Set for quiz on Monday Oct 31th Flashcards
What represents the hardware
society
What represents the software
culture
What is hardware
the structures that organize group life
What is software
ideas and material objects that provide meanings and guidelines for living
society and culture are
interdependent
What is culture?
culture is what makes societies unique through the way of life shared by a group of people
What is culture shared through
knowledge
values
rules of laws
customs
symbols
products
beliefs
rules
material
What are the 3 structures that societies are composed of?
positions we hold
groups we belong to
institutions we participate in
What are the 4 principles of culture?
Everyone shares a culture with others
Culture evolves and adapts over time
The creation of culture is ongoing and cumulative
The transmission of culture separates humans from other animals
What is material culture?
All the objects we can see or touch that are made by humans; the artifacts of a group of people
What is non-material culture?
Invisible or intangible aspects of a group’s culture, including its values, beliefs, norms or rules, and language
What are values?
Shared judgements about what is desirable or undesirable, right or wrong, good or bad
express the basic ideas of a culture
may become a “creed” if they gain the power of religious doctrine
often taken for granted
conflict may arise between groups with different value systems
What are beliefs?
Ideas we hold about life, how society works, and where we fit into it
come from traditions, religious teachings, experiences, lessons from parents and others
influence the choices we make
often based on values, which are broader, more abstract notions of what is desirable
What are norms?
Rules of behavior shared by members of a society and rooted in the society’s value system
What are folkways?
Norms that are desirable but not strictly enforced
What are mores?
Norms that are observed by most, great moral significance
What are taboos?
Norms that are mores that are prohibit actions; very strong penalties
What are laws?
Norms that are formally encoded, violation seen as deserving of formal punishment
What is language?
The use of symbols to convey meaning, objects, or ideas
Is the foundation of every culture
What are the 3 forms of language?
Spoken
Written
Nonverbal
What is spoken language?
Sounds symbolize objects or ideas
Sounds have similar meaning for all member of culture
What is written language?
Images symbolize objects or ideas
Allows societies to store information for future
Enables communication over distances
What is nonverbal language?
Gestures, facial expressions, and body postures that symbolize objects or ideas
What are the 3 different levels?
micro
meso
macro
What is micro-level?
small
like family and friends
What is meso-level?
bigger then micro
like communities, schools, clubs, sports
What is macro-level?
largest
level we study at in this class
What is a subculture?
the culture of a group smaller than a nation but large enough to sustain people through the life span
Combines its own unique elements with those of the dominant culture
Plays a continuous role in members’ lives
Members believe in rightness of subculture
Members have a sense of we, as opposed to them
What is a counterculture?
A group with expectations and values that contrast with the values of the dominant society
Countercultures with to reject and replace values of the dominant society
Conflict and compromise with the dominant society, or withdraw from it
Operate at meso-level when they continue over time, or micro-level when short-lived
What is national culture comprised of?
common values and beliefs that tie citizens together
affects the everyday lives of all citizens
What is symbolic interaction theory?
Focus on how we learn to share meanings of symbols, the basic elements of culture
Humanness comes from our ability to influence each other using symbols with shared understanding
As a society, we use symbols to define what is real, normal, and good
What is structural functional theory?
Society is composed of interdependent parts, each fulfilling a necessary function
The function of cultural norms, values, and beliefs is to hold the group together
However sometimes norms, values, and beliefs are dysfunctional for individuals or groups within a society
What is conflict theory?
Society is composed of conflicting groups each trying to protect its own self-interests and to make its own culture dominant
Dominant groups may impose their cultural beliefs on minorities and other groups, laying the groundwork for conflict
However, dominant groups may manipulate institutions, so others learn beliefs and values that justify their power, thus reducing conflict and securing their status
