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Chapter 2. Culture. Culture and Human Intelligence. History took a crucial turn with the appearance of primates Have the largest brains relative to body size of all living creatures 12 million years ago, primates evolved along two different lines Humans Great apes
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Chapter 2 Culture
Culture and Human Intelligence • History took a crucial turn with the appearance of primates • Have the largest brains relative to body size of all living creatures • 12 million years ago, primates evolved along two different lines • Humans • Great apes • Distant human ancestors evolved in central Afri
Chapter Outline • Culture and Society in a Changing World • Components of Culture • Technology, Cultural Change, and Diversity • A Global Popular Culture? • Sociological Analysis of Culture • Culture in the Future
Culture • The knowledge, language, values, customs, and material objects that are passed from person to person and from one generation to the next in a human group or society.
Culture • Culture is essential for survival and communication with other people. • Culture is learned through interaction, observation and imitation. • Culture is fundamental for the survival of societies.
Culture • Material culture • Physical or tangible creations (such as clothing shelter, and art) that members of a society make, use, and share. • Nonmaterial culture • Abstract or intangible human creations of society (such as attitudes, beliefs, and values) that influence people’s behavior.
Gestures With Different Meanings in Other Societies “Hook ‘em Horns” or “Your spouse is unfaithful”
Gestures With Different Meanings in Other Societies “He’s crazy” or “You have a telephone call”
Gestures With Different Meanings in Other Societies “Okay” Or “I’ll kill you”
Cultural Universals • Examples: • Appearance (bodily adornment, hairstyles) • Activities (sports, dancing, games, joking) • Social institutions (family, law, religion) • Practices (cooking, folklore, gift giving)
Language • A system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another • Heart of the symbolic system • Rules for writing differ • Key to Cultural Transmission • The process by which one generation passes culture to the next generation • Language is the key that unlocks centuries of accumulated wisdom
Sapir–Whorf Hypothesis • According to this theory, language shapes the view of reality of its speakers. • If people are able to think only through language, then language must precede thought.
Ten Core American Values • Individualism • Achievement and Success • Activity and Work • Science and Technology • Progress and Material Comfort
Ten Core American Values • Efficiency and Practicality • Equality • Morality and Humanitarianism • Freedom and Liberty • Racism and Group Superiority
Norms • Norms are established rules of behavior or standards of conduct. • Prescriptive norms state what behavior is appropriate or acceptable. • Proscriptive norms state what behavior is inappropriate or unacceptable.
Formal and Informal Norms • Formal norms are written down and involve specific punishments for violators. • Laws are the most common type of formal norms. • Informal norms are unwritten standards of behavior understood by people who share a common identity. • When individuals violate informal norms, people may apply informal sanctions.
Folkways • Everyday customs that may be violated without serious consequences within a particular culture. • In the United States, folkways include: • using deodorant • brushing our teeth • wearing appropriate clothing for a specific occasion
Mores • Strongly held norms with moral and ethical connotations that may not be violated without serious consequences. • Taboos are mores so strong that violation is considered extremely offensive and even unmentionable. • The incest taboo, which prohibits sexual relations between certain kin, is an example of a nearly universal taboo.
Laws • Formal, standardized norms that have been enacted by legislatures and are enforced by formal sanctions. • Civil law deals with disputes among persons or groups. • Criminal law deals with public safety and well-being.
Technology, Cultural Change, And Diversity • Changes in technology continue to shape the material culture of society. • Cultural lag is a gap between the technical development of a society and its moral and legal institutions.
Cultural Diversity • Cultural differences between and within nations are caused by: • Natural circumstances • Climate, geography • Social circumstances • Technology, composition of the population
Popular Culture • Activities, products, and services that are assumed to appeal primarily to the middle and working classes. • These include rock concerts, spectator sports, movies, and television.
The Old Order Amish Subculture • Strong faith in God. • Rejection of worldly concerns. • Rely on horse and buggy for transportation.
Examples of Countercultures • Beatniks of the 1950’s • Flower Children of the 1960’s • Drug Enthusiasts of the 1970’s
Culture Shock, Ethnocentrism, and Cultural Relativism • Culture shock refers to the anxiety people experience when they encounter cultures radically different from their own. • Ethnocentrism is the assumption that one’s own culture is superior to others. • Cultural relativism views and analyzes another culture in terms of that culture’s own values and standards.
