the character of its people and the kinds of material and nonmaterial culture they create.
One society values war, and one farming, their cultures will be very different.
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Components of Culture
5.) Norms
All groups have these to enforce their cultural values.
Shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific situations.
Ex: US values democratic gov’t
Reinforced through norms governing political participation, respect for the flag, & treatment of political officials
Norms are expectations for behavior, no actual behavior!
We do have rebels…such as?
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Norms continued…
Manners and laws
Some apply to all, and others apply to some:
No one is allowed to marry more than one person
Some clergy and children are forbidden from marrying at all!
Influenced by geography
Norms vary in the strictness with which they are enforced:
Folkways and Mores
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Norms: Folkways Mores
Norms that describe socially acceptable behavior, but don’t have great moral significance attached to them.
Outline the common customs of everyday life.
EX:
Don’t put food in your mouth with a knife, don’t let flag touch ground, shake hands when introduced, etc.
Don’t obey – minor punishment or warning.
Not following does not endanger the well-being of society.
Have great moral significance attached to them.
Violation of such rules endangers society’s well-being and stability.
Ex:
Dishonesty, fraud, murder.
Serious ones are laws.
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Examining Culture
Culture is always changing.
Dynamic, not static
New material objects are always being introduced, as are new words, expressions, and ideas.
Such as???
Sociologist break down culture into levels and study each level separately.
3 levels of complexity:
Traits, complexes, and patterns.
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12. Three levels of complexity: 1.) Culture Traits
An individual tool, act, or belief that is related to a particular situation or need.
Ex: using knives, forks, and spoons when eating is a culture trait.
Ex: a specific greeting when meeting a person.
How can these be different?
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13. Three levels of complexity: 2.) Culture Complexes
Individual culture traits combine to form this level.
Cluster of interrelated traits.
Ex: football game
Material traits: football, measuring chain, cleated shoes, helmets, pads, etc.
Specific acts: kicking, passing, catching, running, tackling, etc.
Specific beliefs: certain rules followed, penalties for rule violations
Other parts of the culture: financing, marketing, and advertising for the game
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14. Three levels of complexity: 3.) Culture Patterns
Culture complexes combine to form the largest level.
The combination of a number of culture complexes into an interrelated whole.
Ex:
Separate complexes of baseball, basketball, football, etc. combine to form an American athletic pattern.
Other patterns relate to other aspects of society like: agriculture, education, family life, manufacturing, and religion.
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Activity
Using a blank sheet of paper:
Let’s see what type of culture you have =) Illustrate it!
Include:
Your name…easy
Language
Art
Ceremonies and rituals (traditions)
Religion
Rules of behavior
Social organization
Ways of producing food
Work roles
Elements of material and nonmaterial culture
Etc.
Add anything else you feel explains your culture.
You have twenty minutes!
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16. Section Two: Cultural Variation
Just how much do cultures vary?
What is your family’s dining ritual?
Let’s look at the Japanese dining ritual.
Pg. 30
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17. Sooo….what do we have in common?
We all have the same basic needs, right?
Like what?
We can meet those needs in different ways.
Cultural universals:
Features common to all cultures
65 according to George Murdock, such as:
Body adornment, cooking, dancing, family, feasting, forms of greeting, funeral ceremonies, gift giving, housing, language, medicine, music, myths and folklore, religion, sports, and tool-making.
The nature of these can vary widely.
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18. Margaret Mead’s Cultural Variation Study
1930’s study on whether differences in basic temperament result mainly from inherited characteristics or from cultural influences.
Nature (genetic) vs. Nurture (environment)
Observed shared/learned behaviors in New Guinea of the Arapesh and Mundugumor people.
100 miles apart
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Results:
Found that temperament is mostly a result of culture rather than biology
Differences were greater b/t the 2 societies than b/t males and females in the same society
Arapesh:
Men and women both gentle and cooperative
Mundugumore:
Everyone hostile and competitive
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Studying Variation
Ethnocentrism:
Tendency to view one’s own culture and group as superior
Helps bring groups together
Can result from technological advances
Think back to the Japanese dining example… did it sound odd?
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Cultural Relativism
The belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards rather than by applying the standards of another culture
These researchers try to understand cultural practices from the points of view of the members of society being studied
Helps us understand practices that might seem strange
Ex: Indians laws against killing cows, even in a food shortage
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23. Variations within Societies
Americans share a common culture…
What is that?
Some groups in American society share values, norms, and behaviors that are not shared by the entire population.
Forms a subculture
Edwin Sutherland developed the idea of subculture in the 1920’s by working with crime and juvenile detention centers
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Today sociologists recognize the following subcultures:
Deviant, age, gender, ethnic, religious, political, geographic, social-class, and occupation
What are some famous subcultures in the united States?
What is your youth’s subculture?
Subcultures are needed (military, physicians, teachers) and add diversity (ethnic, etc).
May prompt society to change
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Counterculture
Some subcultures are created to rebel from the larger society
When a group rejects major values, norms, and practices of larger society, and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns… you get a counterculture!
Ex: anarchists, organized crime families, hippies in the 1960’s, etc.
Try not to let ethnocentrism take over!
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