Culture

1
Culture

• Society is humans great adaptive tool. A group
  of people living together in a defined place.
• Culture is the whole collection of agreements
  shared by members of a society.

2
Components of Culture

• Symbols
• Beliefs
• Values
• Norms, expectations of behavior
• Sanctions
• Material artifacts

3
Symbols

• Things that stand for something -- the meaning is
  taken for granted by those who share a culture
• Language, gestures and symbols
• The Sapir-Whorf thesis

4
Beliefs

• Shared points of view about what is TRUE
• Reified

5
Values

• Some things are better than others

6
American ValuesAccording to what people do

• Achievement and success
• Pragmatism
• ?? Family
• ?? Morality/religiousness

7
World Values Survey

• Institute for Social Research at the University
  of Michigan. 1981 to 2001
• Traditional values vs. Secular rational values
• Survival values vs. Self-expression values

8
(No Transcript)
9
Family Values???

• The family is important

10
Which is more important?(Percent choosingAugust
1998 Washington Post/Kaiser/Harvard)
11
Which is more important?(Percent
choosing.August 1998 Washington
Post/Kaiser/Harvard)
12
Expectations about Behavior

• Norms
• Laws

13
Percent Who Say the Activity Is a Major Sin
(Iowa Poll 2003)
14
When Laws and Norms Conflict

• Alcohol and cigarette purchasing
• Speed limits
• Mercy killing

15
Sanctions

• Elements in society that attempt to ensure that
  norms and laws are observed

16
Society

• A group of people living together in a defined
  place who share a common culture
• Pre Modern
• Modern

17
Major Areas of Difference between Modern and
Pre-modern Societies

• Lenski Technology
• Marx Economy
• Durkheim Social Cohesion
• Weber Dominant Mode of Thinking

18
Technology

• The practical application of knowledge
• Pre-modern
• Natural materials
• Every person imbued with societys whole body of
  knowledge appropriate for his/her gender and age

19
Pre-modern Economy

• Hunting and gathering

20
Pre-modern Economy

• Horticulture Agriculture
• Settled
• Some people freed from
• subsistence labor
• Less equality

21
Social Cohesion

• How does society coordinate and integrate people?
• Family and local area based
• Same world view, same experiences
• Mechanical solidarity

22
Modes of Thinking

• Enchantment and tradition
• Tradition is adequate rationale

23
Modern Societies

• Technology

24
Modern Economy

• Most people completely freed from subsistence
  pursuits

25
Percent of non-farm, private sector employment
26
Modern Economy

• Most people completely freed from subsistence
  pursuits
• Quality of life
• Quality of work changed

27
Alienation (Marx)

• After industrial revolution, peoples
  relationship to their labor
• changed.