Sociology Chapter 2 Cultural Studies Develop Discussion With Your Students

CHAPTER 2:

CULTURE

BRIEF CHAPTER OUTLINE

I. Defining Culture

A. The Power of Culture: Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism, and Culture Shock

B. Characteristics of Culture

II. The Elements of Culture

A. Language

B. Norms

C. Beliefs

D. Values

III. Cultural Diversity

A. Dominant Culture

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Define culture.

2. Recall the elements of culture.

KEY TERMS (listed in text)

beliefs (39)

countercultures (44)

cultural relativism (31)

culture (28)

ethnocentrism (31)

ethnomethodology (38)

popular culture (45)

reflection hypothesis (51)

KEY PEOPLE

Pierre Bourdieu (53)

Edward Sapir (36)

LECTURE OUTLINE

I. Defining Culture

Culture is the complex system of meaning and behavior that defines the way of

life for a given group or society.

1. Nonmaterial culture is intangible. Material culture refers to the

1. Ethnocentrism is the habit of seeing things only from the point of view of

B. Characteristics of Culture

1. Culture is shared. Its expression often includes great diversity.

2. Culture is learned. The process of learning a culture is called

socialization. A person learns or becomes a member of a culture by

II. The Elements of Culture

A. Language – a set of symbols and rules, which, when put together in a

meaningful way, provides a complex communication system.

1. Becoming a part of any social group involves learning the language the

group uses. Language is fluid and dynamic and evolves in response to

social change.

2. Does Language Shape Culture?

a. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis posits that language determines what

3. Social Inequality in Language

a. Patterns of race, gender, and class inequality are reflected in language.

b. The names of various racial and ethnic groups impose an

way people think.

B. Norms

1. Norms are the specific cultural expectations that govern behavior in

situations. They are both implicit and explicit.

2. William Graham Sumner (1906) identified two types of norms:

C. Beliefs – Stemming from religion, myth, folklore, or science, beliefs

provide a meaning system around which culture is organized.

D. Values – Abstract standards that define a culture’s or society’s ideal principles;

they can be a basis for cultural cohesion or a source of conflict. Values, beliefs,

and norms guide and regulate the behavior of people in society.

III. Cultural Diversity

A. Dominant Culture – The culture of the most powerful group in a given society

that sets the cultural expectations that constitute the culture’s or society’s

B. Subcultures – Groups within the larger culture whose values and norms of

behavior differ from those of the dominant culture, yet they share many

elements of the dominant culture and coexist with it.

C. Countercultures – Subcultures created as a reaction against the values of the

dominant culture. Some countercultures, such as the right-wing militia

movement, directly challenge the dominant political system.

D. The Globalization of Culture

1. The diffusion of a single culture throughout the world is referred to as

versus the traditional values of local communities.

IV. The Mass Media and Popular Culture

1. Mass media are those channels of communication that are available to

wide segments of the population, including radio, television, movies,

magazines, newspapers, and even the Internet—which strongly shape

media—the term used to refer to the vast networks of social interaction that

new media have inspired.

4. Media portray a very homogeneous view of culture, are ubiquitous, and

have enormous power to shape public opinion and behavior.

5. Popular culture includes the beliefs, practices, and objects that are part

of everyday traditions, including mass-produced, mass-marketed media

A. The Organization of Mass Media

1. The mass media is not only a pervasive part of daily life; it is also

a big business.

2. The mass media is organized via powerful economic interests. And,

increasingly, the media are owned by a small number of companies—

B. Race, Gender, and Class in the Media

1. Mass media promote narrow definitions of who people are and what they can

be.

3. Media images have a significant impact on people’s behavior and self-image.

V. Theoretical Perspectives on Culture and the Media

1. The reflection hypothesis contends that the mass media reflect the values

A. Culture and Group Solidarity

1. Sociologists have studied how culture influences social institutions

B. Culture, Power, and Social Conflict

1. From a conflict perspective, economic interests dominate culture.

This is referred to as economic determinism.

2. Conflict theorists see contemporary culture, which is controlled by

3. Conflict theorists also point out that culture can be a source of political

resistance, as in the repatriation movement among American Indians

C. Symbolic Interaction and the Study of Culture

1. Symbolic interaction emphasizes that culture is socially constructed.

D. Feminist Theory and Culture

1. Feminist theory analyzes the power that men have in controlling

VI. Cultural Change

A. Culture Lag

1. Culture lag refers to the delay in cultural adjustments to changing social

conditions. When culture changes rapidly, or someone is suddenly thrust

B. Sources of Cultural Change

1. Cultures change in response to changed conditions in the society

(such as the retiring Baby Boomer generation—people born between

1946 and 1964).

LECTURE/DISCUSSION SUGGESTIONS

1. Manufacturing News. Take a current event receiving extensive media coverage,

and sample diverse sources reporting on the event from audio, video, online, or print

media. Your selections might include a mainstream network like CBS, Fox News,

2. Subcultures and/or countercultures. Have students break into groups; each group

selects a subculture or counterculture to research. The group will write a short report

3. Ethnocentrism. Working in small groups, have students share examples of

ethnocentrism they have seen in their lives. What were the effects? As a class, have a

4. Animal Culture. In class, show excerpts of videos depicting Jane Goodall’s work

with chimpanzees or other animal studies (most college libraries should have copies of

5. Culture Wars. Address examples of initiatives or political debates about English Plus

versus English Only policy, the flying of the Confederate flag, same-sex marriage,

6. Prostitution Is Culturally Relative. Hold a class discussion on the function of

7. Library and Media Research. Show how the media is contributing to prejudice

regarding Mexicans in America. Ask students how they would feel if the tables were

turned and they wanted to live in Mexico. Do they think they should be allowed to

become Mexican citizens?

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

1. Group Culture. Ask students to write a short description of the culture of a social

group they are part of, taking into account the characteristics and elements of culture

2. Taking the Role of the Other. As an extension of—or alternative to—the first

activity, instruct students to write a description of a culture they know well as an

insider, but to draw attention to those features they believe will be necessary for an

3. Culture Conflict Scenarios. Assign groups of students to brainstorm situations in

their college or university that reflect conflicts between cultures. Each group can

4. Doing Ethnomethodology. Have students work together in groups to perform a

classic breaching project. Make sure they identify both the norm they are breaking

5. Language Shapes Culture. Have students search media for examples of new words

and expressions that have entered, or acquired new significance in, the American

6. Watching TV. Have students watch a TV program of their choice and report back to

the class on how it reflected the values, attitudes, norms, or the dominant culture and

how and if it discriminated against racial, ethnic, or gender groups. What are the

dominant or subculture or counterculture values being proposed?

VIDEO SUGGESTIONS (Videos with a * next to them have corresponding activities

below.)

* Mansome (2012, 82 min.)

A documentary that explores the following question: In the age of manscaping,

metrosexuals, and grooming products galore, what does it mean to be a man? For more

* Guyland: Where Boys Become Men (2015, 35 min.)

In this powerful film based on his bestselling book, sociologist Michael Kimmel maps the

troubling social world where boys become men—a new stage of development he calls

“Guyland.” Arguing that the traditional adult signposts and cultural signals that once

helped boys navigate their way to manhood are no longer clear, Kimmel provides an

astonishing glimpse into a world where more and more young men are trying desperately

for young women and other young men. Available at www.mediaed.org/

* Breaking Social Norms (5 min.)

These two students videotape their attempt to break a social norm for a class assignment.

* Improv Everywhere

This group of improvisational performers organize and coordinate public spectacles that

are often useful in exploring norms, sanctions, statuses, and so on. Perhaps most famous

* Big Fat Gypsy Weddings

* Spitting Game: The College Hookup Culture (2011, 64 min., abridged version, 35 min.)

Filmmaker Denice Ann Evans draws heavily on the voices of students in this powerful

* The Illusionists: A Film About the Globalization of Beauty (2015, 54 min.)

The Illusionists examines how global advertising firms, mass media conglomerates, and the

VIDEO ACTIVITIES

View Mansome. Ask students to write a reaction paper, using research presented in the

film to support their ideas. Have them summarize the major arguments and supporting

research presented in the film.

View Spitting Game. Break students up into groups of four, and have them

discuss the following questions:

 What are the norms for gender sexuality in today’s society? Are these norms

After watching one or more episodes of Kid Nation, have students consider what would

be the first things they would do if they were in a similar position. What rules or laws

would they put in place? What values would they want to uphold? Have a class

discussion.

INTERNET EXERCISES

1. Have students review current news items and action events at Media Watch

2. Have students select an issue that interests them and report on how the issue is

3. Other media websites that could be useful for students who are exploring media issues

include:

Media Alliance (https://media-alliance.org) is dedicated to promoting media

provides links to information on major classic sociologists, as well as important

sociological concepts.

From all of these sites, follow the links on particular issues of interest.

list of the journal contents; you might direct students to use InfoTrac College Edition or

other electronic databases to access the full articles. The website also has information on

meetings, conferences, and calls for papers, which might interest some students with an

academic or professional interest in this field. Resources from the other websites could be

used for student research papers, short written assignments, group projects, or online

discussions.

4. The U.S. Department of the Interior website about Native Americans, which they call