Culture In Practice Let s Not Be Too Quick To Judge 888 Snakes Female Genital Mutilation Female Circumcision Key Contrasts and Comparisons Culture VS Society Culture Totality of a group s values beliefs skills and knowledge and matrial objects that together form its way of life Society Large numbers of people who share the same territory relatively independent of outsiders and share the same culture Material Culture VS Nonmaterial Culture Material culture Physical objects within a culture Nonmaterial culture is symbolic the way things are used It has to be taught to us It s knowledge based Subculture A segment of society that share the same mores folkways values that are distinctive from the larger culture in a society but it doesn t try to change the broader culture a subculture tries to coexist Counterculture A special form of a sub culture that deliberately opposes some or all aspects of the larger culture in which it is embedded Sometimes a counterculture will try to rebel against the broader culture Ethnocentrism Assuming that one s own culture and own way of life is the universal norm and that all other cultures are inferior Culture relativity Holding one s judgment by trying to view and understand someone else s culture when studying another culture Culture shock The feelings of disorientation uncertainty and even fear that people experience when they encounter unfamiliar cultural practices 888 Snakes Reuters BEIJING November 7th 1995 Material Herbal Medicine TV Radio Quilt Pillows Drums Nonmaterial Applause Admiration Luck Fear of Snakes Knowledge Poison Removal Female Genital Mutilation Female Circumcision 100 Million to 140 Million Women Worldwide 2 Million girls at risk each year Prevalence Where Common Types Infibulation majora 80 28 in African countries 20 in North America Middle East Asia Europe Excision 80 Total or partial removal of the clitoris with or without the removal of the labia minora Total Amputation of the clitoris and labia minora and a part of the labia Sapir Whorf Hypothesis Language does more than describe reality Language shapes the reality of a culture Defined 1 Since language is culturally determined it strongly influences our thinking 2 Language precedes thought Ray s All Male Heterosexual Dancehall Hint It Has Nothing To Do With Being Gay What to look for Culture VS Society Material nonmaterial culture including the use of language Sociobiology The systematic study of how biology affects human social behavior Innovation The process of introducing a new idea or object to a culture through discovery or invention Discovery The process of making known or sharing the existence of an aspect of reality Invention The combination of existing cultural items into a form that did not exist before Diffusion The process by which a cultural item spreads from group to group or society to society Technology Cultural information about how to use the material resources of the environment to satisfy human needs and desires Cultural Lag A period of adjustment when the nonmaterial culture is still struggling to adapt to new material conditions Language A system of shared symbols it includes speech written characters and nonverbal gestures expressions Nonverbal communication the use of gestures facial expressions and othr visual images to communicate Value A collective conception of what is considered good desirable and proper or bad undesirable and improper in a culture Norms An established standard of behavior maintained by a society Formal Norm A norm that generally has been written down and that specifies strict punishments for violators Laws Formal norms enforced by the state Sanction A penalty or reward for conduct concerning a social norm Dominant Ideology A set of cultural beliefs and practices that legitimates existing powerful social economic and political interests Ideology A set of cultural beliefs and practices that legitimates existing powerful social economic and political interests Argot Specialized language used by members of a group or subculture Major Theoretical Perspective 3 Symbolic Interaction Defined 1 The investigation of how people create meanings during social interaction 2 How they negotiate with others to define situations and 3 how they present and construct their self or identity 1 View of Society Actively influences everyday society 2 Level of Analysis Micro sociological examines everyday forms of social interaction in order to understand society as a whole 3
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