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“A lens through which we see the world”
How Do Sociologists Study Culture?
•Structural functionalists▫Culture as the underlying basis of
interaction
•Conflict theory▫Stresses why particular aspects of a culture
develop
•Symbolic interactionism▫Stresses how culture is learned and
communicated
A Sociological View of CultureClass Activity
•Rules:▫Do not respond (make eye contact or speak)
until touched on arm
▫You may only speak to or address an individual for about 15 second increments
▫You may only address one individual at a time
▫Only answer “non-jackets” with Yes or No
•Language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and material objects
•Material culture▫Jewelry, art, buildings, weapons, machines,
hair styles, clothing
•Nonmaterial culture▫Beliefs, values, behaviors, language, gestures▫Also referred to as symbolic culture
Cultural Characteristics• Language
▫All words are symbols with specific meanings
▫Allows for development of culture Learning from
mistakes of the past
• Gestures▫Use of body to communicate with others
Facilitate communication
▫Differ around the world Can lead to misunderstandings or embarrassment
NOVA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRQSRed58XM
What does it all mean?!?
• Brazil, Germany, and Russia• Depicts private bodily
orifice• Japan – money• France - zero
Australia, Greece, and Middle East – “Up yours”
Italy – your wife is cheating on youAfrican countries - curse
China, Japan, Indochina, Latin America – rude, impolite
Cultural Characteristics•Values
▫Shared beliefs about what is desirable in life
▫Standards by which people define good and bad, right or wrong, etc. Can change over time
▫Examples: Importance of education
Involvement in religion
•Norms▫Shared rules of
conduct/behavior
▫Expectations about right way to reflect values
• Two types:▫ Mores – more serious
Do not kill people
▫ Folkways – not as serious Good etiquette
Cover mouth when yawning
Consider: What is good in one culture may be bad in another
Culture Broken Down
•Subculture▫A world within a larger
world of the dominant culture U.S. society contains
tens of thousands of subcultures
▫Values and norms are compatible to larger society
•Counterculture▫Group’s values and
norms place it in opposition to dominant culture
Culture Broken Down cont’d• Folk culture
▫Traditional practices by small homogenous groups typically living in an isolated area
▫Promoted by isolation
• Pop culture▫Found in large
heterogeneous societies that share certain habits and customs
▫Examples: Music/Dance Clothing Foods
▫Much of popular culture refers to leisure time in affluent populations
Ethnocentrism
•Individuals develop a “learned” culture▫Embedded as
they grow up
•Ethnocentrism ▫Using your own
group’s ways of doing things as a measuring stick to judge other groups
•Positive consequence▫In-group loyalties
•Negative consequence▫Harmful discrimination
against those who differ
Cultural Relevance
•Helps us understand a culture in its own terms▫Suspending your perspective in order to grasp the perspective of others
▫Viewing things from the perspective of the culture in which they take place
•How the elements of a culture fit together▫Examination of the elements of another
culture… without judgment
• Coming into contact with radically different culture▫Disorientation
• Not being able to make sense of the world around you
• Globalization: becoming increasingly more integrated and interconnected with people around the globe
•How does globalization impact culture?
Social Structure• Network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide
human interaction▫ Social structure guides behavior
What IS/IS NOT acceptable
• Status▫ Socially defined position
Father, son, lawyer, etc.▫ Where do you fit within society?▫ Types:
Ascribed – assigned (race, sex) Achieved – earned (priest, spouse)
• Role▫ Behavior of someone occupying a certain status▫ Based on the many statuses that one has, an individual may play
many different roles daily ▫ Role conflict
Fulfilling one role makes it difficult to fulfill another
“You occupy a status, but you play a role”
ROLEThe behavior expected of someone occupying a particular status
• Role Expectations▫ Socially determined
behaviors expected of a person performing a role Example – police enforcing
laws
• Role Performance▫ Actual role behavior▫ Might not match that which
is expected▫ Remember – role behaviors
differ in different societies Example – teachers
manage classes in different ways
• Role Conflict▫ Fulfilling role of one
status makes it difficult to fulfill that of another Example – working part-
time job results in missing practice for sport
• Role Strain▫ Person has difficulty
fulfilling role expectations for one status Example – sickness
results in student missing school
Social Institutions• Organizing of statuses and roles in
order to fit a need within society▫ Set limits and guide our behaviors
• Tend to be more formal in industrialized societies▫ Education more highly valued than in
preliterate society
• Each “institution” has its own roles, values, and norms
• Examples:▫ Religion▫ Law▫ Medicine▫ Family▫ Education
Types of SocietiesSociety – that which shares a culture and a territory
Hunting and Gathering
Society
Pastoral Society
Horticultural Society
Agricultural Society
Industrial Society
Postindustrial Society
First Revolution:Domestication(of plants and
animals)
Second Revolution:Agricultural(invention of
plow)Third Revolution:
Industrial(invention of steam
engine)
Fourth Revolution:Informational(invention of microchip)
Types of Societies
• Hunting and Gathering societies▫ Simplest societies
▫ Society cannot support a large number of people Limited resources
▫ Small, nomadic groups
▫ Cannot accumulate possessions due to constant migration
Emerged about 10,000 years ago:• Pastoral societies
▫ Based on the pasturing of animals Remained nomadic
Followed animals
• Horticultural societies▫ Based on cultivation of
plants▫ Developed permanent
settlements• Both pastoral & horticultural societies transformed human society• Dependable food supply; larger
groups; division of labor; etc.
Types of Societies cont’d
• Agricultural societies▫ Agricultural surplus
Increase in population Development of cities Other activities
Art, literature, etc.
▫ “The dawn of civilization”
▫ Emergence of social inequality Competition over
resources
• Industrial societies▫ Began in Great Britain
▫ Produced great surplus…and greater
inequality
▫ Led to great class struggles
• Postindustrial societies▫ Based on information,
services, and the latest technology
▫ Trend away from production/manufacturing
▫ Growth of service industry Health, Education, Research
Types of Social Interactions• Exchange
▫ When people interact in an effort to receive a reward or a return for their actions
▫ Can be material or non-material
• Competition▫ When two or more people, or
groups, oppose each other to achieve a goal
• Conflict▫ Deliberate attempt to…
Control a person by force Oppose someone Harm someone
▫ Competition can lead to conflict
• Cooperation▫ Occurs when two or more
people or groups work together to achieve a goal that will benefit the group
• Accommodation▫ Involves a “give and take”▫ A balance between cooperation
and conflict▫ Can have many forms:
Compromise – agreement based on cooperation
Truce – agreement to end a conflict
Mediation – third party stepping in to resolve conflict
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