Friday, February 1, 1999
Announcements:

• You will not be allowed to take home in-class assignments again. They are given to encourage attendance.

1. Sociological Research Steps (continued)

1. Analyze Data – use sociological theories, literature review, and your own analysis – this is the main part of the paper

1. Apply the sociological theories
2. Choose which ones are appropriate
3. Check to see what other scholars say about the topic
4. Integrate with your own data

1. Culture – Means by which Humans Cultivate the World

1. Introduction: In China, there were no dogs anywhere. The professor found out that dogs were eaten as a delicacy over there. Also all nice restaurants have a snake coiled inside a glass case filled with water. The professor experienced culture shock – a personal disorientation that accompanies a new experience. Culture is important because:

1. It gives a set of instructions to visitors – Example: Before students go to study abroad they must have orientation to get accustomed to the culture of the country they are going to.
2. By understanding culture, we can predict our own behavior and the behavior of others. Culture is a set of values, beliefs, norms, material objects, symbols, etc. Example: Foreigners see American commercials and see freedom, sex, capitalism, the good life, etc. being represented.

1. Material and non-material

1. Material – culture that is tangible (can be touched) Example: hats, T-shirts, the flag
2. Non-material – culture that is intangible (religion, beliefs, ideas) Example of a combination of material and non-material culture: A Jim Morrison T-shirt, a representation of the social heritage of the U.S.A.

1. Three Features of Culture:

1. Culture is a social creation, which is learned and passed on through generations. It is not fixed – constantly changing – Ideas are borrowed (Nose rings in the US have come from India)
2. Evolutionary strategy for survival – America would not be what it is today without the Industrial Revolution
3. Quality of shared understanding – Every American knows about the Super Bowl, 4^th of July

1. Components of Culture

1. Symbols – meanings attached to things. Example: China – dragons are a symbol of power, strength, prosperity. USA – Flag, Statue of Liberty – There are also cultural variations in symbols (example would be how cows are sacred in India but eaten daily in the US)
2. Language – the key to entering the world of culture. Learning a language is necessary to fully understand a culture. Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis – Language determines the consciousness, experiences, and perception of objects and events. Example: Eskimos have 20 words for snow. Example: Democracy – since Americans experience democracy, they use the word in many different ways whereas the Chinese would express it in just 2 or 3 words. Example: Washington DC – the white aide of a black mayor resigned b/c some people mistook the word niggardly to be a racial slur.
3. Values – Standards of living

1. Dominant Ideology – Used to describe culturally defined ideas to maintain the elite’s political and economic interests.
2. Dominant Value Profile – A set of standard values by a majority of people. 10 of these significant values held by Americans are: equal opportunity, achieved success, work and activity, materialism, practicality and efficiency, prosperity and progress, science, democracy and capitalism, rugged individualism, and humanitarianism. A Negative Value is racism.

1. Norms – Shared rules that guide behavior – a product of consensus

1. Proscriptive – mandate what we should not do – Example: Health officials warn against promiscuous sex because of all the STD’s going around
2. Prescriptive – mandate what we should do – Example: If we do have sex, we should wear a condom.

1. Mores - deep-rooted cultural values that have a moral significance. Also proscriptive and prescriptive
2. Taboos – Tell people what is absolutely wrong – Example: Incest
3. Knowledge – facts, people, and events

1. Cultural Diversity

1. Why is the U.S. so culturally diverse?

1. Immigration – Before the 1930’s immigrants were mostly European. Since 1980’s the Spanish population has increased. Minority – Majority Soon minorities will become the majority
2. All racial ethnic groups want to retain identity – they do not favor total assimilation
3. Dominant group does not want to assimilate with the minorities

1. Subculture – share values, retain cultural heritage (Jewish people, Polish-Americans, Homosexuals, Druggies, etc.)
2. Multi-culturalism – all racial groups have equality with majority