What is Culture? Culture is the learned and shared behaviors and belief, attitudes, values, and material objects that characterize a group or society.
Characteristics of Culture
Culture is learned
Culture is also transmitted
Material and Non-Material Culture
Material Culture- tangible things such as stickers, clothes, shoes, etc..
Non-Material Culture- Things you cannot touch such as religions, beliefs, language, etc…
Symbols
Symbol- anything that stands for something else and has a meaning for people who share a culture.
Symbols takes form is:
Words
Gestures
Visual image
Physical objects
Symbols distinguish one culture from another
Symbols can unify or divide a society
Symbols can change over time
Language
Language is a system of shared symbols
Values
Values- standards which numbers of a particular culture define what is good or bad, moral or immoral, and proper or improper
Norms
Norms are societies specific rules of right and wrong behavior
Norms tell us what we should and shouldn’t do
Characteristics of Norms:
Unwritten
They are instrumental
Some are explicit while others are implicit
They change over time
Most are conditional
Can be rigid or flexible
3 Types of Norms
1. Folkways- norms that members of a society look upon as not being critical and that may be broken without severe punishment
2. Mores- norms that society considers very important because they maintain morals and ethics.
3. Laws- (Very
