1. Week 2: Defining & exploring
Culture
HE Access: Sociological
perspectives - Culture
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2. Week 2: Culture
Norms, Values, beliefs & roles

3. HE Access: Sociological
perspectives - Culture
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What is Culture?
 Culture is the entire way of life for a
group of people (including both
material and symbolic elements).
 It is a lens through which one views
the world and is passed from one
generation to the next.
 It is what makes us human.

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perspectives - Culture
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Components of Culture (cont)
 Values, shared beliefs about what a
group considers worthwhile or
desirable
 Norms, the formal and informal
rules regarding what kinds of
behavior are acceptable and
appropriate within a culture.
 Values and Norms govern our
behavior

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perspectives - Culture
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Components of Culture: Norms
 Norms are specific to a culture, time
period, and situation.
 Norms can be either formal, such as a
law (an explicit statement about
what is illegal in a society) or
 Informal, which are not written down
(but may be spoken, or
communicated).

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Components of Culture: Norms
 A more (more-ray) is a norm that carries
greater moral significance, is closely related
to the core values of a group, and often
involves severe repercussions for violators.
 A taboo is a norm engrained so deeply that
even thinking about violating it evokes
strong feelings of disgust, horror, or
revulsion for most people.

7. Examples … ?
 In small groups, provide 1 or 2
examples of the following:
 Cultural Values (beliefs)
 Cultural Norms (rules)
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perspectives - Culture
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perspectives - Culture
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Social Control and Sanctions
 Sanctions are positive or negative
reactions to the ways that people follow or
disobey norms, including rewards for
conformity and punishments for norm
violators.
 Sanctions help to establish social control,
the formal and informal mechanisms used
to increase conformity to values and norms
and thus increase social cohesion.

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perspectives - Culture
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Variations in Culture (cont’d)
 The dominant culture refers to the
values, norms, and practices of the
group within society that is most
powerful in terms of wealth, prestige,
status, and influence.
 A subculture is a group within
society that is differentiated by its
distinctive values, norms, and
lifestyle.

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Cultural Change
 Cultures usually change slowly and
incrementally, though change can
also happen in rapid and dramatic
ways.
 One of the key ways that material
culture can change is through
technology.

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perspectives - Culture
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Take Away Points
 Culture is a lens through which we
view the world around us.
 It is also a filter that we are (mostly)
unaware modifies our perception of
reality.
 Culture is passed on to us from our
elders, we the recreate it through
interaction with other people.

12. How does culture influence your life?
For next week:
Pick four items and/or aspects and/or
behaviours from within your house or home
environment
Describe them, and explain their relationship
within the context of your culture:
Identify whether you think they form examples
of a cultural value (belief) or a cultural norm
(formal or informal rule)
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perspectives - Culture
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