Chapter 2: Cultural diversity
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Transcript Chapter 2: Cultural diversity
Mrs. Hansen/ Sociology
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
Society Vs. Culture
○ Sociologist distinguish between the two
○ Society =people
○ Culture= material and non material products
that people create
Components of Culture:
Technology
Symbols
Language
Values
Norms
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
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!
Language:
Organization of written or spoken symbols
into a standardized system
○ Used daily to communicate and express ideas
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
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
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
Examining Culture
Norms are Dynamic instead of Static
Sociologists break down culture into levels
and studying them separately
○ Three Levels
1. Culture Traits
2. Culture Complexes
3. Culture Patterns
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
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
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
All of these combine to form a society’s
culture!!!