Culture (More Stuff) Culture 2 1/31/2011 SOCY1000 Sociology Global Perspective. Prof. Backman. ppt_culture_2

Review Tradition! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPFuuLVoCrs

Thomas Theorem Def of situation Remem- bered norm Behavior

Relationship Between Cultural Values and Norms Culture 2 1/31/2011 Relationship Between Cultural Values and Norms Norms often are specific reflections of abstract values We value friendship; we acknowledge our friends Norms can tell how to handle conflicting values How much to contribute to church, United Way Q: What values are involved here? Recall: cultural values relatively abstract and general; norms relatively specific Amazon group with communalism as a value SOCY1000 Sociology Global Perspective. Prof. Backman. ppt_culture_2

Technical norms Some norms may have no direct link to values Culture 2 1/31/2011 Technical norms Some norms may have no direct link to values Some reflect value of having standards Reduces uncertainty Where is the cold water? Which foot leads off in a parade? Who is 110, who is 220 SOCY1000 Sociology Global Perspective. Prof. Backman. ppt_culture_2

Ideal vs Real Culture I Ideal culture -- what people and institutions should do, according to cultural norms and values Real culture -- what people and institutions actually do Ideal and real cultures are usually not the same

Ideal vs Real Culture II Tension between ideal and real can lead to changes in either or both Similar phenomena occur in settings smaller than entire cultures informal vs formal structures in organizations Secularization/revival in religious denominations theory vs practice in general

Secularization and Revival Successful churches over time tend to get involved in non-spiritual issues Property, training and supervising employees, fund raising Secularization Loss of spiritual focus can lead to revival movements Trying to restore spiritual focus

Culture and Predictability Culture helps make social world predictable We have psychological need for predictability If we want something, culture tells how to get it When others are doing wild stuff, culture can help explain

Predictability and Norm Following The more we follow norms, the more predictable our world If we are unpredictable, others don’t know what to think or do If we follow rules, others know what we are doing and what they should do This, therefore, is another reason we follow the rules: doing so makes our world more predictable

Social Institutions Social Institutions: relatively permanent patterns or clusters of specialized roles, groups, organizations, customs, and activities devoted to meeting fundamental social needs (Stark 8th: 669) Like parts of the body

Social Institutions II Institutions themselves can often be analyzed as being composed of smaller institutions Institutions have multiple outcomes. Different institutions often overlap in their outcomes Social problems often revolve around difficulties institutions are having in producing expected outcomes

Major Social Institutions Family Economy Religion Political Order Education Others: medicine, military, arts, sports/recreation, holidays, Super Bowl

Culture 2 1/31/2011 More Culture Terms High culture- set of cultural products, mainly in the arts, held in the highest esteem by a culture Cultural Lag- a situation when one institution has not adapted to changes in another Cultural Universals- patterns found in all known societies High culture def from Wikipedia SOCY1000 Sociology Global Perspective. Prof. Backman. ppt_culture_2