SOC 2010 1st Edition Exam 2 Study Guide Lectures 5 13 Lecture 5 February 2nd Sociology vs Anthropology Both study culture Anthropology focuses on culture exclusively far away or ancient cultures Sociology we study culture and lots of other stuf contemporary or modern culture here and now What is Culture Characteristics of a particular group of people that come together to form create a way of life Both material and symbolic Links b w the individual and society Culture is Invisible Second Nature Ethnocentrism Horace Miner Body Ritual of the Nacirema 1956 Easy to see culture when we travel or on television Beginner s Mind Culture Shock Dominant Culture Subculture Counterculture Dominant Culture Cultural practices of the most powerful group Subculture Culture within a culture variations within cultures 5 regions in US w unique traditions and cultures Southeast most distinct regional subculture Exists harmoniously within American society Counter culture In opposition with the mainstream Values and norms clash with the mainstream 3 Main Points about Culture 1 Cultures are associated with places Social settings like 6th Avenue in NY or Clemson University or prison or facebook Geographical places like a country or region or community Main Points about Culture 2 Culture is Fluid It changes and travels no concrete boundaries The sociological perspective avoids making assumptions about people or using cultural Stereotypes Nevertheless understands that stereotypes exist 3 Cultural Relativism The sociological perspective avoids evaluative terms like better or worse choosing instead to use a relativistic approach No culture is better than another just diferent Recognizes that cultures are not equally valued by society Sapir Whorf Hypothesis Culture influences language Reverse is also true Language structures thought Words are not just labels that people attach to things Language has embedded in it ways of looking at the world EX Eskimo language has 8 words for snow Their perception of snow is much more complex and detailed then ours What does language tell us about northerners and southerners and their way of life Learning Outcomes Diferent cultures within the US regional subcultures Diferent ways of understanding the same facts One is not necessarily better than the other And there aren t any absolutes Lecture 6 February 4th CULTURAL CROSSROADS CONTINUED Two major categories 1 Material Culture Physical objects associated w a cultural group Society gives them meaning 2 Symbolic Culture Ideas associated with a cultural group Including ways of thinking and behaving Symbolic Culture con t Signs symbol that conveys an idea Gestures body language Language primary means in which we communicate and perpetuate our culture Values Norms Sanctions 1 Values Set of shared beliefs about what is good and bad right or wrong beautiful or ugly Values Norms Sanctions 2 Norms Rules and guidelines that we live by Govern our daily social interactions but we are unaware that they are doing so Know norm when someone breaks it Formal Laws Informal loosely enforced Broken down further less more serious Folkways ordinary conventions Mores custom with greater moral significance Taboos most powerful deeply ingrained Values Norms Sanctions 3 Sanctions positive and negative enforce norms prison or jail or pay a fine People s reactions Values Norms Sanctions Symbolic culture in action Essence of everything a cultural group cherishes honors Tells us what is important to a particular group or society Change over time always in flux Read about the changing values and norms surrounding Marijuana pp 84 85 ANALYSIS OF SOUTHERN CULTURE Material Culture Material Culture Material Culture Symbolic Culture signs Symbolic Culture signs Symbolic Culture gesture Symbolic Culture Language Southern Hospitality warm sweet and welcoming make a visitor feel welcome Food figures highly Proper etiquette Bible belt churches are the primary community institution Values Strong sense of community and pride Critical Thinking practices designed to masquerade or cover up deficiencies in southern culture such as slavery and Jim Crow segregation Critical Thinking Religion was used to justify slavery Clemson Culture Material Culture Symbolic Culture Signs Gestures Language Lecture 7 February 6 9 Nature vs Nurture Debate in the natural and social sciences People shaped influenced by genes or the environment they grow up in Born this way or learn to become this way Do genetics or environment play a greater role Experts agree we are influenced by both Contemporary examples Socialization Process by which infants acquire the skills necessary to perform as functioning members of society We learn to live in society Need social experiences to learn culture Four Agents of Socialization The Family Schools Peers Mass Media Lecture 8 February 11th DEVIANCE Chapter 6 NORMS Rules and guidelines Normal or appropriate behavior Range from serious to less serious SANCTIONS punishments for breaking norms most of us conform because of sanctions DEVIANCE Behavior or trait that departs from the norm In other words a violation of social norms Deviance is constructed relative 1 What is deviant in one culture might be normal in another What s up with these guys Deviance is constructed relative 2 Change over time Is this breakfast deviant or normal Functionalism Deviance helps clarify moral boundaries Reminds us of our shared notions of what is right and wrong Promotes social cohesion Structural Strain Theory R Merton Society puts a strain on individuals that lead to rule breaking behaviors Gap between a society s goals the means people have to attain these goals Crime serves a function it makes up for disparities in wealth Conflict Theory K Marx Wealth power and prestige influence our understandings and definitions of deviance Behaviors of the less powerful are more likely to be criminalized and viewed as deviant Vice versa Sanctions exercised unequally Symbolic Interactionism Everyday interactions shape social life A Differential Association Theory E Sutherland We learn to be deviant through our interactions with others B Labeling Theory H Becker Behaviors are deviant only when society labels them as deviant Self Fulfilling Prophecy labels may cause individuals to act more deviant as a result of the label Lecture 9 February 13th Sociological Imagination Life opportunities are determined by society culture social institutions and membership in social groups Intersections Crime