SOCI1001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Social Fact, Ethnocentrism, Cultural Relativism
Sociology 1001 September 27th 2016
Norms: Specific rules that guide us spelling out (prescriptively) how we should behave/think/look and
(proscriptively) how we should not behave/think/look.
Folkways
Mores…laws
Taboos
Values:
Shared standards by which a group distinguishes right from wrong, good from bad, appropriate
from inappropriate.
- Judgments from groups standpoint of what “ought to be”.
Functionalist Perspective
- Durkheim-> norms and values are social facts that, once learned, result in a collective
conscience that provides source of unity and helps to reproduce the culture.
- Parsons-> norms and values work together through social institutions (e.g., family, school)
to keep society running smoothly.
Conflict Perspective
There are contradictions/tensions between values and norms.
Values on equality, consultation and government policies that treat people unequally
Religious freedom and value on a secular state, expectations surrounding women’s position
(rights), gender equality.
Tensions between “ideal” and “real” culture (S&B, p.59) resulting from:
- competition over scarce resources/ desire for profit;
- cultural variation in beliefs, practices.
Cultural relativism: view that, to understand a society’s culture, we need to reflect upon its
ideas and customs in the context of its particular problems and opportunities.
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Norms: specific rules that guide us spelling out (prescriptively) how we should behave/think/look and (proscriptively) how we should not behave/think/look. Shared standards by which a group distinguishes right from wrong, good from bad, appropriate from inappropriate. Judgments from groups standpoint of what ought to be . Durkheim-> norms and values are social facts that, once learned, result in a collective conscience that provides source of unity and helps to reproduce the culture. Parsons-> norms and values work together through social institutions (e. g. , family, school) to keep society running smoothly. Values on equality, consultation and government policies that treat people unequally. Religious freedom and value on a secular state, expectations surrounding women"s position (rights), gender equality. Tensions between ideal and real culture (s&b, p. 59) resulting from: Competition over scarce resources/ desire for profit; Cultural relativism: view that, to understand a society"s culture, we need to reflect upon its ideas and customs in the context of its particular problems and opportunities.
