Culture

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Culture

• Sociology 12

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Culture

• The knowledge, language, values, customs, and
  material objects passed from one generation to
  the next in a human group or society

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Culture and Intolerance Toward Others

• Answer true or false
• Canadians generally see themselves as tolerant of
  other cultures and intolerant of racism.
• In recent years, the number of reported attacks
  in Canada against persons because of their race,
  religion, or ethnic origin has increased.
• It is illegal to be a member of a racist
  organization.

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True or False Contd

• 4. Individuals can do very little to reduce or
  eliminate intolerance in society.
• 5. As the rate of immigration to Canada has
  increased in recent years, anti-immigrant
  feelings have risen.
• 6. The majority of hate crimes in Canada are
  directed against racial minorities.
• 7. Incidents of violence targeted toward African
  Canadians and Jews have declined in recent years.

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True or False Contd

• 8. Communities with greater proportions of
  visible-minority immigrants are generally more
  tolerant of racial and ethnic differences.
• 9. It is illegal to disseminate hate literature
  on the internet.
• 10. A recent national survey found that the
  majority of respondents accept the concept of
  Canada as a multicultural mosaic.

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Answers

1. True
2. True
3. False
4. False
5. True
6. True
7. False
8. True
9. False
10. False

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Material and Nonmaterial Culture

• Material culture consists of the physical or
  tangible creations that members of a society
  make, use, and share.

• Nonmaterial culture consists of the abstract or
  intangable human creations of society that
  influence peoples behaviour.
• Language, beliefs, values, rules of behaviour,
  family patterns, political systems

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Belief

• Central to nonmaterial culture
• May be based on faith, experience, scientific
  research, tradition or a combination
• What are some examples of beliefs?

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Components of Culture

• Symbols
• Language
• Values
• Norms

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Symbols

• Anything that meaningfully represents something
  else.
• Can stand for love, peace or hate just like
  words. They can also in some cases have different
  meanings for different people.
• Gestures are also forms of cultural symbols.
• Colours pink and blue

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What do these symbols mean to you?
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Language

• A set of symbols that express ideas and enable
  people to think and communicate with one another.
  
• Verbal spoken
• Nonverbal written or gestured

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• Language is one of the most important human
  attributes because it allows us to share our
  experiences, feelings and knowledge with others.

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Language

• Language and social reality
• Language and gender
• Language, race and ethnicity
• Language diversity in Canada

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Values

• Collective ideas about what is right or wrong,
  good or bad, and desirable or undesirable in a
  particular culture.
• Usually come in pairs of positive and negative
  ie brave and cowardly
• We use values to judge and justify behaviour

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Group Work

• In groups of 4-5 read Core Canadian Values on
  page 78 of the text
• Discuss the core values listed. Do you think
  these values fit in with your image of what it
  means to be Canadian? Would you change or add any?

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Canadian Values

1. Equality and fairness in a democratic society.
2. Consultation and dialogue
3. Accommodation and tolerance
4. Support and diversity
5. Compassion and generosity
6. Canadas natural beauty
7. Canadas world image

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Value Contradictions

• Value contradictions are values that conflict
  with one another or are mutually exclusive.
• Morality vs success?
• Can you think of an example that might conflict?

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Ideal vs Real Culture

• Ideal culture refers to the values and standards
  of behaviour that people in a society profess to
  hold.
• Real culture refers to the values and standards
  of behaviour that people actually follow.
• Example Lie, speeding, drugs, drinking and
  driving

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Hypocrisy

• Pretending to be what one is nor or to feel what
  one does not feel
• Mary tells her students that drinking and driving
  is morally wrong and illegal. On Saturday night
  Mary is out with friends and has some drinks and
  then drives home. Mary is a hypocrite.

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Norms

• Norms are established rules of behaviour or
  standards of conduct.
• Prescriptive norms state what behaviour is
  appropriate or acceptable.
• Proscriptive norms state what behaviour is
  inappropriate or unacceptable.

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Formal and Informal Norms

• Formal norms laws or official rules
• Informal norms commonly accepted norms
• Sanctions awards for appropriate behaviour or
  penalties for inappropriate behaviour.
• Examples?

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Folkways

• Informal norms or everyday customs that may be
  violated without serious consequences within a
  particular culture
• Very culturally specific and are learned
  behaviour
• Examples in Canada wearing deodorant (asia?)
  wearing appropriate clothing for the occasion,
  waiting in line

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Mores

• Mores are strongly held norms with moral and
  ethical connotations that may not be violated
  without serious consequences in a particular
  culture.
• Taboos are mores so strong that their violation
  is considered to be extremely offensive and even
  unmentionable.
• Examples? Cultural differences around the world?

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Laws

• Laws are formal standardized norms that have been
  enacted by legislatures and are enforced by
  formal sanctions.
• Civil or criminal
• Changes in law often reflect changes in culture

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Advertising

• Read box 3.2 on pages 82-83
• In a group discuss these questions
• How did these companies make these mistakes?
• Do you get the sense that there is a lack of
  understanding or desire to understand other
  cultures?

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Culture Shock

• Culture shock is the disorientation that people
  feel when they encounter cultures radically
  different from their own
• Reverse culture shock is the disorientation that
  people feel when they return to their home
  culture after spending time in a culture
  radically different from their own
• Has anyone experiences culture shock?

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Culture Shock?
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Ethnocentrism

• The tendency to regard ones own culture and
  group as the standard, and thus superior, whereas
  all other groups are seen as inferior.
• Positive
• Negative

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Cultural Relativism

• The belief that the behaviours and customs of any
  culture must be viewed and analyzed by the
  cultures own standards.
• Example holding doors, child labour

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High culture and popular culture

• High culture
• Ballet, theatre, opera
• Basically things that people with the economic
  and time allowances can enjoy

• Popular culture consists of activities, products
  and services that are assumed to appeal primarily
  to members of the middle and working class.
• Examples tv shows, popular music (top 40),
  spectator sports, internet

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Popular Culture

• Fads
• Fashion
• Leisure activities

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The 90s
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The 2000s
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Pop Culture?
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High Culture to Popular Culture
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Popular Culture Project

• PowerPoint
• Wordle

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Group Questions

• In a group answer the questions and discuss your
  answers

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Subcultures

• A subculture is a group of people who share a
  distinct set of cultural beliefs and behaviours
  that differ in some significant way from that of
  the larger society.
• Examples Muslims, Jews, skateboarders, goth,
  gamers, etc.
• Look at the Hutterites

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Countercultures

• A counterculture is a group that strongly rejects
  dominant societal values and norms and seeks
  alternative lifestyles.
• Examples beatniks, KKK, neo-Nazi
• Gay/Lesbian Movements?

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Culture

• Functionalist perspective
• Conflict perspective
• Symbolic interactionist perspective
• Postmodern perspectives

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Functionalist Perspective

• Biological needs food and procreation
• Instrumental needs laws and education
• Popular Culture glue
• Dysfunctions crime and violence
• Movies
• Videos
• Games

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Conflict Perspective

• Constant struggle between social classes
• Theory that those with the most material means
  can control ideas
• Popular culture originated with everyday people
  but is now dominated by the media and big
  business
• Needs?

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Symbolic Interactionist

• Continually negotiate realities
• Interpret for different social situations

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Postmodern Perspectives

• Should speak of cultures not culture
• Simulation

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Media

• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vhibyAJOSW8U
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vBRI-A3vakVg
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?va7C64j8d34U
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vIQhci0VPf3E

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Test

• 10 Vocabulary choose 6
• 6 Short answer questions choose 3
• 10 Matching
• One essay

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Vocabulary Words

• Counterculture
• Subculture
• Popular culture
• Ethnocentrism
• Culture shock
• Traditions
• High culture
• Nonmaterial culture
• Symbols

• Working class
• Mores
• Folkways
• Values
• Norms
• Laws
• Cultural universals
• Material culture
• Language