TOPIC 1 Norms are rules and expectations guiding

behavior, and they can be formal (laws) or

Culture: informal.
Material and Non-Material Culture:
Culture encompasses beliefs, values,
behaviors, and material objects that define
Material culture reflects a society's values
a people's way of life.
and technology, including physical objects.
It influences how individuals perceive and
Non-material culture includes beliefs,
interact with the world.
values, concepts, and customs.
Culture includes inherited traditions passed
Types of Cultures:
down to the next generation.
High culture distinguishes a society's elite,
It comprises shared language, knowledge,
while popular culture is widespread among
material objects, and behavior.
the general population.
Culture and Society:
Subcultures are distinct cultural patterns
within a society, while countercultures
Society is the structure of relationships
strongly oppose dominant cultural norms.
within which culture is created and shared
Cultural Diversity:
through social interactions.
Multiculturalism acknowledges and
Society provides the context for
promotes cultural diversity, recognizing and
relationships with the external world and
respecting various cultural traditions.
can influence the type of culture
Ethnocentrism judges other cultures by
developed.
one's own standards, while cultural
Cultural preferences vary across societies.
relativism encourages understanding from
Human Dependence on Culture:
within the culture.
Globalization is promoting the emergence
Unlike other animals, humans rely on
of a global culture, but not all cultures
culture, rather than instincts, for survival.
adopt it at the same rate.
Culture has been a recent development in
Theoretical Analysis of Culture:
human history, primarily emerging during
Structural-functionalism views culture as a
the Stone Age.
strategy to meet human needs and
Components of Culture:
highlights cultural universals.
All cultures have common components:
Social-conflict theory sees culture as
symbols, language, values and beliefs,
maintaining inequality and promoting the
norms, and material culture.
dominance of some groups.
Symbols carry specific meanings within
Sociobiology explores how human biology
cultures but can vary between societies.
affects culture but has limitations and
Language is a system of symbols crucial for
potential drawbacks.
cultural transmission from one generation
Cultural Differences Between the United
to the next.
States and Canada:
Values and Norms:
Values are culturally defined standards
Canada historically has two dominant
used to judge desirability, goodness, and
cultures (British and French), while the
beauty, guiding social living.
United States tends to emphasize individual
Different values within a society can
self-reliance.
sometimes conflict with each other.
Canadians often have a stronger belief in
government intervention to address
societal needs compared to Americans.