1. Cult ure

2. The Foundation of Social Life! Culture – The beliefs, values, norms of behavior, symbols, and material objects shared by a particular people – Culture is also the social process through which meaning is constructed and disseminated

4. Elements of Culture Norms – Culturally defined standards or rules of conduct Mores – high moral consequences, e.g. murder Folkways – considerable leeway, e.g. farting in class or picking your nose Sanctions – rewards or punishments for violating norms

6. Breaking norms, an example:

7. Elements of Culture Values – Standard of judgment by which people decide on desirable goals and outcomes – Standards of judgment or desirability Like what? Examples: people might value health, privacy, freedom, education, success, hard work, personal property, money, youth, solidarity, etc.

9. Elements of Culture Symbols – Something used to represent or stand for something else

10. Elements of Culture Language – Written or spoken system of symbols that conveys meaning – Language is the most powerful symbol through which social reality is constructed and maintained E.g. “Layoff” or “workforce reduction” E.g. “Collateral damage” or “dead civilians”

13. Power and Culture Assigning meaning to symbols is often contentious and contested

14. Power and Culture Influence over culture increases power to define social reality

15. The Significance of Culture Humans need culture to survive Culture guides human behavior Culture gives meaning to our lives

16. Culture is Learned Learned behavior is not instinctual – “Greed” is not human nature We are, for the most part, not instinctual creatures; we are cultural creatures Specifics of culture change, but culture itself is constant

17. Our entire base of knowledge is a cultural artifact

18. “ABOVE AND BEYOND” OPPORTUNITY! Identify a FOLKWAY and violate it. Write a brief essay providing a sociological analysis being sure to: 1.Identify the specific norm you violated 2.Describe the reactions of the people around you 3.Explain how you felt while you were violating the norm 4.Discuss what this experiment taught you about socialization and social control