Sociology - Culture Flashcards
Sociology
No “natural” way of life because humans are the ONLY species to rely on culture over instincts for survival
What is culture? (3)
Values, beliefs, behavior, and material objects that form a person’s way of life
Non-material culture: “intangible world of ideas”
Material culture: tangible things
Multicultural
People follow various ways of life that blend and clash
U.S.
Components of culture (7)
Symbols Language Values Beliefs Norms Mores Folkways
Symbols
Anything that carries a particular meaning
Language
System of symbols that allow people to communicate
Values
Standards by which people assess desirability, goodness, and beauty; people serve as a broad guideline for social living
Beliefs
Specific statements people had to be true
Norms (3)
Rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members
- proscriptive: what we should NOT do
- prescriptive: what we SHOULD do
Mores
Norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance
Folkways
Norms for routine or casual interaction (texting…)
High culture
Cultural standards of society’s elite
Popular
Cultural patterns that are widespread among a society’s population
Subculture
Cultural patterns that set apart some of society’s population
Multiculturalism (3)
Educational program recognizing the equality of all cultural traditions
- eurocentrism: dominance of European (English) cultural patterns
- Afrocentrism: dominance of African cultural patterns
