SOCI 1101 Chapter Notes - Chapter 2: Sociocultural Evolution, Equal Opportunity, Pastoralism
Document Summary
Culture: the ways of thinking, the ways of acting, and the material objects that form a people"s way of life. Culture includes both material and nonmaterial components. Material culture is the physical things created by members of a society. Nonmaterial culture is the ideas created by members of a society. Culture shock: personal disorientation when experiencing an unfamiliar way of life. All cultures have common elements, including symbols, language, values, and norms. Symbol: anything that carries a particular meaning recognized by people who share a culture. Language: a system of symbols that allows people to communicate with one another. Language is the key to cultural transmission, the process by which one generation passes culture to the next. Values: culturally defined standards that people use to decide what is good and that serve as broad guidelines for social living. Values are principles that support beliefs, specific thoughts or ideas that people hold to be true.
