1. Culture Modules 10, 11 &12

2. Elements of Culture Role of Language
One of the major elements of culture
Important component of cultural capital
The term cultural capital refers to non-financial social assets that promote social mobility beyond economic means. Examples can include education, intellect, style of speech, dress, or physical appearance

3. Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviors and skills that one can tap into to demonstrate one's cultural competence, and thus one's social status or standing in society

4. Cultural capital is the accumulation of knowledge, behaviors and skills that one can tap into to demonstrate one's cultural competence, and thus one's social status or standing in society

5. Role of language Facilitates day-to-day exchanges
Includes both the written and spoken word and nonverbal communication

6. Language: Written and Spoken
Language: abstract system of word meanings and symbols for all aspects of culture
Examples – English language – words dealing with war
Tibetan language – words related to peace
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
Language precedes thought
Language is not a given
Language is culturally determined
Language may color how we see the world

7. Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf (1930)
In the 1930s, two anthropologists,, became intrigued when they noticed that the Hopi Indians of the southwestern United States had no words to distinguish among the past, the present, and the future.
English, in contrast as well as French, Spanish, Swahili, and other languages distinguishes carefully among these three time frames.
Language not only expresses our thoughts and perceptions but also shapes the way we think and perceive. When we learn a language, we learn not only words but also ways of thinking and perceiving

8. How language shapes social reality
Cancer or Loo Doo na’dziihii -a sore that does not go away
Menopause
Gender-related language – “policeman”

9. Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication: use of gestures, facial expressions, and other visual images to communicate
Learned
Differs by culture
Symbols: gestures, objects, and words that form basis of human communication

10. Nonverbal Communication and Culture

11. Norms and Values
All societies have ways to encourage and enforce appropriate behavior, and discourage and punish inappropriate behavior
Collective idea of what is good and desirable, and what is not

12. Norms Norms: established standards of behavior maintained by a society
To be significant, must be widely shared and understood
Example – how to behave in a movie theater (norm of silence)
But, its ok to be noisy in a funny movie.
Persistent social norm in contemporary society: heterosexuality
We learn to accept norms – (2009) A national survey of mothers of 3-6 year-olds found that 1 in 5 mothers teaches their children that homosexuality was wrong.

13. Norms
Types of Norms
Formal norms: generally written; specify strict punishments
Law: governmental social control
Parking at HCC
Informal norms: generally understood but not precisely recorded
How to dress? What is appropriate dress code?

14. Mores: norms deemed highly necessary to the welfare of a society
Example – child abuse
Folkways: norms governing everyday behavior
Example – walking up – on a down escalator

15. Norms Norms and Sanctions
Sanctions: penalties and rewards for conduct concerning social norm
Positive sanctions: pay raises, medals, words of gratitude
Negative sanctions: fines, threats, imprisonment, and stares of contempt

17. Norms Acceptance of Norms People do not follow norms in all situations
Behavior that appears to violate society’s norms may represent adherence to a particular group’s norms
Example – Teenage drinking
WellsFargo – Corporate culture

18. How powerful are norms?
Breaching experiments by Harold Garfinkel

19. Norms may be violated because they conflict with other norms
Example – privacy and “doing the right thing”
WikiLeaks??
Acceptance of norms is subject to change
Example – inter-racial marriages
Sudden change can upset an entire population – 911 and norms about privacy

20. Values
Cultural values: collective conceptions of what is good, desirable, and proper—or bad, undesirable, and improper
Example – democracy, respecting parents
Influence people’s behavior
Criteria for evaluating actions of others
Values may change, but most remain relatively stable during any one person’s lifetime
Example – institution of marriage

21. Values

22. Values

23. Figure 10-1: Life Goals of First-Year College Students in the United States, 1966–201223

24. Global Culture War
Culture war: polarization of society over controversial cultural elements
In 1990s, referred to political debates over abortion, religious expression, gun control, and sexual orientation
After U.S. established military presence in Iraq and Afghanistan, foreign opinion of U.S. became quite negative

25. Sociological Perspectives on Culture
Functionalists maintain that social stability requires a consensus and the support of society’s members; strong central values and common norms provide that support
Conflict theorists argue that common culture serves to maintain the privileges of certain groups

26. Sociological Perspectives on Culture
Dominant ideology: set of cultural beliefs and practices that help maintain powerful interests
Social interests
Economic interests
Political interests

27. Conflict perspective: dominant ideology has major social significance
Growing number of social scientists believe it is not easy to identify a core culture in U.S.

28. Cultural Variation Cultures adapt to meet specific circumstances
Climate, level of technology, population, geography
Groups within a single nation develop cultural patterns that differ from those of the dominant society

29. Subcultures
Subculture: segment of society that shares distinctive pattern of mores, folkways, and values that differs from larger society
A subculture may develop an argot, a specialized language that distinguishes a subculture from the wider society

30. Countercultures
Counterculture: subculture that conspicuously and deliberately opposes certain aspects of the larger culture
Typically thrive among the young
Counterterrorism experts concerned about growth of ultraconservative militia groups

31. Culture Shock
Occurs when someone feels disoriented, uncertain, out of place, or fearful when immersed in an unfamiliar culture
People tend to take for granted cultural practices of their society