Lesson 2 Culture

Learning objectives for Chapter 2

What are the key ideas concerning culture from the stand point of Conflict Theory, Functionalist Theory, and Symbolic Interactionalist Theory?

Identify the different ways in which language makes human life possible

Discuss how differences in core values can lead to culture wars

Define gestures and how they relate to culture and to communications

Vocabulary to learn from Chapter 2

core values in U.S. society

Countercultures

cultural diffusion and cultural leveling

cultural lag

cultural relativism

emoticons

ethnocentrism

folkways

ideal and real culture

language

material culture

mores

nonmaterial culture

norms

sanctions

Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

subcultures

symbols

taboos

value clusters and value contradictions

Discussion

For our purposes, your personal ethnicity is the cultural aspects that have become a part of you. Some things you inherit, some things you earn. Some teachings you hold on to, some you do not. After all, you are not exactly the combination of your parents; you are a unique individual.

Sometimes you may hide some of your inheritance or borrow some from others (i.e. perhaps you hide an accent or “borrow” an accent depending on the circumstances). You have adopted a culture that is a combination of material things and non-material things, such as ethics. And, according to Symbolic Interactionalism, you interpret both yourself and the world – you literally create your own reality.

But how can we measure a personal, unique culture or ethnicity?  The following drawing should help you learn about yourself. It is based upon Max Weber’s concept of “life chances.”  The society you live in has rules but also has biases towards some people. “Minority” status does not just mean race. It means that, in any given measurement, you may be less powerful than groups of other people. “Majority“status means that you are more powerful than the average person in that measurement.

For example, take gender. Numerically, there are more females than males in our society. But when seen from the eyes of political power, it seem quite clear than women, as a class, are less powerful than men as a class. The US Senate has never had, at any one time, more than 9% women Senators. The US House has never gone over 12%. Even in State and local politics, women office-holders usually do not go over 20%. So women are classified as a minority.

Another example is age. As a general rule of thumb, you are the most powerful between the ages of 45 and 55. Therefore, if you are not in that age category, you are a minority at this time. Health status is yet another measurement. If you are as fit as an Olympic contender, then you have a majority status in health status. If you have poor health, you are certainly a minority. SES (Social Economic Status) is a measure that is easy to understand. Bill Gates simply has a lot more money than you do. He is the majority and you would be the minority.

Look over the drawing and try to determine your own count on the majority/minority scale. If you come up with a large number of minority statuses, your life chances are less than average.  If you come up with a large number of majority statuses, the greater are your life chances. 

Some items confuse students. You do engage in “weather making attempts” if you have an air conditioner and heater in your car and home. That would give you a majority status. You do engage in “tool making” since you create academic work. Once again, that would give you a majority status.

You will see this drawing again in the chapter of Race and Ethnicity.

Movies assigned

Chapter 2 Culture

Videos that you can rent which are based upon some of the principles of this lesson:

The Village

Explorers

Enemy Mine