Culture
What does this mean?

Culture – all the shared
products of human
groups. This includes
both physical objects and
the beliefs, values, and
behaviors shared by a
group.
Sociology –
 You need a ½ sheet of
paper

– In 500 years, if an
archeologist arrived at
this room, what would
s/he say about the way
we lived? Explain, with
examples and detail.
 Material
culture – physical or
tangible creations that
members of society make, use,
share
 Nonmaterial culture – abstract
or intangible human creations
of society that influence
people’s behavior
Components of
Culture
 Technology
 Symbols
 Language
 Values
 Norms
Technology

The items themselves
are important, but
the rules of
acceptable behavior
when using material
culture is a part of
this.
Technology and its impact on
cultural change




Cultural lag – gap between the technical
development (material culture) of a society and
its moral and legal institutions (nonmaterial
culture)
Discovery – learning about something previously
unknown
Invention – combining existing cultural items into
a new form
Diffusion the transmission of cultural items or
social practices from one group or society to
another
Symbols
It is through symbols
that we create our
culture and
communicate it.
 Symbols have a shared,
accepted meaning. It’s
how we make sense of
our lives.
 Culture shock! Inability
to read the symbols

Sociology
questions (1/2 sheet)
Would a mosque near the 9/11
site be viewed by most
American’s as a symbol of
tolerance or a symbol of
weakness? Explain.
 Should this issue even matter
to anyone who lives outside
that area? Explain.

Language
The organization of
written or spoken symbols
into a standardized
system.
 Changing nature of word
acceptance – what are
some examples

 Language
shapes the view of
reality of the speaker
–Language and gender
The use of the male and
female
–Language and race, ethnicity
Transmission of preconceived
ideas
Another Question
 Does
the fact that the
U.S. does not have an
official language
damage our culture?
Why or why not?
Values
Language and symbols
allow us to communicate
our values to one
another.
 Values are shared beliefs
about what is good or
bad, right or wrong,
desirable or undesirable.

Question 4

What are core
American values?
Identify 7.
Equal Opportunity

The chance to achieve success
– Youth sports, clubs organizations
– Adult intramural activities
– Public school
– Federal aide programs
Achievement and Success

Built into our competitive
activities
– Grades in school for scholarships
and class rank (bumper stickers,
choice of school)
– Promotions at work for power,
prestige, and pay (floor, office)
Material Comfort
Material possessions =
achievement and success
 Knowledge for self actualization
. . . BLAH. Give me $
 Material wealth confirms hard
work and perseverance
 Tremendous symbolism here

Activity and Work
Employment, participation,
outdoor activities, cell phones
 The unemployed are ridiculed
 Connected to the character issue
 From the young to the old

– Youth sports; “go play outside”; get
a summer job
– Retirement becomes travel; part-time
job, we don’t slow down
Practicality and efficiency





People want bigger, better, faster
For tech - “How well does it work?” “What is
its usefulness?”
For people - “Is this a realistic thing to do?”
“Play it safe” “Play the odds”
– We value people on their ability to “get
things done.”
– Think about a college major
Doers vs. dreamers
This is why it can be difficult to change
institutions like school
Progress
Often times this is connected with
Material Comfort, and later with
Science, but it may stand alone.
 We have always changed
government, technology, social
structure, for the better, albeit
most of the time slowly.
 “Things can and will get better.”

Science/Math/Technology
Vary much tied to our
comparison with the rest of
the world and our progress
 It controls our health and
safety, our reliance on day to
day functioning
 “I want to no numbers,
results, proof”

Democracy and free
enterprise
Individual nature of both
the political and economic
 Self-reliance is promoted
just as much as equal
opportunity

Freedom
Natural, civil, political,
economic, social rights
 No matter the political attitude
the concept of freedom and
liberty is always articulated
 This is oftentimes the first
complaint, “I’m being denied
my . . .”

Racial and/or group
superiority
American past and
present discrimination
 Do we need this to
strengthen our culture?

Core American Values
Equal Opportunity
Achievement and
success
Material comfort
Activity and work
Practicality and
efficiency
Progress
Science
Democracy and free
enterprise
Freedom
Racism and group
superiority
Application of values
How does our specific
geographic location (Morehead,
Ky.) influence our value of
Activity and Work?
 In practicality and efficiency?
 In freedom?
 In race relations?

Value Contradictions – values that
conflict with one another or are
mutually exclusive (achieving one
means makes it difficult to achieve
another)
 Ideal culture – what we profess
 Real culture – what people actually
follow

Norms
Norms are created to enforce
culture.
 Norms are shared rules of
conduct that tell people how
to act in specific situations.
 Ex. – the value of democratic
government is reinforced
through the norms governing
political participation; respect
for the flag; etc.

Norms


Folkways – norms that describe
socially acceptable behavior but
do not have great moral
significance
– Provide 5 examples
Mores – norms with great moral
significance
– Provide 5 examples