Elements of Culture
Society and Culture
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Culture—set of rules that guide our behavior
Made up of our beliefs, history, knowledge, language, moral principles, skills, et
cetera
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Society-
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large number of people who
1. live in the same area
2. see themselves as separate and different from people outside their territory.
3. Participate in a common culture.
A Society consists of social interactions among people who think of
themselves as similar.
Cultural Traits
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Cultural Trait – single object, action, or belief.
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Wedding Ring, handshake, the belief that washing one’s hands helps prevent the spread
of germs.
Cultural traits usually combine to form culture complexes.
Culture Complex – set of interrelated traits.
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All people eat, and many cultural traits surround this action.
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Napkin in lap, use a fork instead of your hands, chew with your mouth closed, TIP your waiter
Key Elements of Culture
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All cultures consist of the same key elements:
Values – Broad, abstract, and basic ideas that
reflect what is considered good, desirable,
important, right, preferred, and proper in a
culture.
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Freedom of Expression
Strong Families
Competition
Loyalty to a leader
Religious beliefs
Norms – are the guidelines
people follow in their relation
with one another. (shared
standards of behavior).
Key Elements of Culture
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Norms are divided into two categories according to strictness of enforcement.
• Folkways – everyday group habits and
conventions that people obey without giving
them much thought.
• Greetings
• Replying to invitations
• Child-raising customs
• Mores – norms that have powerful moral
significance attached to them (moral standards).
• Incest, murder, stealing
• Take care of the homeless
• Lets be honest!
Key Elements of Culture
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A society enforces norms with…
Laws—written rules of conduct that are enacted and enforced by
governments.
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May formalize folkways (no littering) and relate to mores (against murder).
Marriage and Divorce Laws
Laws against Murder
Sanctions—rewards or punishments (2 Types)
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Informal-given by individuals or groups
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Employee of the Week (positive)
Being grounded by a parent (negative)
Formal-given by organizations or bodies, such as governments, police, schools.
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Medals for athletic performance (positive)
Fines for traffic violations (negative)
Key Elements of Culture
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Symbols—commonly understood gestures, words, sounds, objects,
colors, or designs that have come to stand for something else.
Words, maps, diagrams, traffic signs, logos, national anthems, emergency vehicle
siren
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Languages—organization of written or spoken symbols into standardized system with
rules for putting symbols together
Nonverbal signs—can communicate across languages
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A Culture’s definition of reality comes from their knowledge and beliefs…
Knowledge—attempts to define what exists, or the reality of the
world.
Beliefs—theories and ideas about physical and social world
Not all beliefs can be proven.
Sociologists are interested in how people decide what to count as knowledge
and what to count as beliefs.
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Knowledge or Beliefs???
History, Science, Medicine, Skills needed to perform the work of the society, ways of
doing things, ways of making things