Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Chapter 4 Culture In Conflict and Order: Understanding Society, 11 th edition This multimedia product and its contents are protected under copyright law. The following are prohibited by law: any public performance or display, including transmission of any image over a network; preparation of any derivative work, including the extraction, in whole or in part, of any images; any rental, lease, or lending of the program.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Culture Culture is the knowledge that members of a social organization share.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Culture: The Knowledge That People Share Characteristics of Culture –Culture is an emergent process. –Culture is learned. –Culture channels human behavior. –Culture maintains boundaries.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Types of Shared Knowledge Symbols –Language refers to symbols that evoke similar meaning by difference people. –Communication is only possible if people attribute the same meaning to such stimuli.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Types of Shared Knowledge Technology –Refers to the information, techniques, and tools used by people to satisfy their varied needs and desires Ideologies –Shared beliefs about the physical, social and metaphysical worlds

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Types of Shared Knowledge Societal Norms –Societal prescriptions for how one is to act in a given situation –Ethnomethodology The scientific study of the commonplace activities of daily life Its goals are to discover the underpinning of relationships. The assumption is that much of social life is scripted.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Types of Shared Knowledge Societal Norms (continued) –Norms vary in importance Folkways are less important and are not severely punished if violated. Violation of the mores of society is considered important enough by society to merit severe punishment. There is a problem, however, for many Americans in deciding the degree of importance for some norms.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Figure 4.1- Classification of Norms

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Types of Shared Knowledge Values –Criteria used in evaluating objects, acts, feelings, or events as to their relative desirability, merit or sometimes correctness Statuses –Social positions which can be ascribed or achieved Roles –Behavioral expectations for the people who occupy statuses

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 The Social Construction of Realty Meaning is not inherent in an object. People learn how to define reality from other people in interaction and by learning culture. This process is called the social construction of reality.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Cultural Relativity Cultural relativity –Customs of a society should be evaluated in the list of the culture and their functions for that society Ethnocentrism –The tendency for the members of each society to assume the rightness of their own customs and practices and the inferiority, immorality, or irrationality of those found in other societies

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 The Globalization of Culture? Two contradictory forces about global culture –One is toward a global culture based on the customs and values of the West, especially the U.S. –At the same time opposite forces of localism and parochialism are at work, fueled by resistance to the ways of the West. These tribal identities openly oppose the new and reinforce tradition.

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Values Values in the U.S. result from –Geographic isolation and being blessed with abundant resources –Founding of the nation in opposition to tyranny and aristocracy and supporting freedom, democracy, equality and impersonal justice –A religious heritage based on the Judeo- Christian ethic and Protestant work ethic

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Values as Sources of Societal Integration and Social Problems Success Competition The Valued Means to Achieve Deferred Gratification Progress Material Progress Individual Freedom Values and Behavior Cultural Diversity

Copyright © Allyn and Bacon 2007 Values from the Order and Conflict Perspectives Order theorists view values as the symbolic representations of existing society and therefore promote unity and consensus among Americans. Conflict theorists believe that devotion to society’s values inhibits necessary social change.