CULTURE
VAGUE AND SPECIFIC
CULTURE – SHARED PRODUCTS OF HUMAN GOODS
 HUMANS
ARE NOT CONTROLLED BY NATURAL INSTINCTS
 HOW
GROUPS OF PEOPLE DEAL WITH ENVIRONMENT =
CULTURE
 INCLUDE
 NOT
BELIEFS, VALUES, AND BEHAVIORS
THE SAME AS SOCIETY
SOCIETY
CONSISTS OF PEOPLE – CULTURE
CONSISTS OF PRODUCTS THAT PEOPLE MAKE
MATERIAL CULTURE – PHYSICAL
OBJECTS
NONMATERIAL CULTURE –
ABSTRACT HUMAN CREATIONS
COMPONENTS OF CULTURE
CERTAIN ASPECTS OF CULTURE ARE BASIC AMONG SOCIETIES
THESE BROAD CATEGORIES INCLUDE:
TECHNOLOGY
SYMBOLS
LANGUAGE
VALUES
NORMS
TECHNOLOGY – TOOLS AND THE
KNOWLEDGE AND RULES TO USE THEM
• ANY TOOL CREATED FOR A SPECIALIZED PURPOSE
• FROM THE WHEEL TO A WALKING STICK TO A COMPUTER
• ALSO INCLUDES THE SKILLS ON HOW TO USE AND UNDERSTAND
THE TECHNOLOGY
SYMBOLS- ANYTHING THAT REPRESENTS
SOMETHING ELSE
TAKEN FROM
SEMAPHORE - ND
UPSIDE/DOWN FLAG =
DISTRESS
REBIRTH AND
DESTRUCTION
LANGUAGE – WRITTEN AND SPOKEN SYMBOLS IN
A STANDARDIZED SYSTEM
A VERBAL FORM OF COMMUNICATION
COMMUNICATION SEEMS TO BE UNIVERSAL, BUT NOT
NECESSARILY LANGUAGE
WHAT USED TO BE OKAY WHAT IS OKAY TODAY
 POLYGAMY
 MONOGAMY
 PRIVATE
 PUBLIC
 CHILD
MERCENARIES
SOLDIERS AND BRIDES
 PROSTITUTION
 PUBLIC
EXECUTION AND
CORPORAL PUNISHMENT
STATE RUN ARMIES
 AGE
OF CONSENT AND
INTERNATIONAL TREATIES
 ONLY
LEGAL IN SOME AREAS
 INTERRACIAL
MARRIAGE
VALUES – SHARED BELIEFS ABOUT
WHAT IS RIGHT AND WRONG
NORMS – SHARED RULES THAT TELL PEOPLE
HOW TO ACT IN SPECIFIC SITUATIONS
 CREATED
BY GROUPS
 SPECIFICALLY
EXPECTATIONS, NOT ACTUAL BEHAVIOR
 TREAT
IT LIKE A RANGE… SOME MORE IMPORTANT THEN OTHERS AND
SOME FOLLOWED BY ONLY A FEW
 CAN
BE APPLIED SELECTIVELY.
 MURDER
IS ILLEGAL, BUT KILLING BY ARMY IS NOT
LETS BREAK IT DOWN
FOLKWAYS
MORES (MORAYZ)
 DO HAVE GREAT MORAL
COMMON
ACCEPTABLE SOCIAL BEHAVIOR SIGNIFICANCE ATTACHED
 DESCRIBE
 BUT
DO NOT HAVE GREAT
MORAL SIGNIFICANCE
 VIOLATION
DAMAGES OR
HURTS SOCIETY
SHAKE HANDS, ELBOWS ON  EX.) STEALING, FRAUD, MURDER
THE TABLE, NOT TURNING IN
 SERIOUS MORES ARE
HOMEWORK
FORMALIZED AS LAWS
 EX.)
CULTURAL UNIVERSALS – COMMON TO ALL
CULTURES
65 UNIVERSALS HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED
AGREE OR DISAGREE?
ART AND LEISURE
BELIEFS
EDUCATION
GOVERNMENT
TECHNOLOGY
BASIC NEEDS
COMMUNICATION
FAMILY
ECONOMY
CULTURAL VARIATIONS
SUBCULTURE
THAT SHARE
VALUES NOT SHARED BY THE
ENTIRE POPULATION
COUNTERCULTURE
 SUBGROUPS
 GROUPS
 Ex.)
 Ex.)
bodybuilding
THAT REJECT VALUE
OF SOCIETY AND CREATES
THEIR OWN
anarchists

emo
 punk

greaser
 KKK

hippy
 gangs
RESPONSES TO VARIATION
THE MAJORITY STRIKES BACK
ETHNOCENTRISM
VIEWING YOUR OWN
CULTURE AS BETTER
HOW
DO YOU LOOK
AT OTHER CULTURES
OBJECTIVELY?
CULTURAL RELATIVISM
CULTURES SHOULD BE
JUDGED BY THEIR
STANDARDS RATHER
THEN YOUR OWN
STANDARDS
ARE
THERE OBJECTIVE
STANDARDS TO USE?