Sociology Unit 2

Culture

Culture

language, beliefs, values, norms, behaviors, and objects that are handed down from the generation to the next

Material Culture

Can touch it

• bible

nonmaterial culture

cannot touch it

• ideas and beliefs

Ethnocentrism

judgmental evaluation of other cultures

cultural relativity

objective, nonjudgmental, study under groups own terms

Culture shock

different from own culture, causes disorientation

Value

standards, non material, dictates norms

• achievement/success

• freedom

Norm

behaviors based off of values

• maintaining eye contact

• shaking hands

Folkway

if you break, nothing will happen to you

• walking on the wrong side of the hallway

More

something will happen to you if you break

• law violation

taboo

brings revolution if you break it

• incest

moral holiday

time period/location which you put all morals to the side

positive sanctions

show acceptance, rewards and money

negative sanctions

show disapproval, finds and jail

symbol

people attach meaning, use to communicate with others

gestures

movement of the body to communicate with others

language

symbols that can be helpful in communicating abstract thoughts

subculture

values and related behaviors of a group that distinguish its members from the larger culture

• geeks, goths, preppy

counterculture

groups whose values, beliefs, norms, and related behaviors place its members in opposition to the broader culture

• hells angles gang

cultural lag

when parts of a culture dont change at the same time

• delay in technology use=lag in knowledge

• customers havent caught up with tech. so we still visit doctors

value cluster

values that together form a larger whole

• education+hard work

value contradictions

values that go against each other

• religiosity+science

cultural diffusion

spread of traits from one group to another

• adopting new weapons/tools

cultural leveling

cultures become more and more similar

• McDonalds in other countries

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

language shapes our thoughts+perceptions, language determines our consciousness+perception of objects/events

Cultural universal

values, norms, other cultural traits that are found in every group

• marriage

why is language important

allows human experience to be cumulative, allows culture to develop

blinding of individualism

see unsuccessful as lazy, but fail to see circumstances

social stratification

division of nations, layering of people/groups within a nation

Davis and Moores explanation for social stratification

positions in society are more important than others, more important jobs require more qualified people, attract people with power+prestige

conflict theory criticism of Davis+Moore

society isnt meritocracy, most important job doesnt mean most money

wealth

property, stuff you own

income

what you make, job

prestige

level of repect/regard

power

ability to impose will on someone else

gilbert and kahls 6 level of social class model

1% highest class (capitalist class)

status inconsistency

ranking is different in different categories

wealth distribution

average worker makes $44,000(11ft block)

average capitalist makes 29,000ft block

top 20% are 50.2% of income

poorest 20% are 33% of income

myths about the poor

lazy, have criminal records, lack education, live off of handouts from gov

physical health

rich have better health b/c they can pay for it

mental health

rich are less stressed, can pay for therapy

education

politics

rich= republican

poor=democrat

crime

dating

rich have a harder time, smaller field to choose from

intergenerational mobility

change that family members make in social class from one generation to the next

upward mobility

movement up the social class ladder

downward mobility

movement down the social class ladder

structural mobility

structural change in society

• jobs/moving overseas

• robots doing jobs (automization)

exchange mobility

certain % goes up, same % goes down