Culture - Introduction Sociology - Lecture Slides, Slides of Introduction to Sociology

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Chapter 3 Culture docsity.com Chapter Outline • Defining Culture • The Elements of Culture • Cultural Diversity • Popular Culture • Theoretical Perspectives on Culture • Cultural Change docsity.com Culture is… • Concrete –We can observe cultural practices that define human experience. • Abstract –It is a way of thinking, feeling, believing, and behaving. docsity.com Elements of Culture Element Examples Language English; Spanish; hieroglyphics Norms Manners Folkways Cultural forms of dress; food habits docsity.com Elements of Culture Element Examples Mores Religious doctrines; formal law Values Liberty, freedom Beliefs Belief in a higher being docsity.com The Social Meaning of Language • Language reflects the social and political status of different groups in society. – The term “working woman” suggests that women who do not work for wages are not working. docsity.com The Social Meaning of Language • Groups may advocate changing language referring to them as a way of asserting a positive group identity. – Some advocates for the “disabled” challenge the term “handicapped,” arguing that it stigmatizes people who may have many abilities. docsity.com The Social Meaning of Language • The implications of language emerge from specific historical and cultural contexts. – The naming of so-called races comes from the social and historical processes that define different groups as inferior or superior. docsity.com The Social Meaning of Language • Terms used to define groups change over time and can originate in movements to assert a positive identity. – In the 1960s, “Black American” replaced ‘Negro”. – Earlier, “Negro” and “colored” were used to define African Americans. – Currently, it is popular to refer to all so-called racial groups as “people of color.” docsity.com Norms • Specific cultural expectations for how to behave in a given situation. • A society without norms would be in chaos; with established norms, people know how to act, and social interactions are consistent, predictable, and learnable. • Social sanctions are mechanisms of social control that enforce norms. docsity.com Beliefs • Shared ideas people hold collectively within a culture. • Beliefs are the basis for many of a culture’s norms and values. • Beliefs orient people to the world by providing answers to otherwise imponderable questions about the meaning of life. docsity.com Polling Question • Do you favor or oppose an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would make English the official language of the United States? A.) Favor B.) Oppose C.) No opinion docsity.com Dominant Culture • The dominant culture is the most powerful group in society. • It receives the most support from major institutions and constitutes the major belief system. • Social institutions in the society perpetuate the dominant culture and give it a degree of legitimacy that is not shared by other cultures. docsity.com Subcultures • The cultures of groups whose values and norms of behavior differ from the dominant culture. • Members of subcultures interact frequently and share a common world view. • Subcultures share some elements of the dominant culture and coexist within it. docsity.com Popular Culture • The beliefs, practices, and objects that are part of everyday traditions. • It is mass-produced and mass-consumed. • Has enormous significance in the formation of public attitudes and values, and plays a significant role in shaping the patterns of consumption in contemporary society. docsity.com The Influence of the Mass Media • The average person consumes some form of media 71 hours per week—more time than they likely spend in school or at work. • 95% of all homes in the United States have at least one television—more than have telephone service. • Watching television is the most popular leisure activity of Americans: 26% say it is their favorite way to spend an evening. docsity.com % Of Americans Who Say They Are Offended by Television Content (by Age) docsity.com Theoretical Perspectives on Culture Theory Culture…. Symbolic Interaction Creates group identity from diverse cultural meanings. New Cultural Studies Is unpredictable and constantly changing. docsity.com Sources of Cultural Change 1.A change in societal conditions. 2.Cultural diffusion 3.Innovation 4.Imposition of cultural change by an outside agency. docsity.com Fast Food and the Transformation of Culture • The average person in the United States consumes 3 hamburgers and 4 orders of French fries per week. • Americans spend more money on fast food than on movies, books, magazines, newspapers, videos, music, computers, and higher education combined. • 1 in 8 workers has at some point been employed by McDonald’s. docsity.com 1. Culture includes all of the following except: a. impulses b. laws c. art d. knowledge docsity.com Answer: a • Culture does not include impulses. docsity.com 2. Which of the following statements about culture is not true? a. Cultural beliefs and practices are learned. b. Cultural beliefs and practices are constantly questioned. c. Culture is dynamic that is it changes over time. d. A significant aspect of culture is that it is shared. docsity.com Answer : c • Expectations about what is appropriate behavior in particular situations are referred to as norms. docsity.com 4. Values can best be defined as: a. What is considered appropriate behavior b. Shared ideas that provide a life theme c. Shared ideas held collectively by people d. What is considered socially and morally desirable docsity.com Answer: d • Values can best be defined as what is considered socially and morally desirable. docsity.com 5. Which of the following statements reflects the symbolic interactionist view of culture? a. Culture creates norms and values that help integrate people into society b. Culture serves to reinforce the position of power enjoyed by the elite c. Culture is socially constructed d. Culture can be a source of political resistance docsity.com Answer: c • That statement, culture is socially constructed, reflects the symbolic interactionist view of culture. docsity.com