Chapter 2: Cultural diversity

1. Mrs. Hansen/ Sociology Chapter 2: Cultural diversity

2. Section 1: The Meaning of Culture • What is Culture? • Material Vs. Non material • Cars, clothes, computers, cell phones, books, buildings • Beliefs, family patterns, ideas, language, political and economic systems

3. Society Vs. Culture • Sociologist distinguish between the two • Society =people • Culture= material and non material products that people create

4. Components of Culture: • Technology • Symbols • Language • Values • Norms

5. Technology • Physical objects and the rules for using those objects • Using tools requires knowledge of various skills • Sociologist interested in skills but the rules of acceptable behavior when using material culture

6. Symbols • Through symbols we create culture and communicate it to group members and future generations • Symbols have a shared meaning attached to them • Any word, gesture, image, sound, physical object, event, or element of the natural world • Everyone must understand the symbol in order for it to have meaning!

7. Language: • Organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system • Used daily to communicate and express ideas

8. Values: • Shared Beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable • The type of value held by a group help to determine the character of its people and the kinds of material and nonmaterial culture they create • The Yanomamo and the San people

9. Norms • Shared rules of conduct that tell people how act in specific situations • These are expectations for behavior not the actual behavior • Norms range in importance • Covering your mouth when you yawn • Don’t kill another human being • Some apply to everyone others apply to select groups • Marriage

10. Folkways • Norms without great moral significance • Mores • Norms with a lot of moral significance • Laws • Written norms enacted and enforced by governments that must be followed

11. Examining Culture • Norms are Dynamic instead of Static • Sociologists break down culture into levels and studying them separately • Three Levels • Culture Traits • Culture Complexes • Culture Patterns

12. Culture Traits • Simplest level of culture • An individual tool, act, or belief that is related to a particular situation or need. • Using utensils when eating • Specific greetings when meeting people

13. Culture Complexes: • Individual Culture traits combine to form complexes • A cluster of interrelated traits • Example = Football • The ball, measuring chain, gear, and benches are the material traits • Kicking, passing, running, catching, blocking and tackling are the acts of football • There are also beliefs like following the rules, etc. • In an industrial society a variety of Complexes exist and can be studied

14. Culture Patterns • Complexes combine to form patterns • The combination of a number of culture complexes • Example= • Football, baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming, tennis and track combine to form the American athletic pattern • Other examples are related to specific areas of society • Agriculture, religion, education, family life, and manufacturing

15. All of these combine to form a society’s culture!!!