Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction to Sociology
NTU-DHSS
What is Culture?
Kinds of Culture
MATERIAL CULTURE
All the tangible
products of a society
Examples: housing,
cars, clothing, etc.
NONMATERIAL CULTURE
All the intangible
products of a society
Examples: laws and
punishments, ideas,
values, belief systems,
norms, attitudes.
Cultural Relativism
Examples
What do you think about Bull Fighting?
What about Chinese eating dogs?
Ice Hockey?
Cock fighting game
Depending on your culture...these sports
may be looked at very differently!
Ethnocentrism
CULTURE SHOCK!
One reason for such a reaction is
the fact that people internalize the
elements of their own culture and
then come to know the world only
by those standards.
The Components of
Culture
Symbols
Gestures
Language
Values and beliefs
Social norms
SYMBOLS
Anything that can carry a meaning
1.
Gestures
Using ones body to communicate
Language
A system of symbols that allows
Members of a society to
communicate
With one another.
Values
Beliefs
Equal opportunity
Achievement
Material comfort
Progress
Science
Democracy
Freedom
Racism
Work
Practicality
Social Norms
Cultural Diversity
cultures.
Not only are there cultures that integrate with
one another in a society, there are also a
number of subcultures and countercultures
that develop in a given society.
Subcultures and countercultures are created
by generalizations, occupation, class, lifestyle,
likes, dislikes, etc.
IDEAL CULTURE
Some cultural
patterns are for
some people
High culture:
patterns that
distinguish a
societys elite
It is used to describe
a subculture shared
by the elite in a
society.
Popular culture:
patterns that are
widespread among a
societys population
The dominant
subculture shared by
the majority of a
society's population.
Multiculturalism:
educational program
recognizing diversity
Promoting equality of
all cultures
Eurocentrism;
dominance of European
culture
Afrocentrism;
dominance of African
culture
Some elements of
culture change faster
than others
This inconsistency
disrupts cultural
system
Culture Change
Modification of a society through innovation,
invention, discovery, or contact with other
societies
Cultural diffusion
spread of elements from one culture
to another.
Culture as
Freedom
Cultural diversity
provides freedom of
choice
It is freedom if one
can manage change
without really
upsetting the old
norms