Culture Class II

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Culture Class II
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Elements of Culture

• Norms

• Norms are established standards of behavior
  maintained by a society.
• Norms, are relative, the importance is that
  everyone follows the same thing.
• Types of Norms
• --Formal norms Written down with specified
  punishment
• --Informal norms Understood, no specified
  punnishment
• If you do not adhere to norms.

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Elements of Culture

• Sanctions

• Sanctions are penalties and rewards for conduct
  concerning a social norm.
• Sanctions may be either positive or negative.
• i.e. a raise, being fired, a speeding ticket

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Norms
Source Kornblum
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Grateful Dead and Culture

• A few other elements/aspects of culture to look
  for in a short film clip. (7 minutes)

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Elements of Culture

• Language an abstract system of word meanings and
  symbols for all aspects of culture.
• includes speech, written characters, numerals,
  symbols, and
• gestures and expressions (facial expressions) of
  nonverbal communication.

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Elements of Culture

• Values
• our collective conceptions of what is good,
  desirable, and properor bad, undesirable, and
  improperin a culture.
• --Values influence peoples behavior.
• --Values are criteria for evaluating actions of
  others.

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Material culture refers to the physical or
technological aspects of our daily lives,
including --food --houses --factories --raw
materials
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Nonmaterial Culture refers to ways of using
material objects as well as to --customs
--beliefs --patterns of communication
--philosophies --government
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• Deadheads, 7 min

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Cultural Variation

• Subcultures
• A subculture is a segment of society that shares
  a distinctive pattern of mores, folkways, and
  values that differs from the larger society.
• A subculture is a culture existing within a
  larger, dominant culture.

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Cultural Variation

• Countercultures
• a subculture that conspicuously and deliberately
  opposes certain aspects of the larger culture.
• Examples of countercultures
• --hippies
• --militia groups

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• Dominant Ideology

• the set of cultural beliefs and practices that
  help to maintain powerful social, economic, and
  political interests.
• Dominant groups control wealth and property.
• Dominant groups control the means of producing
  beliefs about reality through
• --religion
• --education
• --the media

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• Diffusion is the process by which a cultural item
  spreads from group to group or society to
  society.
• Diffusion can occur through a variety of means,
  including
• --Exploration --mass media
  influence
• --Military conquest --tourism
• --Missionary work --the Internet

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• Article, One Religion, Many Visions
• What aspects of Diffusion are present in the
  relationship between dominant and non-dominant
  culture?

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Mores (a type of norm)

• Mores norms deemed necessary to welfare of
  society
• Homicide, Child molestation, Drunken driving,
  Child Abuse, Child support, treason

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Folkways (a type of norm)

• Folkways norms governing everyday behavior
• Drunkenness in private, Rudeness, Using obscene
  language, Clothing style, Table manners
• Mild Sanctions such as smiles, frowns,
  compliments, belittling.

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More Formal Folkways

• Public drunkennessTraffic violationsCurfew
  violationsLicensesParking regulations