Culture
•Values
•Norms
•Assignment 3 details
Have you been outside
the U.S.?
As you enter, write the
names of any countries
you have visited or
lived in on the board.
Use a tally mark if
someone has already
written it.
“From my own experience, there is no question that the speed
with which you are able to achieve your goals is directly related
to how clearly and how often you visualize them.”
–Charles Givens (best-selling author of financial literacy books)
Culture
Total way of life shared by members of a community
5 Characteristics of Culture
• Is learned
• Is taken for granted (“the last thing a
fish would notice is water”)
• Is symbolic
• Is constantly changing
• Effects how we perceive and
evaluate the world around us
Culture exists on 3 levels
Symbolic
Our beliefs and
values
Behavioral
What we do (how
we behave)
Non-material culture
Concrete
Artifacts, music,
food, and artistic
works
Material culture
What culture is NOT
Think of a typical “multicultural day”
• Just artifacts or material used by a people
• Biological traits such as race
Values: shared beliefs about what is important
• General guidelines for
behavior
• Ex: respect for elders
• Ideas of what people should
give importance to
What do you we value in the
United States?
Values in the U.S.
Sociologist Robin Williams identified the following as core values in
the U.S. in 1965
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Achievement and success
Individualism
Activity/Work
Efficiency and practicality
Science and technology
Material comfort
Love
Education
Freedom
Do we have the
same values now?
Value contradictions: two different values that can
contradict each other
Example: material comfort can contradict concern for the
environment
Value Contradictions. Do some of these
values contradict each other? How so?
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Achievement and success
Individualism
Activity/Work
Efficiency and practicality
Science and technology
Material comfort
Love
Education
Religion
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Healthy Lifestyles
Concern for the
Environment
Freedom
Self-fulfillment
Progress
Humanitarianism
Equality
Safety
Example: Material comfort and concern for the environment
Ideal Culture vs Real Culture: one value that a
society feels is important but may not really value
Example: education (free public education for K-12, but also lots
of budget cuts)
Ideal Culture vs Real Culture: one value that a
society feels is important but may not really value
Example: safety for children
Ideal culture vs. Real culture
Do we really value what we like to say we value?
Discuss in groups of 1-4
1. Pick one value.
4 mins
2. What are 2 ways we do value this?
3. What are 2 ways we do not?
Love
Freedom
Equality
Work/productivity
Healthy lifestyles
Environmental concern
Religion
Humanitarianism
(helping others)
Value contradictions: two different values that can
contradict each other
Ideal Culture vs Real Culture: one value that a
society feels is important but may not really value
Culture shock
Disorientation that occurs when entering an unfamiliar culture
Enter with openness or
desire to learn
Enter with suspicion or fear
Feeling confusion, tension,
embarrassment, frustration
Feeling confusion, tension,
embarrassment, frustration
Observe, listen, ask
questions
Criticize, judge, withdraw,
focus on why your way is
better
Understanding
Alienation, isolation
Culture Shock
Disorientation that
occurs when
entering an
unfamiliar culture
Have you had experiences
with culture shock?
Ethnocentrism
• Using your own group’s ways of doing things as a measure of
what is normal
National Geographic-Roper
Survey of Geographic
Literacy
Asked Americans ages
18-24 which is the
world’s most spoken
language?
Mandarin
Russian
English
Arabic
Ethnocentrism
• Has positive and negative aspects
+ Positive
Creates in group loyalties
• Unites
•
- Negative
Judging
•Discrimination
• Offensive remarks/actions,
particularly when traveling
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Norms: shared rules of conduct
• Outline what is acceptable,
appropriate
• Guide behavior
• Based on values
Value: respect for elders
Norm: give up your seat on the
bus if there is someone elderly
standing
How do we learn norms?
• reinforced by positive and negative sanctions
• Sanctions: reactions people get for breaking or following
norms
Positive Sanctions
Negative Sanctions
Express approval for following a
norm
Reflect disapproval for breaking a
norm
Ex: holding an elevator-smile or
thank you
Ex: stand too closely to someonestep back or weird look
3 Types of Norms:
Folkways, Mores (more-ays), Taboo
Folkways
Mores
Taboo
Norms that are
not strictly
enforced
Norms that we
take seriously
and are part of
core values
Norms that are
very strongly
ingrained in us
and almost
unimaginable to
violate
3 Types of Norms:
Folkways, Mores (more-ays), Taboo
Folkways
Mores
Norms that are not
strictly enforced
Norms that we take
Norms that are very
seriously and are part of strongly ingrained in us
core values
and almost
unimaginable to violate
Husband and
wife live in the
same home
Being faithful
to husband/
wife
Taboo
-Open
marriages
-Multiple
wives/husbands
3 types of norms
Mark didn’t bring a gift to his friend’s birthday party. Mark violated a
folkway
___________________________
Mark exchanged his daughter’s hand in marriage for money. In the United
States this is _______________________________.
taboo
mos
Mark was hitting his dog badly at the park . Mark has violated a _______
Folkways
Mores
Taboo
Norms that are not
strictly enforced
Norms that we take
seriously and are part of
core values (often reflect
laws)
Norms that are very
strongly ingrained in us
and almost unimaginable
to violate (often reflect
laws)
Exchanging your
daughter’s hand in
marriage for monetary
compensation
Bringing a gift to a
birthday party
Caring for your
pets
Subcultures
• Culture within larger culture
• Have own values, customs etc,
• Shares many values of the larger
culture
Ex: Youth culture, DJ’s, surfers, doctors
Counter cultures
Holds values that stand in opposition to
those of the dominant culture
Ex: Swingers, gangs, mafia
Culture of
society as a
whole
subculture
Counter culture
Freeganism and dumpster diving
View Info
More details
Quick Write:
1. Do you think Freeganism is a
subculture or counter culture? 2. Why?
3. What are their values?
4. What types of norms might they follow?
Subculture:
• Culture within larger culture
• Has some own values, customs etc,
• Shares many values of the parent culture
Counter culture:
• Holds values that stand in opposition to those of the dominant culture
Cultural Assignment #3
Due next class:
Read Ch 2: p 33-44.
A#3: Bring in a cultural artifact (any item that has meaning to
you, not just ethnic culture) prepare to share what it means
*Cannot be a picture
*Cannot be car keys or cell phone
*Must be in class for points
Race/ethnicity/nationality
Language
Gender
Socio-economic status
Age
Sports
Religion
Political ideology
Interests/hobbies
Experiences
3 Types of Norms:
Folkways, Mores (more-ays), Taboo
Folkways
Mores
Norms that are not Norms that we
strictly enforced
take seriously and
are part of core
values
Mom and Dad
sleep in one
room, children
in another
Parents provide
children with a
safe place to
sleep
Taboo
Norms that are
very strongly
ingrained in us and
almost
unimaginable to
violate
Dad and teenage
daughter
sleeping in the
same bed
Cultural relativism
Examining cultures without judging its elements as superior or
inferior to ones own way of life
Is cultural relativism
a good thing?
Can it be a bad
thing?