final- cultural sociology

Question 1

define culture

Answer 1

• culture consists of the values of the members of a group, the material goods they create, the norms they follow, and the languages and symbols they use to construct their understanding of the world

Question 1

define cultural universals

Answer 1

• patterns or traits that are globally common to all societies (ex: family unit: every human society recognizes a family structure that regulates reproduction and care of children)

Question 2

define symbol(s)

Answer 2

• gestures, signs, objects, signals, and words that help people understand they world. they provide clues to understanding experiences by conveying recognizable meanings that are shared by societies

Question 3

define signifier

Answer 3

• a signifier is what you see (includes everything in the visual world). could be symbols/shapes/letters
• signified: this is a mental concept, or who/what you think about following a signifier (ex: you see the letters C-A-T, you are supposed to think about a cat)

signifier -> signified = sign

Question 4

define semiotics

Answer 4

• semiotics make communication possible because we all agree on imagining a similar enough, general concept when we see a signifier

Question 5

material culture vs. non-material culture

Answer 5

• material culture: physical objects of culture (ex: everything from utensils to houses)
• non-material culture: systems of symbols which represent and communicate meaning to individuals of the same culture (ex: language, icons, religious symbols, sheet music)

Question 6

define the linguistic relativity hypothesis (sapir-whorf hypothesis) and

Answer 6

• weak version: language influences cognition (how you conceptualize the world including values and beliefs)
• strong version: language DETERMINES cognition (you literally cannot conceptualize something for which you have no language to think about it and your worldview emerges directly from your language’s metaphors and categories

Question 7

define cultural adaptation

Answer 7

• the knowledge or behavior that enables humans or groups to adjust, survive and thrive in their environment

Question 8

define cultural capital

Answer 8

• socially valuable but usually tacit (not sure how you do, but you just know) knowledge about how your culture, institutions, and your overall world operate

Question 9

define conformity and counter-cultures

Answer 9

• conformity: the process of people changing their beliefs, attitudes, actions, or perceptions to more closely match those held by groups to which they belong or want to belong to
• counter-cultures: the creation of a new culture when one doesn’t fit into the present culture and social norms; it challenges or opposes the present, prevailing culture (ex: hippies, punks)

Question 10

define assimilation

Answer 10

• occurs when individuals or groups from diverse backgrounds become part of a larger society

Question 11

define ethnocentrism

Answer 11

• judging another culture in terms of one’s own, usually with the idea that your culture is superior to others and provides the right way of acting and thinking

Question 12

define cultural relativism

Answer 12

• one’s own culture is one among many and there is no right way to think or behave- all cultures are equal even if different

Question 13

define multiculturalism

Answer 13

• the promotion of a diversity of cultures within a community (US as a salad bowl rather than a melting pot)

Question 14

define culture shock

Answer 14

• a feeling of anxiety and disorientation that occurs when an individual encounters an unfamiliar culture or way of life

Question 15

brown: what is the major thesis?

Answer 15

• american “culture war”; highlights its ongoing nature and clash between social narratives
• despite evolving cultural landscapes, the culture war framework remains crucial for interpreting contemporary American society, particularly focusing on the interplay between “social justice” and “traditional values.”

Question 16

brown: what are the two dominant narratives (left and right)?

Answer 16

• left: social justice narrative focuses on progress towards greater equality, inclusion, and freedom of self-expression
• right: traditional values
  narrative centers on a perceived decline from religious faithfulness, independence, and moral absolutes.

These narratives represent opposing viewpoints that shape the American “Culture War.”

Question 17

brown: how does the heterogeneity of public opinion get distilled into a monolithic set of discourses?

Answer 17

• pressure to conform and present a unified front when engaging in public discourse. This pressure leads individuals with diverse opinions to align themselves with broader narratives, even if their beliefs are multifaceted.
• influence of social interactions, shared beliefs, and the need for consistency in arguments further contribute to the homogenization of public discourse. As individuals engage in debates and adopt arguments from public figures, the complexity of diverse opinions often gets simplified into binary or opposing viewpoints, creating the illusion of monolithic discourses.

Question 18

brown: what is the role/power of media and public discourse to shape thoughts, opinions, politics, and subsequent discourse?

Answer 18

• the media’s role in providing platforms for different voices, ideologies, and perspectives can either foster diversity of thought or contribute to the reinforcement of existing narratives.

Question 19

brown: what is the duverger effect?

Answer 19

• in a winner-takes-all political system, a multiplicity of viewpoints tends to condense into two major parties over time. This phenomenon occurs as people with varying concerns form coalitions to improve their chances of achieving at least some of their goals within the political system.
• In the context of the American primary system, the Duverger effect is observed in the pressure to abandon third-party candidates. Voters are often warned that voting for a third-party candidate could potentially split the vote and inadvertently benefit a major party opponent. This pressure to strategically align with one of the two major parties is a manifestation of the Duverger effect in the American political landscape.

Question 20

brown: what is the relationship between Durkheim’s concept of social fact and the Duverger effect

Answer 20

• the pressure to conform to the two-party system, as highlighted by the Duverger effect, reflects the coercive nature of social facts described by Durkheim.