SOC 104 Lecture Notes - Culture Shock, Ethnocentrism, Cultural Imperialism
Document Summary
Week 2: human behaviour is shaped by the interaction of variety of biological, psychological and social elements. Sociologists reject determinist arguments that suggest human behaviour is biologically, or genetically pre-programmed. What is culture: culture refers to the totality of the various material and non-material aspects of human existence. It is important to clarify the differences between culture and structure. Symbolic aspects of culture: human beings live in a world not just of objects and action but of meaning. The human world is symbolic. language: a system of symbols with standard meanings that allows members of a society to communicate with one another. Language is a system of words both written and spoken. Communication is the sharing of meaning by which thoughts of one person are made understandable to another. Sapir and whorf : language can also determine our reality. Values and norms: values: the standards by which members of a culture define right or wrong, what is desirable or undesirable.
