culture. what is culture? culture is all shared products of human groups. these include physical...
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Culture
What is Culture?
Culture is all shared products of human groups.
These include physical objects, beliefs, values and behaviors
Material vs. Nonmaterial
Material CulturePhysical objects made and used by people
Ex. Cars, Books, Clothes
Nonmaterial CultureHuman ideological creations
Ex. Language, Religion, Government
Culture vs. Society
Culture deals with things (products and ideas) people create
Society is the people themselves
Five Basic Components of Culture
1. Symbols
2. Language
3. Values
4. Norms
5. Technology
Symbols
Anything that stands for something else; shared meaning
Symbols are created by cultures and taught to the young
Symbols change from culture to culture
Language
Organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system
Language can vary from culture to culture and even in separate regions within a culture
Language is a great example of a cultural symbol
Values
Shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable.
Values will determine both cultural character and individual character
It dictates what materials or nonmaterial a culture will produce
Norms
Shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act in specific situations (expectation of behavior)
Folkways: Norms with no moral significance (getting to class on time)
Mores: Strong moral significance (dishonesty, murder, theft)
Technology
Combination of a cultures objects and rules
Different cultures rely on different tools to combat their environment and you are judged by your mastery of those tools (computer skills are needed skills… but being a hacker is not acceptable behavior)
Cultural Traits
A tool, act, or belief that is related to a particular situation or need.
Examples: greetings, clothing, music, etc.
Cultural Complexities
Clusters of interrelated traitsExamples: Baseball… throwing, hitting,
pitching, fielding, running, sliding, rules, etc.
Cultural Patterns
Combining cultural clusters to make an interrelated whole
Example: American music, American food, American Athletics
Cultural Variation
What do we all have in common?
Cultural universals: needs that all societies must meet (cooking, medicine, language)
Dealing with Variation
Ethnocentrism: tendency to view ones own culture as superior to others
Normal reaction, provides unityIf extreme, can create a loss of diversity
Dealing with Variations
Cultural Relativism: belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards
Variations within Societies
Subculture: unique characteristics of groups in society that share values, norms, and behaviors (that are not shared by the entire population)
Helps make society more interestingMost subcultures present no threat to
societyEx. German Village
Variations within Society
Counterculture: A group rejects the values, norms, and beliefs of a larger society and replaces them with a new set of cultural patterns.
Can be detrimental (bad) to a societyEx. Hippies
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