This document provides an overview of key concepts related to sociology and culture. It begins by defining sociology as the scientific study of human society and social behavior. It then discusses definitions of key terms like society, culture, and norms. It describes the elements of culture including norms, values, language, and fashion. It explains cultural variation in terms of nationality, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic class, and political identity. It also discusses cultural adaptation and conformity. The document aims to define these important sociological concepts for students.
3. ...ifyou judgeafish by its
ability to climb atree, it
will live its whole life
believing that it is stupid.
worldtruth.tv
Einstein's quote
reminds us to think
twice before measuring
ourselves (and others)
against inappropriate
standards.
4. TOO MANY STUDENTS LEAVE SCHOOL WITH THE APPETITE
KILLED AND THE MIND LOADED WITH UNDIGESTED LUMPS OF
INFORMATION
.
(ABBOTT, 1999)
8. Objectives
By the end of this topic, you should be able to:
define Sociology
Define Society
Define culture,
- cultural variation, cultural adaptation and cultural
confirmity
9.
10.
11. ▪ The term society is derived from the Latin word
‘socius’,which means companionship or friendship.
▪ Two primary components of a society are its culture
and itssocial structure.
▪ Society is one of the basic sociological terms. In simple
sense, society is a large grouping that shares the same
geographical territory, shares a common culture and
social structure, and expected to abide by the some
laws.
12. ▪ Morris Ginsberg , “ A Society is a collection of
individuals united by certain relations or mode
of behavior which mark them off from others
who do not enter into these relations or who
differ from them inbehavior”.
▪ Prof. Giddings, “society is the union itself, the
organization, the sum of formal relations in which
associating individuals are bound together.”
13. 1.Society consists of people
▪ Society is composed of people. Without people there can
be no society, no social relationship and no social life at
all.
2.Mutual awareness and mutual interaction
▪ Society is a group of people in continuous interactions
with each other.A social interaction is made possible
because of mutual awareness.Society is understood as a
network of social relations. Thus, social relationship
implies mutual awareness.
14. 3.Co-operation and division of labor
▪ Division of labor involves the assignment to each unit or group
a specific share of a common task. For example: Common
task of providing the banking service involves counter
services, accountancy, loan lending etc. division of labor is
possible because of co-operation.
4. Societyis dynamic
▪ Society is not static, but it is dynamic. Changeability is an
inherent quality of human beings. No society can even
remain constant for any length oftime.
15. 5. Socialcontrol
▪ Absolute freedom makes man’s life like other animal
beings. So society has its own ways of controlling
the behavior of its members. For this, society has
formal and informal means of social control.
Customs, traditions, mores folkways, manners are
the informal means of social control, whereas law,
police, constitution, police are formal means of
social control.
16. Society usually refers to group of people who
lives and work together or who share social
norms and values. It is simply a web of social
relationship. People interact in a defined territory
and share a culture. Today the structure of society
has been changed from hunting and gathering
societies and agrarian societies to industrial
society. But still we need society from birth to till
death for the performance of social values norms
etc.
18. Sociology as a Discipline
Sociologist Peter L. Berger once said that:
"theexcitementofsociology
liesinthefactthatits
perspectivemakesus seeina
newlighttheveryworldin
whichwehavelivedallour
lives”.
19. What is Sociology?
The term SOCIOLOGY,
was
first used in 1780 by a
French essayist named
Emmanuel Joseph
Sieyès
(1748 - 1836) in an
unpublished manuscript.
Later, the word was used
by a French thinker
named Auguste
Comte.
20. What is Sociology?
Sociology is derived from the
combination of the Latin socius –
meaning, “companion” and the Greek
logos - meaning “the study of”
- It literally means the study of
companionship, or social
relations.
- science or study of the origin,
development, organization, and
functioning of human society.
- It is the science of fundamental laws
of social behavior, relations,
institutions, etc.
26. What is CULTURE?
• According to Edward
Tylor, “Culture refers to
that complex whole
which includes
knowledge, beliefs, art,
morals, law, customs, and
any other capabilities and
habits acquired by man
as a member of society”.
27. • According to Robert
Redfield, “Culture is an
organized body of
conventional
understanding manifest
in art and artifacts,
which, persisting
through tradition,
characterizes a human
group”.
28. Culture
Culture is defined as the way of life
of a people that is learned and
transmitted from generation to
generation.
Also defined as the sum total of
man’s achievement in arts, sciences,
and technology that will satisfy human
29. Types of CULTURE
• Material culture refers to the concrete and tangible
things that man creates and uses. They range from
the prehistoric stone tools of primitive man to the
most advanced computer of the modern man
• Non-material culture consists of words people use;
the habits they follow; the ideas, customs and
behavior that any society professes and to which
they strive to conform. Laws, techniques, lifestyle,
and knowledge are included, too.
30. Characteristics of Culture
• Culture is learned and acquired.
• Culture is shared and
transmitted.
• Culture is social.
• Culture is ideational.
• Culture gratifies human needs.
• Culture is adaptive.
• Culture tends toward
integration.
• Culture is cumulative.
31. Elements of Culture
1.Norms- these are guides or models of behavior
which tell us what is appropriate or inappropriate,
what is right or wrong
a.Folkways
b.Mores
c.Laws
2.Values- values represent the standards we use to
evaluate the desirability of things
a.Achievement and Success
b.Activity and work
32. Continuation…
.
c.Moral orientation
d.Humanitarian
e.Efficiency and practicality
3.Language- it refers to a system of symbols that have
specific and arbitrary meaning in a given society
4.Fashion, fads, and craze- these are other elements
of culture that are short-lived social norms with which
people are expected to comply with
35. WE MUST BE ABLE TO
articulate observations on
human cultural variation,
social differences, social
change, and political
identities.
36.
37. Cultural variation
This crazy tradition is practiced in India
and involves growing babies from high
rooftops supposedly to provide the
newborn with good luck, ...
38. CULTURAL VARIATION NATIONALITY
NATIONALITY
The identity that is tied to
being part of a nation or
country.
NATION A “group of
people who share the
same history, traditions
and language.”
Oftentimes inhabit a
39. CULTURAL VARIATION ETHNICITY
Smaller cultural groups (ethnic
groups) that share the specific
environments, traditions, and
histories that are not
necessarily subscribed to the
mainstream culture.
ETHNOS – “group”, “nation”,
“people” About
180 ethnic groups in the
Philippines.
41. CULTURAL VARIATION GENDER
“refers to the socially constructed roles,
behaviors, activities, and attributes that a
given society considers appropriate for men
and women.” (WHO, 2013)
SEX refers to the biological characteristic of
humans such as male or female while
gender categories are more varied.
LGBT – Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and
42. SEXUAL ORIENTATION/PREFERENCE HETEROSEXUAL
HETEROSEXUAL - Sexually attracted to a
person of the opposite sex.
HOMOSEXUAL - Of the same sex.
Gay/lesbian
BISEXUAL - Attracted to both sexes.
ASEXUAL - Incapable of being attracted to any
sex.
PANSEXUAL/POLYSEXUAL - Attracted to
43. GENDER IDENTITY
TRANSGENDER - SO is not
related to their genitalia.
TRANSSEXUAL - Discord
between their internal gender
and their genitalia. (sexual
44. CULTURAL VARIATION SOCIOECONOMIC CLASS
DETERMINANTS Income, value
of assets and savings, cultural
interest and hobbies, education,
peers and relatives.
45. CULTURAL VARIATION POLITICAL IDENTITY
Refers to the set of attitudes and
practices that an individual
adheres to in relation to the
political systems and actors within
his or her society.
46. VARIATIONS WITHIN CULTURES ADDITIONAL
CONCEPTS
SUBCULTURE - A
segment of society that
shares distinctive
patterns of mores,
folkways, and values
which differ from the
pattern of larger society.
A culture within a culture.
47. CULTURAL VARIATION COUNTERCULTURE
Group which values and norms are at
odds with or reject that of the
mainstream society.
E.g. Civil Rights Movements;
Modern Feminist Movements;
Gay Rights Movement
ISIS; Abu Sayyaf
66. Examples of Conformity
A teenager dresses in a certain style because he wants to fit in
with therest of the guys in his social group.
A 20-year-old college student drinks at a sorority party because all
her friends are doing it and she does not want to be the odd one
out.
A woman reads a book for her book club and really enjoys it.
When she attends her book club meeting, the other members all
disliked the book. Rather than go against the group opinion, she
simply agrees with the others that the book was terrible.
A student is unsure about the answer to a particular question
posed by the teacher. When another student in the class provides
an answer, the confused student concurs with the answer
believing that the other student is smarter and better informed.
67. What Is Conformity?
Conformity involves changing your behaviors in
order to "fit in" or "go along" with the people
around you. In some cases, this social
influence might involve agreeing with or acting
like the majority of people in a specific group, or
it might involve behaving in a particular way in
order to be perceived as "normal" by the
group.
68. Definitions of Conformity
"Conformity is the most general concept and refers to any change in behavior
caused by another person or group; the individual acted in some way because of
influence from others. Note that conformity is limited to changes in behavior
caused by other people; it does not refer to effects of other people on internal
concepts like attitudes or beliefs... Conformity encompasses compliance and
obedience, because it refers to any behavior that occurs as a result of others'
influence - no matter what the nature of the influence.“
"Conformity can be defined as yielding to group pressures, something which
nearly all of us do some of the time. Suppose, for example, you go with friends to
see a film. You didn't think the film was very good, but all your friends thought that
it was absolutely brilliant. You might be tempted to conform by pretending to
agree with their verdict on the film rather than being the odd one out." (Eysenck,
Psychology: An International Perspective, 2004)
69. Why Do We Conform?
Researchers have found that people conform for a number
of different reasons.
In many cases, looking to the rest of the group for clues
for how we should behave can actually be helpful.
Other people might have greater knowledge or
experience than we do, so following their lead can actually
be instructive.
In other cases, we conform to the expectations of the group
in order to avoid looking foolish. This tendency can become
particularly strong in situations where we aren't quite sure
how to act or where the expectations are ambiguous.
70. Why Do We Conform?
Deautsch and Gerard (1955) identified two key reasons why people
conform:
Informational influence happens when people change their behavior
in order to be correct. In situations where we are unsure of the correct
response, we often look to others who are better informed and more
knowledgeable and use their lead as a guide for our own behaviors. In
a classroom setting, for example, this might involve agreeing with the
judgments of another classmate who you perceive as being highly
intelligent.
Normative influence stems from a desire to avoid punishments (such
as going along with the rules in class even though you don't agree with
them) and gain rewards (such as behaving in a certain way in order to
get people to like you).
71. Types of Conformity
Normative conformity involves changing one's behavior in order to
fit in with the group.
Informational conformity happens when a person lacks knowledge
and
looks to the group for information and direction.
Identification occurs when people conform to what is expected of
them based upon their social roles. Zimbardo's famous Stanford
Prison Experiment is a good example of people altering their
behavior in order to fit into their expected roles.
Compliance involves changing one's behavior while still internally
disagreeing with the group.
Internalization occurs when we change our behavior because we want
to be like another person.
72. Factors That Influence Conformity
The difficulty of the task: Difficult tasks can lead to both increased and
decreased conformity. Not knowing how to perform a difficult task makes
people more likely to conform, but increased difficulty can also make
people more accepting of different responses, leading to less conformity.
Individual differences: Personal characteristics such as motivation to
achieve and strong leadership abilities are linked with a decreased
tendency to conform.
The size of the group: People are more likely to conform in situations
that involve between three and five other people.
Characteristics of the situation: People are more likely to conform in
ambiguous situations where they are unclear about how they should
respond.
Cultural differences: Researchers have found that people from
collectivist cultures are more likely to conform.
73.
74.
75. References:
Tamayao, A. (2013). Social Dimensions of Education. Rex Book
Store. Duka C. et al ( 2014). Introduction to Sociology: A
Filipino Perspective.
Anvil Publishing.
Giddens A. et al (2009). Introduction to Sociology. W. W.
Norton & Company, Inc.
Saha, L. (2008). “Sociology of Education. “ 21st Century
Education: A Reference Handbook. Sage Publications.
