What would happen if?




You cut into the middle of a line by yourself
and stayed in line for at least 2 minutes?
You sang loudly on a public bus?
You positioned yourself 6 inches from an
acquaintance’s nose during a conversation?
You laughed during a funeral?
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
How would other people behave?
How would you feel?
Reflection

Why is culture important?
What is Culture?
 Culture is the entire way of life for a
group of people (including both
material and symbolic elements).
 It is a lens through which one views
the world and is passed from one
generation to the next.
 It is what makes us human.
What is culture?
Culture refers to the total lifestyle of a
people, including all of their ideas, values,
knowledge, behaviors, and material
objects that they share
 Culture shapes and guides people’s
perception of reality

What is culture?
Standard 10.1

The word
culture, from
the Latin colo,
-ere, with its
root meaning
"to cultivate“.

Culture refers to
the universal
human capacity
to classify, and
communicate
their
experiences
symbolically.
What makes up culture?
 Sociologists see culture as consisting
of two different categories:
 material culture (any physical
object to which we give social
meaning)
 symbolic culture (the ideas
associated with a cultural group).
Introduction to Sociology: Culture
6
Material World

Material Culture

The physical or tangible (see, touch) that
members of a society make, use, and
share


Raw Materials → Technology → Stuff
Non-Material Culture or Symbolic

The abstract or intangible human creations
of society that influences people’s behavior

Language, beliefs, values, rules of behavior,
family patterns, political systems
Material and Nonmaterial Culture


Material Culture includes all those things
that humans make or adapt from the raw
stuff of nature: houses, computers,
jewelry, oil paintings, etc (Stick from the
forest might be a part of material culture)
Nonmaterial culture is a group's way of
thinking (including its beliefs, values) and
doing (its common pattern of behavior,
including language and other forms of
interaction) (Poem about stick)
Material Culture

Material culture includes the objects
associated with a cultural group, such
as tools, machines, utensils, buildings,
and artwork.
Introduction to Sociology: Culture
9
Symbolic Culture

Symbolic culture includes ways of
thinking (beliefs, values, and
assumptions) and ways of behaving
(norms, interactions, and
communication).
Introduction to Sociology: Culture
10
Culture determines…
Food we eat
 Clothing
 Music
 Games we play
 How to express emotions
 What is good or bad
 What is high or low culture (if any)

Characteristics of Culture




Culture is a universal feature of human
social life
Culture is cumulative
Culture is learned
Culture is shared
Society vs. Culture


Society refers to a group of people who
are relatively self-sufficient and who
share a common territory and culture
Members of the society preserve and
transmit it from one generation to the
next (through literature, art, video
recording and other means of
expression)
Society vs. Culture


Culture refers to that people’s traditions,
customs, and behaviors. It includes
ideas, values, and artifacts
Sharing a similar culture helps to define
the society to which we belong
Ethnic Group or Culture Group

The cultural heritage, or aspects of
culture, that a group shares and
attempts to hand down from one
generation to the next through learning.
Info taken from: The Four Skills of Cultural Diversity Competence, by Mikel
Hogan-Garcia
Cultural Universals

Customs and practices that occur
across all societies
Elements of Culture
• Language
• Shelter
• Clothing
• Economy
• Religion
• Education
• Values
• Climate
• Government/Laws
• Recreation/Entertainment
12 Aspects of Culture or Ethnicity
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
History-time period and conditions under which a group migrated or
immigrated.
Social Status Factors – education, occupation, income
Social Group Interaction Patterns: Intra-group (within group relations)
and Inter-group (between-group relations)
Value Orientation – standards by which members of a culture judge
their personal actions and those of others.
Language and Communication: Verbal and Nonverbal
Family Life Processes – gender roles, family dynamics
Healing Beliefs and Practices – attitudes and beliefs about health.
Religion – spiritual beliefs and practices
Art and Expressive Forms – art, music, stories, dance, etc.
Diet/Foods – preferred food eaten by groups.
Recreation – activities, sports for leisure, etc.
Clothing – types, styles, and extent of body coverings.
Education
- the development of the mind and character through study and
training
Education and Culture

Education





Medium through which people are
acculturated
Language, “myths,” values, norms taught
Teaches personal achievement and
competition
Critical to national competitive advantage
Education system may be a cultural
outcome
Language
- spoken or written words; human speech
Components of Culture
 One of the most important functions of
symbolic culture is it allows us to
communicate through signs, gestures, and
language.
 Signs (or symbols), such as a traffic signal
or product logo, are used to meaningfully
represent something else. Gestures are
the signs that we make with our body, such
as hand gestures and facial expressions; it
is important that these gestures also carry
meaning.
Introduction to Sociology: Culture
23
Components of Culture (cont)
 Finally language, a system of
communication using vocal sounds,
gestures, and written symbols, is probably
the most significant component of culture
because it allows us to communicate.
 Language is so important that many have
argued that it shapes not only our
communication but our perceptions of how
we see things as well.
Introduction to Sociology: Culture
24
Language: Culture Bound
Language, spoken
– “private” does not exist as a word in many
languages
– Eskimos: 24 words for snow
– Words which describe moral concepts can be
unique to countries or areas
– Spoken language precision important in lowcontext cultures
Language, unspoken
– Context... more important than spoken word in
high context cultures
Non-Verbal Gestures
Non-Verbal Gestures
Non-Verbal Gestures
Non-Verbal Gestures
Cultural Diversity – “Chevy Nova Award”
 Dairy Association’s huge success with
the campaign “Got Milk?” prompted
them to expand advertising to Mexico

It was brought to their attention the
Spanish translation read, “Are you
lactating?”
Cultural Diversity – “Chevy Nova Award”

Clairol introduced the “Mist
Stick”, a curling iron into Germany

Only to find out that “mist” is
German slang for manure.
Cultural Diversity
Chevy Nova Award
When Gerber started selling baby food
in Africa, they used US packaging with
the smiling baby on the label.
In Africa, companies routinely put
pictures on labels of what’s inside, since
many people can’t read.
Cultural Diversity
Chevy Nova Award
Pepsi’s “Come Alive With the Pepsi
Generation” in Chinese translated
into
“Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back
From the Grave”
Cultural Diversity
Chevy Nova Award
Coca-Cola’s name in China was first read as
“Kekoukela”, meaning “Bite the wax tadpole”
or “female horse stuffed with wax”, depending
on the dialect.
Coke then researched 40,000 characters to
find a phonetic equivalent “kokou kole”,
translating into “happiness in the mouth.”
The Meaning of this red light depends
on the context
Introduction to Sociology: Culture
35
Shelter
- something that protects from the weather or from danger.
Clothing
- things worn to cover the body
Economy
- the way that
money and
goods are used
by people
Climate
- the usual weather that a place has
Government/Laws
- rules made and enforced by the government of a country
-
Entertainment/Recreation
- something that is done for fun or relaxation
Religion
- a system of beliefs that goes beyond human powers
Religion, Ethics and Culture

Religion: system of shared beliefs about the sacred
 Ethical systems: moral principles or values that shape
and guide behavior; often products of religion
 Major religious groups and some economic
implications
–
–
–
–
–
Christianity
Islam
Hinduism
Buddhism
Confucianism
protestant work ethic
Islamic economic principles
anti-materialistic, socially stratified
anti-materialistic, social equality
hierarchy, loyalty, honesty