1. Sociology Chapter 3
Culture

2. Culture and Society
The term culture refers to the knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical objects that are passed from generation to generation among members of a group
role of culture is to help explain human social behavior
another role of culture is to provide the blueprint that people in a society use to guide their relationships with others
Culture and society are tightly interwoven, one cannot exist without the other, but they are not identical.
A society is a group of people who live in a defined territory and participate in a common culture

3. Sociobiology
Sociobiology is the systematic study of how biology influences human behavior.
combines Darwin’s theory of natural selection with modern genetics
Socio-biologists apply the principle of natural selection to the evolution of social behavior.
the behaviors that best help people are biologically based and transmitted in the genetic code over the course of human evolution
The major criticism of sociobiology is that the importance placed on genetics could be used as a justification to label specific races as superior or inferior

4. Symbols, Language, and Culture
Both the creation and the transmission of culture depend heavily on the use of symbols
Symbols range from physical objects to sounds, smells, and tastes
The meaning of a symbol is not based on physical characteristics
Equipped with language, humans can pass their experiences, ideas, and knowledge to others

5. The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis
According to Edward Sapir and Benjamin Whorf, language is our guide to reality
When something is important to a society, its language will have many words to describe it. (Time, American culture)
When something is unimportant to people, their language may not have even one word for it. (sin, Chinese culture)
Exposure to another language or to new words can alter our perception

6. Norms Norms are rules that define behavior
Norms help explain why people in a society or group behave similarly in similar circumstances
William Graham Sumner: stated that anything can be considered appropriate when norms approve of it.
Once norms are learned, members of a society use them to guide their social behavior.
Norms are so ingrained that they guide behavior without our awareness (lines)
identified three basic types of norms: folkways, mores, and laws

7. Folkways
Rules that cover customary ways of thinking, feeling, and behaving but lack moral overtones are called folkways (sleeping in a bed)
Some folkways are more important than others, and the social reaction to their violation is more intense

8. Mores The term mores is based on the word moral
Mores are norms of great moral significance and are vital to the well-being of a society
Conformity to mores draws strong social approval; violation brings strong disapproval
The most serious mores are taboos
taboo is a norm so strong that its violation demands punishment by the group

9. Laws
Laws are norms that are formally defined and enforced by officials
Folkways and mores emerge slowly and are often unconsciously created, while laws are consciously created and enforced.

10. Enforcing the Rules
Formal sanctions are sanctions that may be applied only by officially designated persons, such as judges and teachers
Formal sanctions can take the form of positive as well as negative rewards
Informal sanctions are sanctions that can be applied by most members of a group

11. Values—The Basis for Norms
Values are broad ideas about what most people in a society consider to be desirable
Values have a tremendous influence on human social behavior because they form the basis for norms
Values are so general that they are involved in most aspects of daily life

12. Basic Values in the United States
Achievement and success
Activity and work
Efficiency and practicality
Equality
Democracy
Group superiority

13. Beliefs and Physical Objects
nonmaterial culture involves beliefs, ideas, and knowledge
material culture is about how we relate to physical objects
Values, norms, knowledge, ideas (nonmaterial), and physical objects (material) make up a culture.
Beliefs are ideas about the nature of reality
Beliefs are important because people base their behavior on what they believe, regardless of whether their beliefs are true or false

14. Cultural Change Culture changes for three reasons
discovery, the process of finding something that already exists
invention, the creation of something new
diffusion, the borrowing of aspects of culture from other cultures

15. Cultural Diversity Cultural diversity exists in all societies
Some diversity is a result of social categories—groups that share a social characteristic such as age, gender, or religion
Cultural diversity also comes from groups that differ in particular ways from the larger culture

16. Subcultures
A subculture is part of the dominant culture but differs from it in some important respects
San Francisco’s Chinatown
Although Chinese residents of Chinatown have been greatly affected by American culture, they have kept many cultural patterns of their own, such as language, diet, and family structure
Members of American subcultures can be labeled with negative stereotypes, from both within and outside the society

17. Countercultures
A counterculture is a subculture that is deliberately and consciously opposed to certain central beliefs or attitudes of the dominant culture
A counterculture can be understood only within the context of this opposition

18. Ethnocentrism
Once people learn their culture, they tend to become strongly committed to it
They may judge others in terms of their own cultural standards—a practice referred to as ethnocentrism
Olympics: A country’s final ranking in this competition for gold, silver, and bronze medals is frequently taken as a reflection of the country’s status on the world stage
Regional rivalries in the United States are a source of many humorous stories
members of churches, schools, and political parties all over the United States feel that their particular ways of living should be adopted by others

19. Ethnocentrism: Advantages and Disadvantages
ethnocentrism builds group loyalty
The patriotism that people feel for the actions of their own country during times of war
By supporting traditions and values, ethnocentrism adds to the stability of a society.
Extreme ethnocentrism can have a much darker side
It can divide people and lead to hatred and violence