Culture - Quia



Culture

Chapter 3

I. Culture = all shared products of human groups (physical products and beliefs, values, and behaviors shared by a group) and the symbolic/expressive aspects of social relations

A. society = group of mutually interdependent people who have organize in such a way as to share a common culture and feeling of unity

B. Socialization = the ongoing process of interaction through which we acquire a personal identity and social skills—this is how we acquire our culture (thru children’s stories, games, poems, religious rituals, jokes, music, etc.

1. sex drive is socialized to be important in US

C. Elements of Culture

1. beliefs = shared ideas of how the world operates

a. Vietnamese believe time starts again and goes in 60 year cycles—nothing is truly new

b. US believes time is linear—time ticking away

c. Creates a different mind set due to beliefs

d. Eating dog

2. values = criteria of moral judgment (broad, shared standards of what is right, desirable and worthy of respect)

a. individualism is a dominant theme in American culture: Vietnamese focus of whole/family

b. US likes assertiveness—look in eyes: Vietnamese like propriety (maintain temper)—looking in eyes goes against propriety

3. norms = specific guidelines for behavior (what people should do, say, think)

a. patriotism is a value; showing respect for the flag is a norm

b. mores = sacred norms not to be violated

• prohibitions on cannibalism, incest

c. folkways = ingrained norms that people conform to automatically

• saying hello on the phone or eating sweets at the end of the meal rather than beginning

d. sanctions = socially imposed rewards and punishments by which people are encouraged to conform to norms

• formal = form of laws, grades, promotions

• informal = an encouraging or contemptuous look—govern everyday situations

4. symbols = representations of beliefs and values

5. Language = a system of symbolic communication

a. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis = language causes people to pay attention to certain things but ignore others

• English has one word for “snow”; Eskimos have more than 20 words for it

• English has “you”; French have “vous” and “tu” for formal and informal; Vietnamese have a whole system to address people

6. Technology = body of practical knowledge and equipment for enhancing the effectiveness of human labor and altering the environment for human use

a. affects social arrangements within societies, and relations between societies

b. culture lag = delay between a change in technology and changes in beliefs and values (e.g. life support)

D. Culture and ethnocentrism

1. culture shock = feelings of disorientation and stress that people experience when they enter an unfamiliar cultural setting

2. Ethnocentrism = tendency to evaluate other cultures in terms of one’s own and to conclude that other are inferior

3. Cultural Relativism = view that a culture must be understood in terms of its own meanings, attitudes, and values

4. Subculture = set of understandings, behaviors, symbols, and vocab. that distinguish a particular group from other members of society (based on lifestyle, sexual orientation, religion, occupation, etc.)

5. Counterculture = subculture that actively opposes the values and practices or the larger society

a. heavy-metal, hippies

E. Functionalist

1. culture is product of institutions

a. each institution can have own culture – combine to form national culture

i. Religion – provides golden rule, how to act, music

ii. School – provides social arena where styles and music is spread

2. behavior in culture has boundaries—when stop serving a function, then behavior is outside of culture and so deviant

F. Conflict

1. views culture in its role in the struggle for power and privilege

a. dominant class decides what is desired (fashion, music, beliefs) – lower classes follow

b. dominant class determines what is important in society

i. environment – many now drive hybrids

ii. charities – each rich/famous person has their charity

G. Symbolic Interactionism

1. Culture is the sum of all the symbols and routines

2. Culture creates a comfort – only noticeable when outside of culture

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