Sociology 260 Chapter 3

Front 1

culture

Back 1

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

Front 2

nature

Back 2

biological and genetic make up

Front 3

nurture

Back 3

social environment

Front 4

material culture

Back 4

consists of the physical or tangible creations -such as clothing, shelter, and art- that members of a society use and share

Front 5

technology

Back 5

the knowledge, techniques and tools that make it possible for people to transform resources into useable forms as well as the knowledge and skills required to use them after they are developed

Front 6

non-material culture

Back 6

the abstract or intangible human creations of society- such as attitudes, beliefs and values that influence people's behaviour

Front 7

cultural universals

Back 7

customs and practices that occur all across societies

Front 8

symbols

Back 8

anything that meaningfully represents something else

Front 9

language

Back 9

a system of symbols that expresses and enables people to think and communicate with one another

Front 10

values

Back 10

collective ideas about what is right or wrong in a particular culture

Front 11

value contradiction

Back 11

values that contradict one another or are mutually exclusive

Front 12

ideal culture

Back 12

the values and standards of behaviour that people in society profess to hold

Front 13

real culture

Back 13

values and standards that people actually follow

Front 14

norms

Back 14

established rules of behaviour or standards of conduct

Front 15

prescriptive norms

Back 15

state appropriate behaviour

Front 16

proscriptive norms

Back 16

inappropriate behaviour

Front 17

formal norms

Back 17

written down and involve specific punishment for violations

Front 18

informal norms

Back 18

unwritten standards shared by a group of people

Front 19

sanctions

Back 19

awards for appropriate behaviour and punishments for inappropriate behaviour

Front 20

folkways

Back 20

informal norms that pay be violated without any serious punishments

Front 21

mores

Back 21

strongly held norms with moral and ethical connotations that may not be violated without serious consequences

Front 22

taboos

Back 22

mores so strong that their violation is considered extremely offensive

Front 23

laws

Back 23

formal standardized norms that have been enacted by legislatures and are enforced by formal sanctions

Front 24

cultural lag

Back 24

a gap between the technical development of a society and its moral and legal institutions (when material culture changes faster than non-material culture)

Front 25

diffusion

Back 25

the transmission of cultural items or social practices from one group of society to another through such means as exploration, military endeavours, the media, tourism and immigration

Front 26

homogenous societies

Back 26

share a common culture and are typically from similar social, religious, political and economic backgrounds

Front 27

heterogenous societies

Back 27

include people who are not similar in regards to nationality, race etc.

Front 28

subculture

Back 28

a group of people who share a common set of culture beliefs and behaviours that is smaller than the regular society

Front 29

counter culture

Back 29

a group that strongly rejects dominant societal values and norms

Front 30

culture shock

Back 30

the disorientation that people feel when they encounter cultures radically different from their own

Front 31

ethnocentrism

Back 31

the tendency to regard one's own society and culture as superior

Front 32

cultural relativism

Back 32

the belief that behaviours and customs of any culture must be viewed and analyzed by the cultures own standards

Front 33

cultural capital theory

Back 33

views high culture as a a device used to separate the dominant class from the subordinate class

Front 34

fad

Back 34

a temporary but widely copied activity followed enthusiastically by large numbers of people

Front 35

fashion

Back 35

longer lasting than a fad

Front 36

cultual imperialism

Back 36

the infusion of one nation's culture into another nations culture

Front 37

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

Back 37

not only expresses our thoughts and perceptions but also influences our perception of reality

Front 38

Functionalist perspective

Back 38

-common language and shared values help produce consensus and harmony

Front 39

Conflict perspective

Back 39

-values and norms help create and sustain a position of privilege for those in power of a society
- ideas can be used by the ruling class to affect the thoughts and actions of members of other classes

Front 40

symbolic interactionist perspective

Back 40

- people create maintain and modify culture during their everyday activities
- symbols assist our communication with others by providing a shared meaning

Front 41

post modern perspective

Back 41

-culture today is based on a simulation of reality rathe than reality itself
- deconstruct existing values and beliefs in order to gain new insights