Cultural Diversity

Chapter 2Section 1

The Meaning of Culture

The Meaning of Culture What is Culture?

The Components of Culture

Examining Culture

What is Culture? Culture: consists of

all the shared products of human groups. Physical objects Beliefs Values Behaviors

Material Culture: the physical objects that people create and use. Examples:

automobiles, books, buildings, clothing, computers, cooking utensils.

What is Culture cont. Non-material

culture: abstract human creations. Examples: beliefs,

family patterns, ideas, languages, rules, skills, work practices, political and economic systems.

Society: a group of interdependent people who have organized in such a way as to share a common culture and feeling of unity.

The Components of Culture Culture is both learned and shared Specific examples of the material

and nonmaterial elements of culture vary society but all cultures have certain basic components. Ex. Technology, symbols, languages,

values, norms.

Technology Culture consists of

not only physical objects but also the rules for using those objects.

The relationship between the objects and the rules is known as

Technology You need basic

skills to know how to use money.

Sociologists look at the rules that accompany this such as “spending”.

Symbols The use of symbols

is the basis of human culture.

We use symbols to create our culture and communicate with others.

Words, gestures, images, sounds, physical objects, event or element of the natural world serves as a symbol.

Give examples of each.

Language Language: is the

organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system.

When organized according to accepted rules of grammar, words can be used to express any idea.

Values Language and

symbols are important because they allow us to communicate our values.

Values are shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable. The types of values

held by a group help to determine the character of its people and its culture.

Yanomano Tribe

Norms Norms are used to

enforce their cultural vales.

Norms are shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific situations.

Remember norms are expected behavior not actual behavior. Example: cover

your mouth when you yawn, do not kill a human being.

Name any others

Norms Folkways: are

norms that describe socially acceptable behavior but do not have great moral significance attached to them.

They outline the common customs of everyday life.

Some degree of nonconformity to folkways is permitted because it does not endanger the well being of society.

Norms Mores: have great

moral significance attracted to them because the violation of these rules endangers society’s well being.

Murder, fraud

Laws: written rules of conduct enacted and enforced by the government.

Enforce both folkways and mores.

Examining Culture Sociologists must

keep up with all the changing behaviors, ideas, and objects in society.

They break them into groups and study them each.

Traits

Complexes

Patterns

Culture Traits Definition: an individual tool, act, or

belief that is related to a particular situation. Ball Goal posts Pads cleates

Culture Complexes Definition: a cluster of interrelated

traits. Cleats, ball, goal posts, pads make up

football

Culture Patterns Definition: the combination of a

number of culture complexes into an interrelated whole. There are separate complexes for

baseball, basketball, football, soccer, swimming, tennis, and track and combine all of them into an American athletic pattern.