Culture

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Culture
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Culture
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Culture
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Culture

• Essential for survival and communication with
  other people.
• Learned through interaction, observation and
  imitation.
• Fundamental for the survival of societies.

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What is culture?

• A shared way of life
• Building blocks of society
• Two segments of culture
• Material culture
• Non-material culture

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Ethnocentrism vs. Cultural Relativism

• We make strong investments in our culturethis
  can create problems when we deal with other
  cultures.
• Ethnocentrism the tendency to evaluate other
  cultures by the standards of your own viewing
  your culture as superior
• Cultural relativism all cultures have intrinsic
  worth and should be evaluated and understood by
  their own standards

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Components of Culture
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Culture as a symbol system

• Culture is conveyed to future generations through
  symbols.
• Physical symbol Confederate flag
• Linguistic symbol mentally ill vs. crazy
• Words carry connotations
• EXAMPLE scent, aroma, odor, smell

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Language as Culture

• Sapir-Whorf hypothesis
• Humans are at the mercy of the particular
  language which has become the medium of
  expression for their society (Sapir 1929
  207-14)
• Not much empirical/logical support, but directs
  attention to role of language in shaping
  perception

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Cultural Change

• Culture is fluid, not static!
• Inventions/discoveries
• Environment/physical change
• Diffusion

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Example Cultural Diffusion
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Cultural Integration Lag

• Cultural integration cultural elements become
  closely connected and interdependent
• Cultural lag gap between when an artifact is
  introduced and when it is integrated into a
  cultures value system

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Sociological Analysis of Culture

• How is culture viewed by each of the three main
  theoretical perspectives?
• Functionalism
• Conflict
• Symbolic interactionism

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Cultural Diversity

• Cultural differences between and within nations
  caused by
• Natural circumstances
• Social circumstances

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Subculture Counterculture

• Both diverge from the dominant culture
• Subcultures tend to be sub-sects of the dominant
  culture with some divergent beliefs
• Countercultures run in direct opposition to
  dominant culture

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Ten Core American Values

• Individualism
• Achievement and Success
• Activity and Work
• Science and Technology
• Progress and Material Comfort
• Efficiency and Practicality
• Equality
• Morality and Humanitarianism
• Freedom and Liberty
• Racism and Group Superiority