Sociology Chapter 2 - Culture

culture

the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that together form a people’s way of life

Non material culture

the ideas created by members of a society

Material culture

the physical things created by members of a society

Culture shock

personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life

symbol

anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture

language

a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another

cultural transmission

the process by which one generation passes culture to the next

Sapir-Whorf thesis

the idea that people see and understand the world through the cultural lens of language

values

culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is desirable, good, and beautiful and that serve as broad guidelines for social living

beliefs

specific ideas that people hold to be true

norms

rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members

mores

norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance

folkways

norms for routine or casual interaction

melting pot

when many nationalities blend into a single culture

artifacts

physical human creations

technology

knowledge that people use to make a way of life in their surroundings

social control

attempts by society to regulate people’s thoughts and behavior

hunting and gathering

the use of simple tools to hunt animals and gather vegetation for food

horticulture

the use of hand tools to raise crops

poastoralism

the domestication of animals

agriculture

large-scale cultivation using plows harnessed to animals or more powerful energy sources

industry

the production of goods using advanced sources of energy to drive large machinery

postindustrialism

the production of information using computer technology

high culture

cultural patterns that distinguish a society’s elite

pop culture

cultural patterns that are widespread among a society’s population

subculture

culture patterns that set apart some segment of a society’s population

eurocentrism

the dominance of European (especially English) cultural patterns

Afrocentrism

emphasizing and promoting African cultural patterns

multiculturalism

a perspective recognizing the cultural diversity of the United States and promoting equal standing for all cultural traditions

counterculture

refers to cultural patterns that strongly oppose those widely accepted within a society

cultural integration

the close relationships among various elements of a cultural system

cultural lag

the fact that some cultural elements change more quickly than others

ethocentrism

the practice of judging another culture by the standard of ones own culture

cultural relativism

the practice of judging a culture by its own standards

cultural universals

traits that are part of every known culture

gender

the personal traits and social positions that members of a society attach to being female or male

sociobiology

a theoretical approach that explores ways in which human biology affects how we create culture