Culture

Question 1

What is culture? /5

Answer 1

Languages
Beliefs
Norms 
Behaviors
Material objects 

Passed on to future generations of society

Question 2

What us material culture? /2

Answer 2

Physical objects that members of society make/use/share

ex. books, iPhones

Question 3

What is non-material culture? /2

Answer 3

abstract/intangible creations influenced people’s behaviors

ex. democracy, consumerism

Question 4

What is High culture? /2

Answer 4

worthy of study and appreciation by the elite

preserved and studied in academies

ex. classical music, literary classes

Question 5

What is folk culture? /2

Answer 5

created by a specific community or ethnic group

ex. nursery rhymes, hijab

Question 6

What is popular culture? /3

Answer 6

contemporary

changes rapidly in the technological world

the most visible and pervasive level of culture in society

ex. television shows, jeans

Question 7

How does Functionalism view culture? /2

Answer 7

to preserve stability

unique customs develop and persist because they are functional

Question 8

Hoes does Conflict Theory view culture? /2

Answer 8

certain groups control culture

in order to sustain their privileged positions in society

Question 9

How does Symbolic Interactionism view culture? /2

Answer 9

observe that people create/maintain/modify culture as they go about their daily activities

cultural symbols that are used to communicate are specific to each culture

Question 10

How does the Feminist Theory view culture? /3

Answer 10

culture is generally patriarchal

favorable to men

defines the gender roles within each society

Question 11

Components of society: Symbol? /2

Answer 11

something that stands for something else

meaning is often unique to a specific culture

ex. Maple leaf = canada,

Question 12

Components of society: Language? /3

Answer 12

a set of symbols that express ideas and allow communication

verbal (spoken)

non-verbal (written or gestured)

ex. “I love you” or heart hand gesture

Question 13

Components of society: Values? /2

Answer 13

collective ideas about what is right or wrong

part of society’s non-material culture

ex. gender equality in Canada, wisdom in China

Question 14

Components of society: Beliefs? /2

Answer 14

statements about what people believe are true or false

change over time

ex. smoking causes cancer, , being a homosexual is a crime against the church

Question 15

Components of society: Norms? /4

Answer 15

established rules of behavior or standards of conduct

help people know how to act in different situations

vary from culture to culture

can be considered acceptable in one culture, but not in another

ex. attending a pre-university program in Canada, direct eye contact is rude

Question 16

What are the three different types of Norms? /3

Answer 16

Folkways

Laws

Sanctions

Question 17

What are Folkways? /2

Answer 17

informal types of norms that are not strictly enforced

provide a framework for our everyday behavior

ex. holding the door open for someone

Question 18

What are Laws? /4

Answer 18

norms perceived as being more serious

formal norms that are enforced through social institutions

help make social interactions more predictable

violating a law will receive a formal negative sanction

ex. exceeding the speed limit

Question 19

What are Sanctions? /3

Answer 19

used to encourage compliance

a reward for following a norm that are enforced through social institutions

most sanctions are informal, especially those pertaining to folkways

ex. speeding ticket (-), paid bonus (+)

Question 20

What is a cultural change? /3

Answer 20

when cultures are constantly changing due to societies constantly facing new social and technological challenges

proposed by William Ogburn

focuses on how technology often stimulates social adaptations

Question 21

What is an invention? /3

Answer 21

when something is deliberately changed or made

in order to produce something new

changes how people do things

ex. cars, computers

Question 22

What is discovery? /2

Answer 22

new items or methods that are not deliberately created but come about

observe or better understand something that already exists

ex. penicillin

Question 23

What is diffusion? /2

Answer 23

an item or a method of doing things is transmitted from one culture to another

often took the form of cultural imperialism

Question 24

What is cultural lag?

Answer 24

when social and cultural changes occur at a slower pace than technological changes

Question 25

Why is cultural change important? /2

Answer 25

in response to new inventions

especially in law

Question 26

What is a dominant culture? /2

Answer 26

practiced by the majority majority

controls the social institutions

Question 27

What is a subculture? /3(5)

Answer 27

how its own distinct:

• Values
• Beliefs
• Norms

usually able to peacefully and respectfully coexist within the dominant culture

generally respects the dominant culture and the fundamental values of the dominant society

Question 28

What are the different types of subcultures? /4

Answer 28

Ethnic

Religion

Sexual Orientation

Recreational Activities

Question 29

What is an example of ethnic subculture? /1(5)

Answer 29

immigrant groups:

• live in the same neighborhood
• practice their religion
• speak their language
• maintain their norms of dress and food

Question 30

What is a counterculture?

Answer 30

a group becomes significantly distinct from the dominant culture

ex. indigenous culture

Question 31

What is assimilation/melting pot?

Answer 31

the process by which a minority group adopts the pattern of the dominant culture

Question 32

What is multiculturalism? /3

Answer 32

concept that refers to a society that supports the inherent value of different cultures

first adopted by Canada in 1971

promotes equality while preserving cultural diversity

Question 33

What is cultural relativism? /2

Answer 33

a deliberate effort to appreciate a group’s way of life in its own context without prejudice

a sociologist would seek to understand these reasons and the values behind them

ex. women encouraged to wear the hijab

Question 34

What is ethnocentrism? /4

Answer 34

when a person uses their own culture to judge another culture

potentially dangerous to sociologists

can lead to incorrect assumptions about different cultures

in extreme forms, ethnocentrism can lead to xenophobia

ex. Christians insulting the hijab

Question 35

What is xenophobia?

Answer 35

the fear and hostility towards people who are from other cultures

ex. 9/11

Question 36

What is culture shock? /3

Answer 36

feeling lost/anxious/overwhelmed at how a culture differs from your own

occurs when a person encounters a culture foreign to their own

has an emotional response to differences between cultures

Question 37

What is integration?

Answer 37

both new culture and culture of origin are appreciated

Question 38

What is separation/segregation?

Answer 38

usually collective, the group remains separate from mainstream society

Question 39

What is marginalization?

Answer 39

loss of heritage culture

low participation in dominant culture

Question 40

What is exclusion?

Answer 40

minority groups prevented from participating in mainstream culture