1. Chapter 3
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2. What Is Culture?
One of the greatest difficulties people have when beginning to explore concepts related to culture and culture learning is that of agreeing upon what it is they are talking about.
Sociologists identify four important assumptions for the understanding of culture:
Culture is constructed by humans
Culture is shared by its members
Culture is both objective and subjective
Culture is nurtured
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3. Subculture
Subcultures share characteristics that distinguish them from the larger society in which they are embedded; these characteristics may be a set of ideas and practices or some demographic similarity.
Some examples of subcultures are:
Corporate culture
Adolescent culture
Drug culture
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4. Microculture
Microcultures also share distinguishing characteristics, but tend to be more closely linked to the larger society, often serving in mediating roles; they often interpret and transmit the ideas, values, and institutions of the larger political community.
Some examples of microcultures are:
The family
The workplace
The classroom
The school
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5. Minority Group
Members of minority groups occupy a subordinate position in a society; they may be separated from the dominant society by disapproval and discrimination.
Some examples of minority groups in the United States are:
Racial minorities
Women
People with disabilities
Language minorities
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6. Ethnic Group
Members of ethnic groups share common heritage, history, celebrations and traditions, similar foods; and might speak a common language other than English. Loyalty to one’s ethnic identity can be very powerful.
Some examples of ethnic groups are:
Irish American
Native American
Lebanese American
African American
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7. People of Color
This term refers to members of non-white minority groups; it is often preferred to the term “minority group,” but does not clearly identify specific loyalties.
For example, native Spanish-speakers may identify themselves as “Hispanic people of color,” but their cultural identity may be Puerto Rican, Mexican, or Salvadoran.
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8. Humans Construct Culture
Culture is one factor that determines the kinds of guidelines to which an individual is exposed.
The concept of culture usually refers to things, both physical and mental, that are made or constructed by human beings, rather than to things that naturally occur in the environment.
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9. Culture is Shared
Culture is socially constructed by human beings in interaction with one another.
Cultural ideas and understandings are shared by a group of people who recognize the knowledge, attitudes, and values of one another.
Moreover, human beings agree on which cultural elements are better than others, arranging these in a hierarchy of value, which can also change over time.
In nearly all instances, shared cultural identification is transmitted from one generation to the next.
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10. Culture Is Both Objective and Subjective
Objective culture
Physical artifacts
Language
Clothing
Food
Decorative objects
Subjective culture
Attitudes
Values
Norms of behavior
Social roles
Meaning of objective cultural elements
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11. Two Ways to Understand Culture
Culture-Specific Approaches:
Helps to understand a particular cultural group, for example, Native Americans
A problem with this approach is that it does not account for in-group differences
Culture-General Approaches:
Helps to understand how culture affects the individual
Suggests questions to ask of any culture
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12. The Culture-Learning Process
Sources of Cultural Knowledge and Identity
Individuals in complex societies like the United States tend to identify themselves as belonging to various cultural and social groups, depending on their personal biographies.
There are twelve major sources of cultural identity that influence teaching and learning: race, sex/gender, health, ability/disability, social class, ethnicity/nationality, religion/spirituality, geographic location/region, age, sexuality, language, and social status.
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13. Sources of Cultural Identity
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14. Cultural Knowledge Is Transmitted by People and Experiences
We gain the knowledge that contributes to our cultural identities through interaction with various socializing agents.
These agents mediate our cultural knowledge in particular ways.
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15. Important Socializing Agents
Family
School
House of worship
Community
Neighborhood
Peer group
Electronic media
Sports
The Arts
Print media
Workplace
Technology
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16. When We Learn Culture: Socialization
Three stages of socialization
Primary socialization—of infants and young children by the family and early caregivers
Secondary socialization—in childhood and adolescence, by the school, the religious affiliation, the peer group, the neighborhood, and the media
Adult socialization—the workplace, travel, and assuming new roles in life
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17. Ethnocentrism
The tendency people have to evaluate others according to their own standards and experience
While this tendency can help bind people together, it can also become a serious obstacle when those who have internalized different ideas and behaviors begin to interact with one another.
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18. Perception
Stimuli received by our senses would overwhelm us if it weren’t somehow reduced; thus,
What we perceive—what we see, hear, feel, taste, and smell—is shaped in part by our culture.
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19. Categorization
Categorization is the cognitive process by which all human beings simplify their world by grouping similar stimuli.
Our categories give meaning to our perceptions.
A prototype image best characterizes the meaning of a category.
Example: for the category “bird,” we usually think of robins, not chickens.
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20. Stereotypes Stereotypes are socially constructed categories of people.
They usually obscure differences within groups.
They are frequently negative and play to ethnocentric ideas of “the other.”
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21. Some Limits on Socialization
While socialization is a powerful process, it does have limits.
It is limited by a child’s physical limits.
It is limited because it is never finished, and thus never absolute; it can be changed.
It is limited because human beings are not just passive recipients but also actors in their environments.
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22. Understanding Cultural Differences
In a complex, pluralistic society like the United States, all people are in some ways multicultural.
While we all draw on common sources of knowledge, we are socialized by different agents, with different perspectives on that knowledge.
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23. Variations in Cultural Environments
Although the sources of cultural identity are the same in all societies, the content in those sources may be different.
Moreover, each community varies considerably in the number and character of its socializing agents.
Given this complexity, it is wise to consider the possible cultural elements in our own lives and in the lives of others.
Despite this potential for variation among individuals and within groups, there are similarities or generalizations that can be made about individuals who identify with particular groups.
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