Culture What is it really? https://goo.gl/ZHfsfc

Everyone has a culture It shapes how we see the world, ourselves, and others What is culture??????

Customs and traditions. Collective, shared by a group. Culture Values and beliefs. Customs and traditions. Collective, shared by a group. Everyone has it. It is Learned. Influences and shapes behavior. Transmitted from generation to generation. Often unconscious

Culture Knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical objects that are shared by members of a group. These are transmitted from generation to generation, rarely with explicit instructions.

Ideas created by members of a society Nonmaterial Culture Ideas created by members of a society Beliefs, rules, family systems, government

Material Culture Tangible things created by members of a society – physical objects

List 5 things in each column that describes American culture Nonmaterial Material

Culture explains human social behavior What we do or don’t do

Culture explains human social behavior What we like or dislike

Culture explains human social behavior Freedom of speech

Culture explains human social behavior

Culture guides relationships Gender roles Sexuality Social class systems Familial hierarchies Working world

Not the same but one can’t exist without the other Culture and society Not the same but one can’t exist without the other Society is a specific territory inhabited by people sharing a common culture. Society is a specific territory inhabited by people who share a common culture

Innate (unlearned) patterns of behavior Instincts are not enough to solve all problems humans face – what type of shelter to build, food to eat, etc. Forced to create and learn own ways of thinking, feeling, behaving Instincts

Instincts Only humans rely on culture rather than instinct to ensure the survival of their kind

Is it heredity or environment??? Personality Is it heredity or environment???

How does heredity affect behavior? Nature vs. Nurture Reflexes – reaction to stimuli (pupils contract with light) Drives – impulses to reduce discomfort (eat, sleep)

How does heredity affect behavior? Culture channels the expression of biological characteristics Ex. crying

Culture & Theory

Culture Functionalism Conflict Theory Symbolic

Functionalist Perspective Reminder! Based upon the assumption that society is a stable, orderly system with interrelated parts that serve specific functions Don’t need to write unless forgot

Functionalist Perspective Culture helps people meet their needs Anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski suggests that Biological needs (eg. food, procreation) Instrumental needs (eg. law, education) Integrative needs (eg. religion, art)

Functionalist Perspective Societies where people share a common language & core values are more likely to have consensus and harmony Functionalist Perspective

Functionalist Perspective All societies, however, have dysfunctions Inequalities among class, racial and gender lines contribute to problems Also, multiple subcultures can lead to lack of consensus about core values How are these problems resolved? Resolution of problems comes with education about the value of cultural diversity

Conflict Perspective Reminder Social life is a continuous struggle in which members of powerful groups seek to control scarce resources. Values and norms help create and sustain the privileged position of the powerful. Don’t need to write unless forgot

Conflict Perspective According to Karl Marx, ideas are cultural creations It is therefore possible society’s leaders to use ideology – that is, a system of ideas that guides the way people think and act – to maintain their positions of dominance in a society

Symbolic Interactionism Reminder! Examines society as the sum of all people’s interactions People create, maintain and modify culture as they go about their day- to-day activities.

Symbolic Interactionism Our culture’s values and norms do not automatically determine our behavior Rather, we re-interpret these values and norms with each situation we come across - our values and norms are constantly changing.

Symbolic Interactism Originally meant only as an “exchange” Now, an end in itself. Wealth re- defined Georg Simmel suggested that eventually culture takes on a life of its own – and begins to control us instead. For example, people initially created money as a means of exchange. It is a social construct that was designed to facilitate economies. Now, however, money has taken on a new meaning: it has become an end in itself (ie. material wealth), rather than a means to an end (ie. facilitating the exchange of goods and services). Not only goods and services, but even people have a relative “worth” applied to them: Bill Gates – $50 billion Oprah Winfrey - $2.5 billion

Cultural Mosaic

Cultural Mosaic Pick minimum of 8 Family Education Economic Political Language Sports Shelter Clothing for special occasions Music Manners Food Values Other Features

Assignment : Culture Web