1. Culture and Social Structures
Chapter 3
Culture and Social Structures

2. Activity
If the world were shrunk to a village of precisely 100 people.
Video

3. Culture
Knowledge, values, customs, and physical objects that are shared by members of a society.
Helps guide relationships with others

4. Society
A specific territory inhabited by people who share a common culture
Culture and society are tightly interwoven
Video

5. Instincts Unlearned patterns of behavior
Shelter, food, survival, behaviors

6. Heredity Behavior
Culture is not the only thing that influences behavior
Biological factors:
Reflex
Drive

7. Sociobiology The study of the biological basis of human behavior
Darwinism and Social Darwinism and modern genetics
“Nature vs. Nurture”
Think of some Nature vs. Nurture examples in your life…

8. Activity
Youth Culture

9. Language and Culture Demonstration – Teacher’s edition pg 77 Symbols …
How are language and culture related?

10. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
AKA – Hypothesis of Linguistic Relativity – theory stating that our idea of reality depends largely upon language
“While the English language only has a few words to describe snow, the Inuit (Eskimo) language has over twenty.” pg 78

11. Language and Culture
Read page 79
Activity: Media and Language

12. Values
Broad ideas about what is good or desirable shared by people in a society
Values are what keep people sane, keep society moving forward for the better. -Video

13. Norms Rules defining appropriate and inappropriate behavior
Read the second paragraph pg 81
Cultural Etiquette: Page 82

14. Folkways Norms that lack moral significance
Not punished if norm is broken
What are some folkways you can think of???

15. Mores (MOR-ays)
Norms that have moral dimensions and that should be followed by members of the society
MORAL
Folkways = personal choice
Mores = social requirement

16. Taboo
A rule of behavior, the violation of which calls for strong punishment
Read about some taboos on pg 84
Are there any you can think of???

17. Law
A norm that is formally defined and enforced by officials
Pg 86

18. Sanctions
Rewards and punishments used to encourage people to follow norms
Iran, China, NK

19. Formal and Informal Sanctions
Formal – designated people, such as judges, teachers (PBS minor)
Informal – performed on person by members of the group, society
There are positive and negative informal sanctions

20. Activity
1. Values and Culture
2. Gestures, Norms, and Cultural Change

21. WWJB What Would Jesus Buy?
What do you think about this material culture we live in?

22. Nonmaterial vs. Material
Ideas, knowledge, and beliefs that influence people’s behavior
The concrete tangible objects of a culture

23. Beliefs Ideas about the nature of reality
It is not important what is true, but it is important what people think are true.
Is there any validity to this statement?

24. Story Read story on page 93
Ideal culture – cultural guidelines that group members claim to accept - theory
Real culture – actual behavior patterns of members of the group - application

25. Why does culture change?
Diffusion – borrowing of aspects of culture from other cultures
History, wars, globalization, evolution of society

26. Social categories
Groupings of persons who share a social characteristic
What are some social categories you belong to???

27. Subculture
A group that is part of the dominant culture but that differs from it in some important respects
Religion***, ethnicity, etc…

28. Counterculture Not just hippies
These subcultures change on purpose to “stick it to the man,” or be different for many different reasons (government, religion, society, etc…)
Video

29. Ethnocentrism
Judging others in terms of one’s own cultural standards - Video
“My culture (people) are the best and everything and everybody else is wrong and not as good.”
Is this good or bad for society? What are some examples throughout history and now?

31. Cultural particulars
General cultural traits that exist in all cultures
Pg 102 graphic
Can you name any?
Sports, courtship, language, housing, religion

32. Cultural particulars
The ways in which a culture expresses universal traits
Men vs. women roles