Basics Flashcards
What are the things that determine how cultures are shaped and formed
Globalisation Education The media Family Migration Travel
How is globalisation shaping and forming cultures
It is believed that the world is becoming a smaller place - due to countries’ increasing interdependence (business, politics etc.)
How is education shaping and forming cultures
In Britain, we learn about British culture at school - through subjects like history, English and RE (focus tends to be on Christianity)
Some say the National Curriculum is ethnocentric
How is the media shaping and forming cultures
The media often shapes and upholds the norms and values of a society
How is migration shaping and forming cultures
Migration has impacted culture as the UK has well-established Afro-Carribean, Indian, Pakistani communities that are part of the British culture
How is travel shaping and forming cultures
People are more geographically mobile and this has had a massive influence on how cultures change/form e.g. fashions, food tastes, norms
Factors that make up our identities
Lifestyle Age Social class Gender Family position Nationality Ethnicity
What is culture
Whole way of life of a society. This involves things that are shared by the members of a society e.g. norms, values, language & behaviour
What is socialisation
The process of learning how to behave in a way that is appropriate and acceptable to your culture
How is culture taught to us
Through the agents of socialisation
What is primary socialisation
The process by which children learn the cultural norms of the society to which they are born
What is secondary socialisation
Socialisation that happens outside the home later in life. It teaches ways to behave in different socialisations
What are the 4 main sociological perspectives
Marxists
Functionalists
Feminists
New Right
Functionalists beliefs
Every part of society has a function
Marxists beliefs
The rich and powerful stay in power by taking advantage of the workers
Feminist beliefs
Society is divided by gender
New Right belief
Want a return to traditional values
Oxana Malaya case
Found at 8 in Ukraine, 1991
Alcoholic parents neglected her so she lived in a dog kennel
Raised by dogs, moved on all fours, barked, acute sense of hearing, sight and smell
Identity
How we see ourselves and how others see us
Postmodern
A sociological theory about how society changed from the 1900s onward
Status
The amount of prestige a person’s position in society gives them
Ascribed status
The position in society you are born with or inherited
Achieved status
Your position in society that has been earned by your own efforts
Role
Part you play associated with norms and expectations
Multiple roles
Playing more than one role
Role conflict
Where the demands of one role clash with another role
Cultural diversity
Difference between cultures
Subculture
A smaller culture within a culture with its norms and values
Feral child
A child who has been brought up without human contact
Evidence to support nature
The idea that genes, biology, instinct and intuition are what control human behaviour
Nurture theories
Sociologists tend to think that nurture or how we are brought up is the most important influence on human behaviour
We are taught to act as we do through processes of socialisation, where we learn the normal & expected behaviour to our culture
Evidence to support nurture
Historical evidence - If our behaviour was in our genes then human behaviour over a period of time would hardly change e.g. witchcraft
Anthropological evidence - If our behaviour was in our genes then people all over the world would behave in the same way
Case studies of feral children
Margaret Mead
1901-1970
Anthropologist who conducted cross-cultural gender studies in New Guinea
Who are the three tribes Margaret Mead studied
The Arapesh
The Mundugumor
The Tchambuli
The Arapesh
Gentle & peaceful
Started to wear clothes after meeting westerners
They wore bark
All were equally feminine
The Mundugumor
War-like & fierce for both men and women
Harsh with children - carried them in scratchy baskets, did not spend much time with them, hardly spoke to them
Equal gender roles
The Tchambuli
Opposite to West (men did shopping and wore makeup and the women were warriors)
Agents of socialisation
Family Workplace Media Education Peer groups
Family as an agent of socialisation
Parents reinforce gender norms and expectations, ‘little princess’, ‘brave soldier’
Discourage behaviour associated with opposite sex
Little girls play with toy kitchens, boys do not
Manipulation - toys reflecting gender
Canalisation - language to enforce stereotypes
Education as an agent of socialisation
Hidden Curriculum
Taught through various lessons
Institutions set up with the goal of socialising the student who attends
Peer groups as an agent of socialisation
Feel accepted and part of the group through shared behaviour
With them regularly - big role socialising
Feel pressure to conform to their norms and values
Can mock you, verbally abuse and exclude you
Positive ways peer groups socialise you
Humour Hobbies Way you dress Way you talk Belief Confidence Manners Actions - studying
Negative ways peer groups socialise you
Take drugs Smoking Joining a gang Rudeness/attitude Crime Truanting school Not doing work
What does socialisation at work depend on
The job you are doing
Treatment of women in the workplace
Inequality
Feminists argue that the workplace is dominated by men - patriarchal society
Why do women do lower paid jobs
Have been socialised into this inequality from their primary socialisation
The glass ceiling
The invisible barrier that prevents women reaching the highest positions in companies therefore creating inequality between men & women
Gender influences in schools
National curriculum Hidden curriculum Homework/coursework Role models Single sex schooling Government initiatives Resources
Gender influences outside school
Socialisation Job markets Law Feminist movements Girls' priorities
National curriculum as an influence
All pupils study the same subjects including maths and science etc. This means that girls are studying the same core subjects as boys. But some sociologists say that it hasn’t helped encourage girls to choose science at A level
Hidden curriculum as an influence
Use of gendered regimen
Girls - netball, Boys - football
Uniforms
Lining up
Homework/coursework as a gender influence
Girls spend more time on homework and are better organised- coursework is a big part of GCSEs therefore girls do better
Role models as a gender influence
Teaching has become feminised
Women are more likely to be classroom teachers, especially in primary schools. This gives girls positive role models
Single sex schools as a gender influence
Girls do better in single sex schools
Government initiatives as an gender influence
Trying to encourage more girls to do science and technology
WISE - Women Into Science and Technology
GIST - Girls Into Science and Technology
GATE - Girls And Tech Education
Resources as an gender influence
Teachers are encouraged to make their resources more girl friendly
Girls’ priorities as an gender influence
Have changed
Girls now want careers and qualifications
Girls want to be financially independent
Free time as a gender influence
Girls have a ‘bedroom culture’ staying in and talking with friends. Boys are more likely to play computer games and football
Why do boys underachieve
M - Masculinity crisis A - Attention to work L - Literacy E - Esteem S - Sissy/Geek
Masculinity crisis as a reason why boys underachieve
Boys are going through a process of reassessment of what is seen as ‘masculine’ in society. Years ago their traditional gender role was clear as breadwinner
Attention to work as a reason why boys underachieve
More likely to suffer from poor motivation. Boys pay less attention to their work and are easily distracted
Literacy as a reason why boys underachieve
Boys have poorer literacy and language skills. Parents spend less time reading to sons. Boys hobbies are sports and that does little to help develop their language and communication skills
Esteem as a reason why boys underachieve
Boys increasingly suffer from a lack of self esteem and lack confidence
Fear of ridicule (sissy/geek) as a reason why boys underachieve
Peer pressure and fear of ridicule and the need to fit in all contribute to boys not being seen to try
What we learn from the media
Informal control - right and wrong through programmes
Gender role socialisation - showing us stereotypes of dominant males and petty and emotional females
Labelling according to gender/ethnic groups
Expected norms and values and how we should behave
Sanctions for our behaviour and actions - punishment/praise
Norms
Accepted and expected behaviour in a specific situation
