“Culture is what feels normal but is actually social…it is what we often do not notice at home but certainly will in a foreign context”. Culture Chapter 3

Have you ever experienced culture shock? What identifies culture? How can it be defined? A vague term…Why? Traveling to another country??? Coming to America???

Discussion Outline I. Defining Culture II. Types of Culture III. Components of Culture

I. Defining Culture Culture can be loosely defined as a set of beliefs, traditions, and practices. Learned patterns for thinking, feeling, and acting Transmitted across generations Adapts and changes overtime Human minus nature-Non biological What we often see as natural or innate is more often cultural Example???

Defining Culture Culture = Superior (Man) – (Inferior) Man Ethnocentrism The belief that one’s own culture is superior to others, and the tendency to view all other cultures from the perspective of our own How might a conflict theorist view ethnocentrism? A functionalist theorist? Examples?

II. Types of Culture (1.) Material vs. (2.) Non-material? What are the material and nonmaterial cultures of …? -Raves -NFL Football

Cultural Lag Material culture often changes faster than non- material culture Examples? -Cell phones streaming television -Artificial Reproductive Technology

Studying Types of Culture Cultural Relativism Cultural scripts Marriage and proposals Subcultures

III. Components of Culture Norms: Social Rules Social Expectations “Should”, “ought”, and “must”= Social Control Sex, Property, and Safety Are norms subjective or objective features of society? Are there rules for behavior in public restrooms?

Components: Types of norms Folkways-Customs for etiquette Mores-Moral Codes Laws-Formalized norms Are all laws also mores? How are these types of norms enforced in society? Informal vs. formal sanctions.

Components Values: broad ideas regarding what is desirable, correct, and good that most members of a society share -How we evaluate and make important choices in the social world and culture in which we live I.e.: What type of economic system is best? What does success mean? What is beautiful? -Beauty is a social and cultural construction -In western cultures (America), what is ideal beauty? What is the perfect body?