Notes:
culture, the society’s socially learned and shared ideas, behaviors, and material components
Material culture, the physical artifacts representing components of society,
nonmaterial culture, ideas, and symbols representing components of society,
Ideal culture, the ideals and values that a society professes to believe,
real culture, the actual behavior of members of society,
culture shock, surprise, disorientation, or fear when encountering a new culture.
first-generation college student, the first person in the immediate family to attend college,
symbol, an idea or object that has a shared meaning to groups of people
language, words and symbols used to communicate
Verbal language, a system of spoken and written words
Sapir-Whorf theory, a theoretical perspective that suggests people view society through the framework of language,
Nonverbal language, a system of communication using symbols such as facial expressions, gestures, and proximity of the body
personal space, the physical region surrounding an individual that is considered private.
beliefs, ideas generally held to be true in society
technological determinism, the idea that society’s technology drives the development of its social structures.
values, collective ideas about what is desirable and undesirable in society
norms, established guidelines, behaviors, and expectations that are accepted in a given range of social situations
Folkways, informal and common norms that guide everyday behavior
mores, informal norms based on moral and ethical factors
laws, formal and legal rules enforced by the state.
Taboos, formal norms that, if violated sanctions, punishments or rewards that support socially approved norms
Cultural transmission, the means by which culture is passed from generation to generation
dominant ideology, the beliefs and interests of the majority,
cultural imperialism, the influence and power of one country’s culture on a country due to importing goods and services.
subcultures, groups with a distinct set of cultural characteristics shared by a minority of people in society.
countercultures are subculture groups that are in opposition or contrast with the majority of the members of society
cultural universals, aspects of culture found in all societies.
social facts, social patterns that are external to individuals and greatly influence our way of thinking and behaving in society.
ethnocentrism, judging another culture by one’s own standards
cultural relativism, understanding another culture from its standards.
cultural diffusion, the spread of norms, values, knowledge, symbols, and material components from one society to another.
cultural lag, the process by which technological development and progress outpace current norms, values, knowledge, symbols, and material components of society
cultural leveling, the process of cultures becoming similar due to factors such as media and globalization,
popular culture, cultural characteristics adopted, imitated, and idolized by the masses
high culture consists of cultural characteristics associated with the dominant and elite members of society