Unit 1- Acquiring culture- key terms

Question 1

culture

Answer 1

the way of life, knowledge, beliefs and ideas shared by a group of people. It includes norms and values, customs and rituals, dress, language, food, music and heritage

Question 2

material culture

Answer 2

physical things like clothing, food and houses

Question 3

non-material culture

Answer 3

ideas, beliefs, values, principles, language, religion all provide guidelines as to how to behave

Question 4

collectivist culture

Answer 4

such cultures emphasis the group rather than the individual. The introduction of the NHS providing healthcare for all reflected a collectivist approach

Question 5

Individualistic cultures

Answer 5

emphasizing individual freedom and personal gain, sometimes at the expense of others. European and US culture has been increasingly individualistic.

Question 6

Cultural diversity

Answer 6

In Britain there are many cultures operating together. e.g welsh and english cultures and within wales the different forms of the welsh language in the north and south.

Question 7

Mainstream culture

Answer 7

The ideas and ways of life of the majority of people in that culture.

Question 8

sub-cultures

Answer 8

A group within a larger culture which often has different norms and values to the mainstream. e.g youth cultures like goths, ethnic groups like Afro-Caribbean or Chinese

Question 9

Values

Answer 9

a set of ideas or principles shared by a culture concerning what is good, right and fair e.g respect for human life, freedom of speech, manners

Question 10

norms

Answer 10

The normal and expected way to behave in a culture in line with the values eg. queuing (to show fairness), knocking (to respect privacy). The strongest norms are known as taboo,such as incest, while trivial norms, like eating turkey a Christmas, are

Question 11

beliefs

Answer 11

an idea or concept which an individual or group accepted as true, regardless of the evidence

Question 12

Mores

Answer 12

a set of norms based on morals which define the most fundamental ideas of right and wrong e.g do not kill, do not practice cannibalism

Question 13

consensus

Answer 13

a widely shared idea . value consensus exists if most people share the same core values and follow them willingly. functionalists believe value consensus is essential to bind society together

Question 14

status

Answer 14

the standing or respect a person or a group has in society. status can be ascribed e.g son/daughter or achieved e.g footballer/doctor

Question 15

social roles

Answer 15

the part people play as members of a social group. with each social role an person adapts in their behavior to fit the expectations both they and others have of that role. roles include brother, daughter, student, friend, nurse. people learn what makes up the various roles by copying ‘role models’ and role play. roles can be in conflict e.g mother/employee

Question 16

social construct

Answer 16

a generally agreed view about something , which has been created by society rather than inherited

Question 17

nature/nurture debate

Answer 17

the relative importance of genetic inheritance compared with environment and upbringing in human development. identical twin studies such as Trinidad twins suggests mannerism and tastes are nature but all important values, mores and beliefs come form nurture

Question 18

feral children

Answer 18

children who are socialized. e.g Genie and the wolf children. Many case studies show that human culture must be learned from others, it is constructed not inherent.

Question 19

social change

Answer 19

societies do not remain the same. change could be alteration of the economics, norms or values of a society. social changes include the development of feminism. It indicates that societies create culture , and can change it too.

Question 20

socialization

Answer 20

the process of learning how to behave in a way that is appropriate for your culture. agents of socialization include education, family, religion, media, peer groups

Question 21

re-socilisation

Answer 21

becoming socialized into a new situation such as starting university or a new workplace

Question 22

cultural transmission

Answer 22

the way culture is passed from one generation to the next through socialization

Question 23

social/informal control

Answer 23

the way in which peoples behavior is affected by the social rules of the cultures in which they live e.g children not throwing food as they have learnt the norms of table manners

Question 24

formal control

Answer 24

deliberate and structured control by eg government through the policies and legalization or through the education system.

Question 25

agencies of socilisation

Answer 25

people or social institutions which form part of the process of passing on to people the norms and values of their society. It is from agencies of socialization that we learn to how to act in the way that others expect from us eg. family,education, religion peer groups, workplace

Question 26

identity

Answer 26

a sense of who you are which arises at least in part, from our social structures eg gender, ethnicity and class

Question 26

habitus

Answer 26

bourdieu:the social institutions in which we feel most comfortable, which is with people of a similar social class and ethnic group

Question 27

personal identity

Answer 27

the ‘inner’ self

Question 28

social identity

Answer 28

identity portrayed to society at large, not necessarily the same as self-identity. suggests er learn who we are from those around us

Question 29

social structure

Answer 29

these are the organisations that create a society. they are the systems around which society is organised, for example, education and family are as social structures, as are social class and ethnic groups

Question 30

social class

Answer 30

the position of a group in society. in the UK social class is a significant factor determining inclusion or exclusion or exclusion from areas of life such as education, health and crime

Question 31

ethnicity

Answer 31

a sense of ancestry, history, tradition, belief and language

Question 32

nationality

Answer 32

a legal status associated with a geographical area. civic nationalism suggests a sense of pride in your country, whereas extreme nationalism is an intolerance of others

Question 33

social equality

Answer 33

having unequal access to rewards and power in society eg there is inequality between the social classes and ethnic groups.

Question 34

conflict

Answer 34

competition/exploitation between social groups. for example, feminists believe men exploit women while Marxist believe that the rich exploit the poor

Question 35

stereotype

Answer 35

people develop a generalized and simplistic image of members of other social groups and them behave as though these images were true eg gender and ethnic stereotypes.

Question 36

social differnetiation

Answer 36

when social groups eg males/females are treated differently on the basis of their social identity

Question 37

social stratifiation

Answer 37

an extreme form of social differentiation whereby some social groups are valued more than others eg middle/upper class valued more than lower/underclass

Question 38

social power

Answer 38

the ability of some individuals or social groups to have influence over others in terms of how they think and act

Question 39

social policy

Answer 39

The laws , guidelines and regulations coming from government to control and improve society. policies depend on the beliefs of the particular government . for example, conservative governments tend to reduce tax for the rich while labour might increase it.

Question 40

subcultures

Answer 40

-develop through changes in order to make things more compatible
- some features with another culture
-distinct from dominant culture