1. Chapter 3, Culture Culture and Society Components of Culture
Technology, Cultural Change and Diversity
A Global Popular Culture?
Sociological Analysis of Culture

2. Culture and Society
Culture is essential for individual survival and communication with other people.
Culture is essential for the survival of societies.
Culture is “tool kit “ for survival.

3. Components of Culture
Symbols
Language
Values
Norms

4. Language and Gender
English language uses the masculine form to refer to human beings in general, ignoring women.
The pronouns he and she show the gender of the person we expect to be in a particular occupation or role.

5. Language and Gender
Words have positive connotations when relating to male power, prestige, and leadership and negative ones when relating to women.
Language-based predispositions to think about women in sexual terms reinforces the notion that women are sexual objects.

6. Core American Values Individualism Achievement and success
Activity and work
Science and technology
Progress and material comfort.

7. Core American Values Efficiency and practicality Equality
Morality and humanitarianism
Freedom and liberty
Racism and group superiority

8. Forms of Popular Culture
Fad - temporary but widely copied activity followed by large numbers of people.
Objects - Beanie Babies,Furby’s,
Activities: surfing the net
Ideas: New Age ideologies
Personality: celebrities
Fashion- style of behavior, thinking or appearance.

9. Functional Perspective of Culture
Culture helps people meet needs:
Biological needs (food and procreation)
Instrumental needs - law and education
Integrative needs - religion and art

10. Conflict Perspective of Culture
Assumes that social life is a continuous struggle in which members of powerful groups seek to control scarce resources.
Stresses how cultural values and norms perpetuate social inequalities.

11. Symbolic Interactionist Perspective of Culture
People create, maintain and modify culture ad they go about everyday activities.
Values and norms are reinterpreted in each social situation.
Does not provide a framework for how we shape culture and how it shapes us.

12. Postmodern Perspectives on Culture
World of culture is based on simulation, not reality.
No single perspective can grasp the complexity and diversity of the social world.