Notes for Culture (ch.

3)
Culture - the complex system of meaning and behavior that defines the
way of life for a given group or society.
Culture includes beliefs, values, knowledge, art, morals, laws, customs,
habits, language, and dress, among other things.
Culture is the foundation of society.
Material culture consists of the objects created in a given society
Nonmaterial culture - includes the norms, laws, customs, ideas, and
beliefs of a group of people
Cultural diversity the worlds cultures are vastly different from each
other
Culture shock a feeling of disorientation, because the cultural
markers that we rely on to help us know where we are, and how to act
have suddenly changed.
Ethnocentrism - a belief ones own culture is superior to others
Cultural relativism - a belief that all cultures are equally valid in the
experience of their own members.
This is viewing peoples behavior from the perspective of that persons
own culture.
Sociologists take this position of cultural relativism.
Subculture - a group of people within a culture who share some
distinguishing characteristics, beliefs, values, or attributes that set
them apart from the dominant culture. Ex: the Amish
Counterculture - subcultures that identify themselves through their
difference and opposition to the dominant culture. Ex: 1960s
hippies
6 elements of culture:
-

material culture: the objects created in a given society

symbols: anything (an idea, a marking, a thing) that carries
additional meanings beyond itself to others who share in the
culture
language: an organized set of symbols by which we are able to
think and communicate with others

rituals: a process by which members of a culture engage in a

routine behavior to express their sense of belonging to the
culture
norms: the rules a culture develops that define how people
should act and the consequences of failure to act in the specified
ways
values: the ethical foundations of a culture

Cultural universals rituals, customs, and symbols that are evident in

all societies