essay, outline

matarald

CHAPTER2Revised.pptx

Home >English homework help >essay, outline

Essentials of Sociology

Thirteenth Edition

Chapter 2

Culture

Learning Objectives (1 of 3)

2.1 Explain what culture is, how culture provides orientations to life, and what practicing cultural relativism means.

2.2 Know the components of symbolic culture: gestures, language, values, norms, sanctions, folkways, mores, and taboos; also explain the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Learning Objectives (2 of 3)

2.3 Distinguish between subcultures and countercultures.

2.4 Discuss the major U.S. values and explain value clusters, value contradictions, value clashes, how values are lenses of perception, and ideal versus real culture.

Learning Objectives (3 of 3)

2.5 Explain what cultural universals are and why they do not seem to exist.

2.6 Explain why most sociologists consider genes to be an inadequate explanation of human behavior.

2.7 Explain how technology changes culture and what cultural lag and cultural leveling are.

What Is Culture?

2.1 Explain what culture is, how culture provides orientations to life, and what practicing cultural relativism means.

Culture and Taken-for-Granted Orientations to Life

Practicing Cultural Relativism

Culture and Taken-for-Granted Orientations to Life (1 of 2)

What is normal, natural, or usual

The culture within us

Culture as a lens

Culture shock

Ethnocentrism

Culture and Taken-for-Granted Orientations to Life (2 of 2)

What a tremendous photo for sociologists! Seldom are we treated to such cultural contrasts. Can you see how the cultures of these women have given them not only different orientations concerning the presentation of their bodies but also of gender relations?

Practicing Cultural Relativism (1 of 4)

Understanding cultures on their own terms

Exploring Robert Edgerton’s view of “sick cultures”

Confronting contrasting views of reality

Practicing Cultural Relativism (2 of 4)

Many Americans perceive bullfighting as a cruel activity that should be illegal everywhere. To most Spaniards, bullfighting is a sport that pits matador and bull in a unifying image of power, courage, and glory. Cultural relativism requires that we suspend our own perspectives in order to grasp the perspectives of others, something easier described than attained. This photo was taken in Seville, Spain.

Practicing Cultural Relativism (3 of 4)

Standards of beauty vary so greatly from one culture to another that what one group finds attractive, another may not. Yet, in its ethnocentrism, each group thinks that its standards are the best—that the appearance reflects what beauty “really” is.

As indicated by these photos, around the world men and women aspire to their group’s norms of physical attractiveness. To make themselves appealing to others, they try to make their appearance reflect their group’s standards.

Practicing Cultural Relativism (4 of 4)

What some consider food, even delicacies, can turn the stomachs of other diners. Grilled guinea pig, called cuy, is served in restaurants in Peru.

Components of Symbolic Culture 2.2 Know the components of symbolic culture: gestures, language, values, norms, sanctions, folkways, mores, and taboos; also explain the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis.

Gestures

Language

Language and Perception: The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Values, Norms, and Sanctions

Folkways, Mores, and Taboos

Gestures (1 of 2)

Convey messages without words

Have meanings that differ among cultures

Can lead to misunderstandings

Is it really true that there are no universal gestures?

Figure 2.1 Gestures to Indicate Height, Southern Mexico

As shown here, three different hand gestures indicate the height of animals, plants, and people in Southern Mexico.

Source: By the author.

It is helpful for complex images (i.e., charts and graphs) to have descriptive text near the image (perhaps as a caption or in the Notes field). They would still require alt text.

Gestures (2 of 2)

Although most gestures are learned, and therefore vary from culture to culture, some gestures that represent fundamental emotions such as sadness, anger, and fear appear to be inborn. This crying child whom I photographed in India differs little from a crying child in China—or the United States or anywhere else on the globe. In a few years, however, this child will demonstrate a variety of gestures highly specific to his Hindu culture.

Language

Allows cumulative human experience

Provides social or shared past

Provides social or shared future

Allows shared perspectives

Allows complex, shared, goal-directed behavior

Language and Perception: The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Language has embedded within it ways of looking at the world

Reverse of common sense

Values, Norms, and Sanctions (1 of 3)

Values − What is desirable in life

Norms − Expectations or rules for behavior

Sanctions − Reactions to following or breaking norms

Positive & negative sanctions

Moral holidays

Values, Norms, and Sanctions (2 of 3)

The ethnic terms we choose—or which are given to us—are major self-identifiers. They indicate both membership in some particular group and a separation from other groups.

Values, Norms, and Sanctions (3 of 3)

Many societies relax their norms during specified occasions. At these times, known as moral holidays, behavior that is ordinarily not permitted is allowed. This photo was taken at Mardi Gras in New Orleans. When a moral holiday is over, the usual enforcement of rules follows.

Folkways, Mores, and Taboos (1 of 2)

Folkways − Norms not strictly enforced

Mores − Norms strictly enforced; core values

Taboos − Norms extremely enforced

Very strong

Severe sanctions if violated

Revulsion

Folkways, Mores, and Taboos (2 of 2)

The violation of mores is a serious matter. In this case, it is serious enough that security at a cricket match in Hove, England, has swung into action to protect the public from seeing a “disgraceful” sight, at least one so designated by this group.

Many Cultural Worlds 2.3 Distinguish between subcultures and countercultures.

Subcultures

Countercultures

Subcultures (1 of 5)

Subculture − A world within the dominant culture

Subcultures (2 of 5)

Each subculture provides its members with values and distinctive ways of viewing the world. What values and perceptions do you think are common among body builders?

Subcultures (3 of 5)

Even ballroom dancers form a subculture. They evaluate dance moves and presentations and use specialized terms to communicate with one another.

Subcultures (4 of 5)

The truck drivers’ subculture, centering on their occupational activities and interests, is also broken into smaller subcultures that reflect their experiences and ideas about gender and race-ethnicity.

Subcultures (5 of 5)

Why would anyone decorate herself like this? Among the many reasons, one is to show solidarity (appreciation, shared interest) with the subculture that centers on comic book characters.

Countercultures

Counterculture − Group with norms and values at odds with the dominant culture

Values in U.S. Society 2.4 Discuss the major U.S. values and explain value clusters, value contradictions, value clashes, how values are lenses of perception, and ideal versus real culture.

An Overview of U.S. Values

Value Clusters

Value Contradictions

An Emerging Value Cluster

When Values Clash

Values as Distorting Lenses

“Ideal” Versus “Real” Culture

An Overview of U.S. Values (1 of 2)

Achievement and success

Individualism

Hard work

Efficiency and practicality

Science and technology

Material comfort

Freedom

An Overview of U.S. Values (2 of 2)

Democracy

Equality

Group superiority

Education

Religiosity

Romantic love

Value Clusters

Success

Education

Hard work

Material comfort

Individualism

Value Contradictions

Values change over time

Eventually, something has to give

An Emerging Value Cluster (1 of 2)

Leisure

Self-fulfillment

Physical fitness

Youthfulness

Also emergent: Concern for the environment

How might this be related to the cluster above?

An Emerging Value Cluster (2 of 2)

Physical fitness, as with this fitness class, is part of an emerging value cluster.

When Values Clash

Challenges to core values meet with resistance

“Culture Wars” ensue

Values as Distorting Lenses

Views of what life “ought” to be like

Can serve as blinders

Example: May be hard to understand the pride with which earlier Americans destroyed trees that took thousands of years to grow, are located in only one small part of the world, and are today considered part of the nation’s and world’s heritage

But this is a value statement representing current views

“Ideal” Versus “Real” Culture

Ideal: What a group considers worth aiming for

Real: What people actually do

Cultural Universals 2.5 Explain what cultural universals are and why they do not seem to exist.

Some activities are universal − Courtship, Marriage, Funerals, Games

Present in all cultures, but specific customs differ from one group to another

What are some examples of activities that you think might differ from culture to culture?

What activities might be the same?

Sociobiology & Human Behavior 2.6 Explain why most sociologists consider genes to be an inadequate explanation of human behavior.

Unlike this beautiful fly (Brachcera), we humans are not controlled by instincts. Sociobiologists, though, are exploring the extent to which genes influence our behavior.

Technology in the Global Village 2.7 Explain how technology changes culture and what cultural lag and cultural leveling are.

New Technology

Cultural Lag and Cultural Change

Technology and Cultural Leveling

New Technology (1 of 2)

Technology

Tools

New technology

Far beyond the tools themselves

Significant impact on social life

New Technology (2 of 2)

As formerly isolated people are connected electronically to urban societies, their culture changes to include awareness of politicians, celebrities, movies, and material objects. In short, urban influence becomes dominant, reaching even remote areas and changing ideas and orientations to life.

Cultural Lag & Cultural Change

Cultural lag

Involves behavior changing more slowly than technology changes

Cultural change

Includes inconsistencies

Technological advances are now so rapid that there can be cultural gaps between generations.

Technology & Cultural Leveling

Cultural diffusion

Spread of cultural traits from one group to another

Communication and travel

Virtually instant

Cultural leveling

Cultures become more similar (more Western)

Photo Credits

Chapter 2 CO HIP/Art Resource, NY; 004: Linton, Ralph. The Study of Man. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts, 1936.; 007: Bates, Marston. Gluttons and Libertines: Human Problems of Being Natural. New York: Vintage Books,

1967.; 008: Dusty Friedman; 008: Kingston, Maxine Hong. The Woman Warrior. New York: Vintage Books, 1975:108.; 010: Ekman, Paul, Wallace V. Friesen, and John Bear. “The International Language of Gestures.” Psychology Today, May 1984:64.; 011: Based on Kent, Mary, and Robert Lalasz. “In the News: Speaking English in the United States.” Washington, D.C.: Population Reference Bureau, January 18, 2007.; Salomon, Gisela, “In Miami, Spanish Is Becoming the Primary Language.” Associated Press, May 29, 2008.; Costantini, Cristina. “Spanish in Miami: Diciendo ‘Hola’ Or Saying ‘Hello.’” Huffpost Miami, November 29, 2011.; Nelson, Margaret K. “Whither Fictive Kin? Or, What’s in a Name?” Journal of Family Issues, 2013.; 015: Robertson, Ian. Sociology, 3rd ed. New York: Worth, 1987:62.; 016: Donald Rumsfeld, quoted in Dickey, Christopher, and John Barry. “Iran: A Rummy Guide.” Newsweek, May 8, 2006:38.; 016: Jessop, Bob, “The Return of the National State in the Current Crisis of the World Market.” Capital and Class, 34, 1, 2010:38–43.; 017: Zellner, William W. Countercultures: A Sociological Analysis. New York: St. Martin’s, 1995:58, 65.; 023: Rory Cellan-Jones, “Stephen Hawking warns artificial intelligence could end mankind,” BBC News, December 2, 2014.; ableimages/Alamy Stock Photo; Anirut Rassameesritrakool/Alamy Stock Photo; Asia Images/SuperStock; BERND THISSEN/EPA/Newscom; C.M. Holmgren/Pearson Education; Chris Graythen/Getty Images News/Getty Images; Courtesy of Clarke Historical Museum; Dallas and John Heaton/Travel Pictures/Alamy Stock Photo; Dave Carpenter/Cartoon Stock; Dave Stamboulis/age fotostock; DAVID GIFFORD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images; Drew Angerer/Getty Images News/Getty Images; Europa Press/Getty Images; Grant Faint/Photographer’s Choice/Getty Images; HIP/Art Resource, NY; Horacio Villalobos/Corbis/Getty Images; Iulian Valentin Bara/Alamy Stock Photo; jackhollingsworth.com/Shutterstock; James Henslin; James X Nova/Pearson Education; Karim Sahib/Newscom; LatinStock Collection/Alamy Stock Photo; Mark Green/Alamy Stock Photo; Monika Vosahlova/Shutterstock; Nisa and Ulli Maier Photography/Moment Select/Getty Images; Panorama/The Image Works; Paul Simcock/Blend Images/Newscom; Paulo Santos/Reuters Pictures; pewi/Alamy Stock Photo; Pius Lee/Alamy Stock Photo; Robert Carner/Alamy Stock Photo; Simon Dack/Alamy Stock Photo; Timothy A. Clary/AFP Photo/Newscom; Ton Koene/V&W/The Image Works; WILDLIFE GmbH/Alamy Stock Photo; Zou Zheng/Xinhua News Agency/Newscom; ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy Stock Photo