Understanding Cultural Norms and Relativism

1. Today: Norms Cultural Relativism Concrete Culture-Share artifacts Language About Test 1 Culture “When a person is down in the world, an ounce of help is better than a pound of preaching.”- Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton (Novelist, Playwright, Politician)

2. Values: shared beliefsabout what is important

3. Norms: shared rules of conduct • Outline what is acceptable, appropriate • Guide behavior • Based on values Value: respect for elders Norm: give up your seat on the bus if there is someone elderly standing

4. How do we learn norms? • positive and negative sanctions • Sanctions: reactions people get for breaking or following norms

5. 3 Types of Norms: Folkways, Mores (more-ays), Taboo

6. 3 Types of Norms: Folkways, Mores (more-ays), Taboo Being faithful to husband/ wife Husband and wife live in the same home -Open marriages -Multiple wives/husbands

7. 3 Types of Norms: Mom and Dad sleep in one room, children in another Parents provide children with a safe place to sleep Dad and teenage daughter sleeping in the same bed

8. 3 types of norms Mark didn’t bring a gift to his friend’s birthday party. Mark violated a ___________________________ Mark exchanged his daughter’s hand in marriage for money. In the United States this is _______________________________. Mark was hitting his dog badly at the park . Mark has violated a _______ folkway taboo mos

9. Assignment 3. Share your cultural artifact. Tell us: • your name • what you brought • what meaning it has for you 2. As people are sharing, record which category of culture you think each item falls under: • Race/ethnicity/nationality • Language • Gender • Socio-economic status • Age • Family • Sports • Religion • Political ideology • Interests/hobbies • Experiences • Other:_____

10. Subcultures • Culture within larger culture • Have own values, customs etc, • Shares many values of the larger culture Ex: Youth culture, DJ’s, surfers, doctors

11. Counter cultures Culture of society as a whole • Holds values that stand in opposition to those of the dominant culture • Ex: Swingers, gangs, mafia subculture Counter culture

12. Freeganism and dumpster diving View Info More details

13. Quick Write: 1. Do you think Freeganism is a subcultureor counter culture? 2. Why? 3. What are their values? 4. What types of norms might they follow? Subculture: • Culture within larger culture • Has some own values, customs etc, • Shares many values of the parent culture Counter culture: • Holds values that stand in opposition to those of the dominant culture

15. Cultural relativism Examining cultures without judging its elements as superior or inferior to ones own way of life Study habits Favorite team Political beliefsReligious beliefs Child rearing Is cultural relativism a good thing? Can it be a bad thing?

16. Language Defined: Set of symbols that • expresses ideas • allows people to think and communicate

17. Language The Summer Institute for Linguistics (SIL) Ethnologue Survey (2012) lists the following as the top languages by population:(number of native speakers in parentheses) Mandarin Chinese (937,132,000) Spanish (332,000,000) English (322,000,000) Bengali (189,000,000) Hindi/Urdu (182,000,000) Arabic (174,950,000) Portuguese (170,000,000) Russian (170,000,000) Japanese (125,000,000) German (98,000,000) French(79,572,000)

18. Language Guides perceptions There are words that exist in certain languages that do not have a an equivalent in others Examples: • girlfriend/boyfriend doesn’t exist in Urdu • Kuya/Ate (older brother/sister in Tagalog) • Ta’arof- Farsi term referring to etiquette, politeness, cultural obligations doesn’t exist in English

19. Culture and Language are interdependent because • Humans learn and transmit our culture through language

20. Culture and Language What we say influences what we think what we feel and what we believe What think, feel, and believe influences what we say

21. Language Moribund (endangered language) • Moribund = spoken only by a few older people and unknown to children • Many world languages will be extinct or moribund within the next 100 years • An entire way of thinking is lost each time a language becomes extinct

22. Endangered Languages • View National Geographic Map of endangered languages • View Enduring Voices Project

23. How to study for Test 1 Use the study guide on the website! Fill out answers Master the information Test yourself Study with a classmate The test is 20 questions, 17 from the lecture and 3 based on the reading (with some overlap). Review your notes, the Power Point slides posted on the course website, and reading assignments.

24. To do • Read • Test 1 Coming Up • Be on time-class continues after the test • Bring a standard 50 question scantron E-882 and pencil • Multiple choice, 15 questions • Study class notes, ppt slides on website, and text reading • Study guide posted on website

25. Partner Activity-Language and Culture. Write down responses. What do you think these proverbs might tell us about what the culture values? 1. “Lower your voice and strengthen your argument.” (Lebanese proverb) 2. “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” (American proverb) 3. “E moa itangataringaraupa.” “Marry a man with blistered hands.” (Maori Proverb, New Zealand) 4. “Andatucamino sin ayuda de vecino.” “Walk your own road without the help of a neighbor.” (Mexican proverb) 5. "When the brothers fight to the death, a stranger inherits their father's estate.” (Nigerian proverb)

26. What do these proverbs tell you about what the culture values? Lebanese Proverb “Lower your voice and strengthen your argument”

27. American Proverb “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”

28. Maori Proverb (New Zealand) “E moa i tangata ringa raupa.” “Marry a man with blistered hands.”

29. Mexican Proverb “Anda tu camino sin ayuda de vecino.” “Walk your own road without the help of a neighbor.”

30. Chinese Proverb “Don’t add legs to the snake after you have finished drawing it”

31. Nigerian Proverb "When the brothers fight to the death, a stranger inherits their father's estate.”

32. What is socialization? Socialization – the process by which we learn the ways of our society. In other words… how we become who we are ongoing lifelong process

33. How others influence us: • Charles Horton Cooley-Looking Glass Self • Erving Goffman-Dramaturgy • George Herbert Mead-Development of self-concept

34. Charles Horton CooleyLooking Glass Self • Weuse others as mirrors • 2) Look at their eyes, body language, and listen to them to assess ourselves • 3) We develop a self- concept.Determine if our actions are having the desired effect.

35. Erving GoffmamDramaturgy • Noticed a conflict between what we want to do and what we feel people want us to do • View of social life as a series of dramatic performances (theatre)

36. Erving GoffmamDramaturgy • Impression management= actions and statements made to control how others view us

37. Erving GoffmanDramaturgy • Front stage: actor’s performance in front of an audience • A model walking in a run way show • A doctor performing surgery • Someone out on a date

38. Erving GoffmanDramaturgy • Back stage: concealing some of the things that go into the “performance” • Teacher preparing lessons, or speaking freely with co-workers about students

39. Erving Goffman’sDramaturgy • Role conflict: conflict between 2 different roles you preform -student and mom • Role strain: conflict within one role -student taking many classes

40. Be a sociologist • Sociologists study human behavior • Use your observations of student and teacher behaviors in college • Determine behaviors that help and hurt the classroom environment and student learning Underline the top 3 in every category

41. Erving GoffmanDramaturgy • Noticed a conflict between what we want to do and what we feel people want us to do • Social life is a series of dramatic performances = theatre • Impression management= the techniques an “actor” uses to maintain certain impressions

42. Erving GoffmanDramaturgy • Front stage: is the part of the actors performance that functions in a generally fixed manner in front of an audience • A teacher conducting his lesson in front of a class • A model walking in a run way show • A doctor performing surgery • Someone out on a date

43. Erving GoffmanDramaturgy • Back stage: where facts suppressed in front stage or various kind of informal actions may appear. • teacher prepares his lessons, or speaks freely with co-workers about students • concealing some of the things that go into the performance

44. Erving GoffmanDramaturgy • Role conflict: conflict between 2 different roles you preform -girlfriend and friend • Role strain: conflict within one role -making the right choice as a friend

45. Summary • View How Beliefs and Values Define a Culture

46. 3 types of norms Mark didn’t bring a gift to his friend’s birthday party. Mark violated a ___________________________ Mark exchanged his daughter’s hand in marriage for money. In the United States this is _______________________________. Mark was hitting his dog badly at the park . Mark has violated a _______ folkway taboo mos