Culture Outcomes Investigate various theoretical perspectives and viewpoints that attempt to explain culture eg structural functionalism conflict symbolic interactionism feminism and postmodern ID: 490106
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "Cultural perspectives" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
Cultural perspectives
CultureSlide2
Outcomes:
Investigate various theoretical perspectives and viewpoints that attempt to explain culture
(e.g., structural functionalism, conflict, symbolic interactionism, feminism and post-modern)
as well as cultural materialism and sociobiology
.
Apply
these theoretical perspectives to given cultural scenariosSlide3Slide4
Theoretical perspectives
Be sure you remember the following 5 theoretical perspectives from unit 1:
Functionalism
Conflict
Symbolic Interactionism
Feminism
Post-ModernismSlide5
Theoretical perspectives review:
Theoretical Perspective – a basic way of viewing society that guides thinking and research
Functionalism:
Society is a stable, orderly system in which the majority of members share a common set of beliefs & values
Conflict Theory:
Social groups are in continuous conflict for resources; those in authority benefit from conformity while conformists feel resentment & resistSlide6
Theoretical perspectives review:
Feminist Theory:
Society has not historically acknowledged the needs of women; inequalities still exist between men & women
Symbolic Interactionism:
People create a world of shared meaning through their interactions; they act based on symbolic meanings they find within a given situation
Post-Modernism:
Societies are characterized by an information explosion by post industrialization; role of media has a huge influence on peopleSlide7Slide8
Cultural perspective
The next 2 classes focus on applying theoretical perspectives to the understanding of culture
Cultural Perspective:
Several theoretical perspectives and viewpoints that attempt to explain cultureSlide9
Definitions…?
Here are 2 more theoretical perspectives that can be taken on understanding culture.
Take a moment to try and define the following terms.
Cultural
Materialism
Socio-biologySlide10
Cultural Materialism
Cultural Materialism
:
A school of thought that says that the best way to understand human culture is to examine material conditions - climate, food supply, geography,
etc
Helps to understand
the causes of differences and similarities among societies and cultures
.
Human
social life is a response to the needs of survival and then the wants of people who have met those needs.
Therefore
, human cultural groups can be studied through an examination of their “ things” and how they get them
.Slide11
Sociobiology
Sociobiology
:
The view that human
behaviour can be explained through evolution and genetics
.Slide12
Theoretical perspectives on culture
Virtually everything that sociologists study is in some way related to culture. For instance, in studying social class, family life, crime, or religious behavior, sociologists are studying things that are influenced by the norms and values that characterize the various subcultures in our
society.
But
there are some social scientists who are interested in the study of culture in general, rather than the study of social class, the family, crime, or religion in particular. These individuals are typically concerned with one of two questions: first, why are certain elements of culture found in nearly all known societies, and second, why are some elements found in only a few societies?
In
answering these questions, researchers draw upon a number of different theoretical perspectives, but
three are
particularly important. These are (1)
functionalism,
(3) cultural materialism, and (4) sociobiology.Slide13
What to do now?
The next 4 slides explain 2 old perspectives on culture, and 2 new cultural perspectives
After you gain a working understanding of those 4 you will watch several videos connected to culture and try to deduce which perspective they match on your worksheet
When you finish begin to gain a deeper understanding by reading the Word doc called
Cultural PerspectivesSlide14
functionalism
The
essence of functionalist explanation, when applied to culture, is that a given norm or value is "explained" by showing how it contributes to the overall stability or survival of the society in which it is found
.
i.e. raising your hand in class exists so that everyone can have a turn to express their individual thoughts/beliefs and allow for structured discussionSlide15
Cultural materialism
The cultural materialist de-emphasizes ideas and ideology as determinants of culture, and instead sees culture as an adaptation to the needs forced upon us by the nature of the physical environment in which we live
.
i.e. Cows are sacred in India and cannot be slaughtered (as a religious idea) because they need cows to drive their agricultural system (plowing,
etc
)Slide16
sociobiology
a predisposition towards certain social behaviors can be transmitted genetically from one generation to the next, as easily as predispositions towards upright posture, large brains, and other physical
characteristics
Incest is considered taboo in most cultures; biologically, avoiding this ensures you avoid passing on recessive genes that are negative and decrease chances of your bloodline’s survivalSlide17
Conflict theory
The essence of
conflict theory explanation,
when applied to culture, is that a given norm or value is "explained" by showing
who benefits
from the
norm.
i.e. table manners exist to distinguish the upper class (who can afford the various types of silverware,
etc
) from the lower classSlide18Slide19
instructions
In just a minute, you will follow links to view various videos related to culture
It is your job to catalogue these video clips into one of the 7 categories of cultural perspective
You can watch these videos together in pairs, but make your categorizing decisions on your own
Download the Word doc called
Cultural Perspectives
from the
Soc
Docs page on my website and fill out the chart according to the following videosSlide20
The categories:
Catalogue the
video clips from the following slides into
one of
these
7 categories of cultural
perspective:
Functionalism
Conflict
Symbolic Interactionism
Feminism
Post-modern
Cultural Materialism
Socio-biologySlide21
Coke Commercial
1. Coke Commercial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzxHDqUz8SkSlide22
Japanese Divorce ceremony
2
.
Japanese Divorce ceremony
http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/living/2010/09/06/lah.japan.divorce.ceremony.cnn?hpt=T2Slide23
Suri Lip Plates
3.
Suri
Lip Plates
http://vimeo.com/6177244Slide24
Female Circumcision
4. Female Circumcision
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kNMC65pNsgSlide25
Quiet Kid Learns to Cope in Prison
5.
Quiet Kid Learns to Cope in Prison
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAS4uSDJe9k&feature=relatedSlide26
The Sports Fan
6.
The Sports Fan
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zs-fiae1VTSlide27
When you finish…
If you finish these notes and worksheet early, you should download the Word Doc called Theoretical Perspectives on Culture and begin reading the in-depth examples of your 2 new perspectives
You will have more time to finish this next class