Culture -Week 3 Flashcards
What is Culture ?
comprised of both material / non-material culture
What is material culture?
includes things you can taste,touch, feel
Ex. buildings, cars,computers,clothing,crafts and artifacts
What is nonmaterial culture?
also known as symbolic culture includes the nonphysical products of society
ex language, values,norms,laws, symbols & signs
What is Ideal vs. real culture ?
ideal- what society claims to value
real-what society actually values
What is the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis? What are the 2 key points?
the structure of a language determines a native speaker’s perception and categorization of experience
- The difference in the structure of language parallel differences in the thinking of the people who speak the language
- The structure of a language strongly influences the speaker’s worldview
ex. Sweden’s term “lagom” just enough, is the Swedish way, their world view. This concept explains Sweden’s long-standing practice of socialism
What is cultural transmission?
the fact that culture passes from one generation to another through language. Cultures are therefore able to use information others have learned. also helps spread technology (think internet).
What is cultural lag?
occurs when social and cultural changes occur at a slower pace than technological changes. Cultural lag often occurs when new technology enters and changes the society
What are values? What is value pairs/ value clusters
s represent cultural standards by which we determine what is good or bad, right or wrong
value pairs - help us define values, usually in terms of opposites
value clusters-are two or more values that support each other
What are norms?
rules developed for appropriate behavior based on specific values that are conditional, they can vary from place to place. They provide the justification for sanctions There are two types of norms that govern any society.
What are mores ?
norms represent a community’s most important values. In written-based cultures (like ours) societies’ mores are often written into the code of law.
people are given more serious sanctions than folkways when violating
ex. stealing
What are folkways?
informal norms. They are based on social expectations. Folkways often involve etiquette and manners. the sanctions applied are less severe than for other types of norms
interesting-we conforms to them without much thought
ex. boys shouldn’t wear barrettes negative sanctions are applied to his behavior, informal
What is taboo?
an act that is socially unacceptable, is the strongest form of norms, these are prohibitions viewed as essential to the well being of the community. Takes on a greater level of intensity than mores.
What are symbols?
represent, suggest, or stand for something more
ex. national flags, religious symbols (cross star of david)
what we attach meaning to the symbol. it can represent an ideology or philosophy
what are gestures?
are symbols we make using our bodies. Gestures differ according to different cultures.
include: facial expression
hand movements
eye contact
other types of body language
What are sanctions?
a prize or punishment you receive when you either abide by a norm or violate it.
can be positive reinforcements or negative deterrence of behavior.
If you do what you are supposed to do, you get a positive sanction.
If you break the rules (norms) you earn a negative sanction.
Sanctions can be informal or formal.
ex postive pat on the back (informal), promotion at work (formal)
ex negative speed ticket(formal), bullying (informal)
What are terms of responses
Ethnocentrism, Xenophobia, Cultural relativism
What is ethnocentrism?
when a person uses his or her own culture to judge another culture. Is potentially dangerous when it leads to forcing one’s way of life on other cultures
what is Xenophobia ?
to fear and hostility toward people who are from other countries or cultures
ex. World War II , Pearl harbor Japanese Americans were locked in internment camps, often without cause
What is culture relativism ?
deliberate effort to appreciate a group’s ways of life in its own context without prejudice. a practice that respects differences, however, there are situations in which some groups argue that there are universal human rights and values which should be used to evaluate cultures and that the violating of these universal rights justifies action to end such practices
What is the difference between culture shock and re-entry shock?
Culture shock- when a person encounters a culture foreign to his or her own and has an emotional response to the differences b/t the cultures
ex. a U.S. soldier sent to Iraq who feels disoriented by the unfamiliar way of life
Re-entry or reverse culture shock- occurs when one returns to their home culture and have difficulty in re-adjusting
Subgroups of culture terms
Dominant Culture, Subcultures,
Counter Cultures, Multiculturalism, Assimilation
What is dominant culture?
refers to the values, norms, and practices of the group within society that is most powerful in terms of wealth, prestige, status, and influence.
What are subcultures ?
groups with a common interest that has distinct values, beliefs and norms
ex. religious groups, ethnic groups
what are countercultures?
subcultures that express values or beliefs in direct opposition to the dominant group’s values
