Culture

1. Culture What is culture?

2. What is “Culture”? • Language, beliefs, values, behaviors, and material objects that constitute a people’s way of life • Learned through social interaction, not biologically determined • Culture often changes and evolves over time

3. Norms and Values • Critical components of Culture • Norms: the expectations, or rules of behavior, that develop out of a group’s values. • Example: free speech and religion. • Values: the standards by which people define what is desirable or undesirable, good or bad, beautiful or ugly. • Guides choices, preferences, and indicates what people hold worthwhile in life. • Example: Americans value democracy…norms ensure personal freedom.

4. Folkways, mores, and taboos • Folkways: norms that are not strictly enforced. • Ex: Talking too loud in a library or slamming a door. • Negative Sanction for violation: disapproving looks • Mores: norms that are believed to be essential to a group’s core values and are therefore strictly enforced. • Ex: Robbery, rape and murder • Other examples: Picking nose in public…if continues and puts contents in mouth…”mores territory” challenging values of privacy and hygiene. • Taboos: norms so strongly engrained in society’s consciousness…revulsion if violated. • Ex: Cannibalism and incest • Norms are situation specific!!

5. Material Culture vs. Non-material Culture (Tangible vs. non-Tangible) • Material: • Jewelry, art, buildings, weapons, machines, clothing etc. • Non-material • Way of thinking, beliefs, values, patterns of behavior, language, gestures etc.