Sociology: Beliefs, Norms, and Cultural Diversity

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Questions and Answers

According to functionalism, society is viewed as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the __________ needs of individuals.

Biological and social (correct)

Economic and political

Environmental and cultural

Educational and technological

Who believed that society is a complex system of interrelated and interdependent parts working together to maintain stability?

Herbert Spencer

Émile Durkheim (correct)

Karl Marx

Alfred Radcliff-Brown

What are social facts according to Émile Durkheim?

Economic theories

Political ideologies

Religious beliefs

Cultural rules governing social life (correct)

Which type of functions are the consequences of a social process that are unsought and unintended?

Latent functions Signup and view all the answers

According to Alfred Radcliff-Brown, how does any recurrent activity contribute to society?

By contributing to social stability and continuity Signup and view all the answers

'Conflict theory' views society as a competition for what?

Limited resources Signup and view all the answers

What are beliefs?

Specific statements individuals hold to be true Signup and view all the answers

Which type of norms are mores?

Widely observed norms with moral significance Signup and view all the answers

What does high culture refer to?

Cultural patterns that distinguish a society's elite Signup and view all the answers

What does cultural integration refer to?

Close relationships among various elements of a cultural system Signup and view all the answers

Which term describes the spread of objects from one society to another?

Cultural diffusion Signup and view all the answers

What does cultural relativism involve?

Practice of evaluating a culture by that culture's own standards Signup and view all the answers

According to Ludwig Gumplowicz, what leads to states being identified and defined by a dominant group?

Cultural and ethnic conflicts Signup and view all the answers

What does Georg Simmel believe can help integrate and stabilize a society?

Conflict Signup and view all the answers

What is the main goal of critical theory?

Address structural issues causing inequality Signup and view all the answers

Where did critical race theory originate from?

A critical analysis of race and racism from a legal point of view Signup and view all the answers

According to the social-conflict paradigm, what do many cultural traits do?

Function to the advantage of some and the disadvantage of others Signup and view all the answers

What is the role of mediators in actor-network-theory?

Transform, translate, distort, and modify the meaning they are supposed to carry Signup and view all the answers

Which cultural shift is mentioned in the text?

Increase in South Korean and Japanese cultural influence Signup and view all the answers

What television series were viewed by individuals living behind the Iron Curtain as mentioned in the text?

Dallas and Dynasty Signup and view all the answers

Which individual taught us how to declutter our lives in a Netflix hit as per the text?

Marie Kondo Signup and view all the answers

What phrase are analysts using to refer to the spread of South Korean culture, as mentioned in the text?

'Hallyu' Signup and view all the answers

Which consulting firm noted that Asia is becoming an increasingly significant cultural force?

McKinsey Signup and view all the answers

What caused the increase in enrollments for Korean language programs in the United States?

Growing interest in East Asian pop culture Signup and view all the answers

What term was used to refer to Taiwanese drama series after the introduction of imported tv drama series from Taiwan and Korea?

Chinovela Signup and view all the answers

Which country's government initiative and people's demand led to the production of better films and television dramas?

South Korea Signup and view all the answers

Who mentioned that 'the East is coming' and has been transforming transnational flows of pop culture?

Anthony Fung Signup and view all the answers

What term is used to refer to television drama series or soap operas, particularly from Latin America?

Telenovela Signup and view all the answers

What language programs witnessed the largest increase in enrollments between 2013 and 2016 in the United States?

Korean Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

American Cultural Influence on Television Industry

American company CNN exemplifies global news, influencing the television industry worldwide.
Television series like "Dallas" and "Dynasty" were viewed by individuals living behind the Iron Curtain, offering an unrealistic but appealing alternative to the communist lifestyle.

Rise of South Korean and Japanese Pop Culture

There is a noticeable shift in the influence of South Korean and Japanese pop culture export.
In 2019, Japanese consultant Marie Kondo taught people how to declutter their lives in her Netflix hit "Tidying Up with Marie Kondo".
Analysts use the phrase "hallyu" or "Korean wave" to refer to the spread of South Korean fashion, beauty products, television dramas, and music in other countries, especially in Asia.
According to Anthony Fung, an expert in pop culture, "the East is coming" and has been for a while, transforming transnational flows of pop culture.

Growing Interest in East Asian Pop Culture

Enrollments in Japanese and Korean programs in the United States increased between 2013 and 2016, according to a study by the Modern Language Association of America.
Enrollments for Korean language programs rose by 13.7%, the largest increase of any language being taught.

Telenovela and Koreanovela

"Telenovela" is a term used to refer to television drama series or soap opera, particularly those from Latin America.
The term was appropriated to refer to Taiwanese drama series as "Chinovela" and to Korean drama as "Koreanovela".

Functionalism

Functionalism, also called structural-functional theory, sees society as a structure with interrelated parts designed to meet the biological and social needs of individuals.
Herbert Spencer saw similarities between society and the human body.
Émile Durkheim believed that society is a complex system of interrelated and interdependent parts that work together to maintain stability.

Social facts are the laws, morals, values, religious beliefs, customs, fashions, rituals, and all of the cultural rules that govern social life.
Manifest functions are the consequences of a social process that are sought or anticipated.
Latent functions are the unsought consequences of a social process.
Dysfunctions are social processes that have undesirable consequences for the operation of society.

Conflict Theory

Conflict theory looks at society as a competition for limited resources.
Karl Marx saw society as being made up of individuals in different social classes who must compete for social, material, and political resources.

Beliefs, Norms, and Material Culture

Beliefs are specific statements that people hold to be true.
Norms are rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its members.
Mores are norms that are widely observed and have great moral significance.
Folkways are norms for routine, casual interaction.
Material culture reflects a society's technology and knowledge used to make a way of life in their surroundings.

Cultural Diversity and Integration

Cultural diversity can involve social class.
High Culture refers to cultural patterns that distinguish a society's elite.
Popular Culture refers to cultural patterns that are widespread among a population.
Subculture refers to cultural patterns that set apart some segment of society's population.
Counterculture refers to cultural patterns that reject and oppose those widely accepted within society.
Cultural Integration refers to the close relationships among various elements of a cultural system.
Cultural Lag refers to some elements of culture changing faster than others.
Cultural Changes refer to new cultural elements.
Cultural Diffusion refers to the spread of objects from one society to another.

Ethnocentrism and Cultural Relativism

Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one's own culture.
Cultural Relativism is the practice of evaluating a culture by that culture's own standards.

Critical Theory and Sociobiology

Critical theory attempts to address structural issues causing inequality.
Critical race theory grew out of a critical analysis of race and racism from a legal point of view.
The social–conflict paradigm suggests that many cultural traits function to the advantage of some and the disadvantage of others.
Sociobiology is the systematic study of the biological basis of social behavior of human.

Actor-Network-Theory

Actor-Network-Theory states that popular culture is not just people acting and interacting, but also people acting and interacting with material objects and material objects interacting with each other.
Intermediaries convey meaning unchanged.
Mediators transform, translate, distort, and modify the meaning they are supposed to carry.
In a network, all actors act, and there is movement not between intermediaries but between mediators.

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Description

Test your knowledge on beliefs, norms, and cultural diversity in sociology. Explore topics such as specific statements held as true, societal rules, and material culture reflecting technology.