SOC 2109 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Cultural Relativism, Ethnocentrism, William Graham Sumner

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 2109
• Professor: Sam Alvaro

Document Summary

Norms are rules and expectations by which a society guides the behaviour of its members, they are be other prescriptive (do) or proscriptive (don"t). There"re two special types of norms that were identified by william graham. Sumner: mores (right and wrong) and folkways (right and rude). And we internalize norms, we respond critically to our own behaviour though shame or guilt. Ethnocentrism is the practise of judging another culture by the standards of one"s own culture. Sociologists tend to discourage the practice, instead they advocate cultural relativism, the practice of judging culture by its own standards. formal (government, state, religious institutions, university, family) informal (family, peer groups) Aspects of life seen to warranty concern and intervention, the identification of a social problem is the outcome of a social process including a moral evaluation of people behaviour. Some examples: crime, child abuse, poverty, substance abuse, racism.