Elements of Culture

1. Elements of Culture

2. Society and Culture • Culture—set of rules that guide our behavior • Made up of our beliefs, history, knowledge, language, moral principles, skills, et cetera • Society- • 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.

3. Cultural Traits • Cultural Trait – single object, action, or belief. • 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. • All people eat, and many cultural traits surround this action. • Napkin in lap, use a fork instead of your hands, chew with your mouth closed, TIP your waiter

4. Key Elements of Culture • 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. • 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).

5. Key Elements of Culture • 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!

6. Key Elements of Culture • A society enforces norms with… • Laws—written rules of conduct that are enacted and enforced by governments. • May formalize folkways (no littering) and relate to mores (against murder). • Marriage and Divorce Laws • Laws against Murder • Sanctions—rewards or punishments (2 Types) • Informal-given by individuals or groups • Employee of the Week (positive) • Being grounded by a parent (negative) • Formal-given by organizations or bodies, such as governments, police, schools. • Medals for athletic performance (positive) • Fines for traffic violations (negative)

7. Key Elements of Culture • 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 • Languages—organization of written or spoken symbols into standardized system with rules for putting symbols together • Nonverbal signs—can communicate across languages

8. 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. • Knowledge or Beliefs??? • History, Science, Medicine, Skills needed to perform the work of the society, ways of doing things, ways of making things