Section A: CULTURE

Question 1

Norms

Answer 1

Expected patterns of behaviour that are based on the values of a culture.

Question 2

Values

Answer 2

A set of beliefs and ideas that a culture sees as important which are generally accepted by the majority of that culture.

Question 3

Cultural diversity

Answer 3

Refers to variety and/or difference within a society.

Question 4

Subculture

Answer 4

This is a culture within a culture- a group with a set of norms and values that may differ from wider society.
E.g. mods and rockers

Question 5

Cultural hybridity

Answer 5

A merging of two or more things (cultures, ethnicity or nationality).

Question 6

High culture

Answer 6

A culture that had a very high status (fox hunting, shakespeare, ballet, opera)

Question 7

Popular culture

Answer 7

Activities that are practiced by the majority within society- such as watching TV, listening to pop music.

Question 8

Consumer culture

Answer 8

A culture that is based upon the purchasing of goods.

Question 9

Global Culture

Answer 9

Cultural products, activities that have become ‘universal’.

Question 10

Intracultural

Answer 10

Diversity WITHIN cultures.

Question 11

Intercultural

Answer 11

Diversity BETWEEN cultures.

Question 12

Creolisation

Answer 12

When people are uprooted from one culture and placed in another. These people are forced to abandon their ancestral practices in favour of new cultural practice. However, these people incorporate some of their ancestral traditions into the new cultural practice.

Question 13

What is culture?

Answer 13

Culture focuses on the way of life within particular societies. Within sociology the study of culture looks at the whole system of behaviours and beliefs of a society or group. This includes, but not limited to knowledge, language, faith, art, music, fashion, morals, law, customs, traditions, lifestyles etc…

Question 14

Example of norms and values in British society

Answer 14

A value would be politeness.
A norm that would follow this value would be to say ‘please’ and ‘thankyou’.
Norms and values are not fixed and can change over time or based on a certain situation.

Question 15

What is a cross cultural study?

Answer 15

When we pick an aspect of a culture such as religious practices or gender and compare it to other cultures around the world to see similarities and differences.
E.g. Margaret Meads study of gender roles.

Question 16

Margaret mead

Answer 16

Found ones gender is not determined by biology but is socially constructed.
1. Arapesh- both males and females gentle and cooperative.
2. Mundugumor- both males and females violent and aggressive.
3. Tchambuli- women were dominant and not involved in childcare. Men timid and emotionally dependent.

Question 17

Popular cultures
Postmodernist argument

Answer 17

Postmodernist disagree with the negative perception of popular culture from Marxists, suggesting that the mass access to media allows individuals to choose their own identity, drawing inspiration from different elements of popular culture. Postmodernist argue that popular culture allows for individuals to change their identity and for their identity to be fluid.

Question 18

Popular culture
Marxist argument

Answer 18

Bourdieu 1994 argued that the distinction between high culture and popular culture lies in the power of the group who support and access them.
High culture is simply the culture that is mostly accessed by the higher economic class and is, therefore, not necessarily superior to popular culture.
Argues like postman that pop culture is a form of brainwashing in order to dumb down the masses of people who consume it so that they don’t question their position in society creating a false consciousness.