Sociology
UNIT TWO – Culture
VOCABULARY
1. Culture: all the shared products of a particular human group; include both physical
objects & the beliefs, values and behaviors shared by the group
2. Material culture: physical objects created by human groups; sociologists and
anthropologists use the term artifacts to refer to the physical objects of material culture
3. Non-material culture: abstract human creations, such as language, ideas, beliefs, rules, skills, family patterns, work
practices, and political & economic systems
4. Technology: knowledge and tools people use for practical purposes
5. Language: the organization of written or spoken symbols into a standardized system
6. Sapir-Whorf hypothesis : the idea that differences in language shape the way its speakers view reality
7. Values : shared beliefs about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable
8. Norms: shared rules of conduct that dictate how people should act in certain situations; expectations for behavior
9. Folkways: norms that describe socially acceptable behavior, without having great moral significance attached to them
(i.e. cover your mouth when you yawn)
10. Mores : norms that have great moral significance attached to them (i.e. do not rob a bank)
11. Sanctions: rewards or punishments used to enforce conformity to norms
12. Positive Sanction: an action that rewards a particular kind of behavior
13. Negative Sanction: a punishment or threat of punishment used to enforce conformity
14. Formal Sanction: reward/punishment given by a formal organization such as a school, business, or government
15. Informal Sanction: spontaneous expression of approval or disapproval given by an individual or a group
16. Cultural universals : common features that are found in all human cultures (i.e. dancing, cooking, gift-giving…)
17. Ethnocentrism: the tendency to view one’s own culture and group as superior to others
18. Culture relativism: the belief that cultures should be judged by their own standards rather than by applying the
standards of another culture
19. Counterculture: a group that rejects the values, norms and practices of the larger society and replaces them with a
new set of cultural patterns
20. Subculture: a group with its own unique values, norms and behaviors that exists within a larger culture
21. Culture shock: the disorientation that people feel when they encounter cultures radically different from their own
22. Society: a group of interdependent people who have organized in such a way as to share common culture & feelings
of unity
23. Folk culture: traditionally practiced by a small, homogeneous, rural group living in relative isolation
24. Pop culture: found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in personal
characteristics
25. Globalization: a process by which regional economies, societies and cultures have become integrated through a global
network of communication, transportation and trade
26. Group: a set of two or more people who interact on the basis of shared expectations and who possess some degree of
common identity
27. Preindustrial society: a type of society in which food production – carried out through the use of human and animal
labor – is the main economic activity
28. Hunting & gathering society: a type of society characterized by the daily collection of wild plants and the hunting of
wild animals
29. Pastoral society : a type of society characterized by a reliance on domesticated herd animals as the main form of
subsistence
30. Horticultural society : a type of society characterized by a reliance on vegetables grown in garden plots as the main
form of subsistence
31. Agricultural society : a type of society characterized by the use of draft animals and plows in the tilling of friends
32. Industrial society : a type of society in which the mechanized production of goods is the main economic activity
33. Urbanization: the concentration of population in cities
34. Postindustrial society: a type of society in which economic activity centers on the production of information and the
provision of services
35. Mechanic solidarity: close-knit social relationships, common in preindustrial societies, that result when a small group
of people share the same values and perform the same tasks
36. Organic solidarity: impersonal social relationships, common in industrial societies, that arise with increased job
specialization
37. Gemeinschaft: societies in which most members know one another, relationships are close, and activities center on
the family and the community
38. Gesellschaft: societies in which social relationships are based on need rather than emotion, relationships are
impersonal and temporary, and individual goals are more important than group goals
39. Social structure: the network of interrelated statuses and roles that guide human interaction
40. Status: socially defined position within a group or society
41. Role: the behavior expected of someone occupying a particular status
42. Ascribed status: a status assigned according to the standards that are beyond a person’s control (i.e. age, sex, family
heritage, race, etc.)
43. Achieved status: a status acquired by an individual on the basis of some special skill, knowledge or ability
44. Formal group: a group in which the structure, goals and activities of the group of clearly defined
45. Informal group: a group in which there is no official structure or established rules of conflict
46. Primary group: a small group of people who interact over a relatively long period of time on a direct and personal
basis
47. Secondary group: a group in which interaction is impersonal and temporary in nature
48. In-group: a group that an individual belong to and identifies with
49. Out-group: any group that an individual does not belong to, nor identify with
50. Instrumental leaders: leaders who are task-oriented
51. Expressive leaders: leaders who are emotion-oriented
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS & STANDARDS
Essential Question: What is the meaning of culture?
SSSocC1: Students will explain the development and importance of culture.
a. Describe how culture is a social construction.
b. Compare material and non-material culture.
c. Identify the basic characteristics of culture.
d. Explain the importance of culture as an organizing tool in society.
e. Describe the components of culture to include language, symbols, norms, and values.
Essential Question: How do cultures change over time?
SSSocC2: Students will evaluate how cultures develop and evolve.
a. Explain cultural change and diversity include ethnocentrism, cultural relevance, folk culture, pop culture,
counterculture, subculture, and culture shock
b. Analyze the impact of globalization on US and other world cultures.
Essential Question: How does social structure affect how we interact with each other?
SSSocC3: Students will analyze social structure and interaction in society.
a. Explain the components of social structure; include status, role and social institutions.
b. Describe and compare various types of societies.
c. Categorize groups within a society by comparing primary and secondary groups, in and out groups,
reference groups, and social networks.
d. Analyze the components, varieties, and functions of group dynamics; include such factors as group size,
leadership and authority, and such processes as bystander effect and groupthink.