Understanding Culture, Society and Politics Lesson

Understanding CULTURE, Society and Politics DEFINING CULTURE AND SOCIETY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY  CULTURE REFERS TO THE COMPLEX WHOLE WHICH ENCOMPASSES BELIEFS, PRACTICES, VALUES, ATTITUDES, LAWS, NORMS, ARTIFACTS, SYMBOLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EVERYTHING THA...

Understanding CULTURE, Society and Politics DEFINING CULTURE AND SOCIETY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF ANTHROPOLOGY AND SOCIOLOGY  CULTURE REFERS TO THE COMPLEX WHOLE WHICH ENCOMPASSES BELIEFS, PRACTICES, VALUES, ATTITUDES, LAWS, NORMS, ARTIFACTS, SYMBOLS, KNOWLEDGE, AND EVERYTHING THAT A PERSON LEARNS AND SHARES AS A MEMBER OF SOCIETY.  CLASSIFICATION OF CULTURE A.MATERIAL CULTURE  CULTURAL COMPONENTS THAT ARE VISIBLE AND TANGIBLE. B. NON MATERIAL CULTURE  COMPONENTS OF CULTURE THAT ARE INTANGIBLE OR WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.  2 CATEGORIES OF NONMATERIAL CULTURE 1. COGNITIVE – INCLUDE THE IDEA, CONCEPT, PHILOSOPHIES, DESIGN ETC. THAT ARE PRODUCTS OF THE MENTAL OR INTELLECTUAL FUNCTIONING OF THE HUMAN MIND. 2. NORMATIVE – INCLUDES ALL THE EXPECTATION, STANDARDS, AND RULES FOR HUMAN BEHAVIOR.  ELEMENTS OF CULTURE 1. BELIEFS – ARE THE TENETS OR CONVICTION THAT PEOPLE HOLD TO BE TRUE. 2. VALUES – ARE A CULTURE’S STANDARD FOR DISCERNING WHAT IS GOOD AND JUST IN SOCIETY. VALUES ARE DEEPLY EMBEDDED AND CRITICAL FOR TRANSMITTING AND TEACHING A CULTURES 3. SYMBOLS – EVERY CULTURE IS FILLED WITH SYMBOLS, OR THINGS THAT STAND FOR SOMETHING ELSE AND THAT OFTEN EVOKE VARIOUS REACTION AND EMOTION. SOME SYMBOLS ARE ACTUALLY TYPES OF NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION, WHILE OTHER SYMBOLS ARE IN FACT MATERIAL OBJECTS. 4. LANGUAGE – IS A SYMBOLIC SYSTEM THROUGH WHICH PEOPLE COMMUNICATE AND THROUGH WHICH CULTURE IS TRANSMITTED. SOME LANGUAGES CONTAIN A SYSTEM OF SYMBOLS USED FOR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION, WHILE OTHERS RELY ON ONLY SPOKEN COMMUNICATION AND NONVERBAL ACTION. 5. NORMS – DEFINES HOW TO BEHAVE IN ACCORDENANCE WITH WHAT A SOCIETY HAS DEFINED AS GOOD, RIGHT AND IMPORTANT, AND MOST MEMBERS OF THE SOCIETY ADHERE TO THEM. 2 TYPES OF NORMS. 1. PRESCRIPTIVE – MORALITY IS SENSITIVE TO POSITIVE OUTCOMES 2. PROSCRIPTIVE - MORALITY IS SENSITIVE TO NEGATIVE OUTCOMES  FORMS OF NORMS 1. FOLKWAYS – ARE BEHAVIORS THAT ARE LEARNED AND SHARED BY A SOCIAL GROUP THAT WE OFTEN REFERS TO AS “CUSTOM” IN A GROUP THAT ARE NOT MORALLY SIGNIFICANT, BUT THEY CAN BE IMPORTANT FOR SOCIAL ACCEPTANCE. 2. MORES – ARE NORMS OF MORALITY, OR RIGHT OR WRONG , AND IF YOU BREAK ONE IT IS OFTEN 3. TABOOS – A TABOO GOES A STEP FARTHER AND IS A VERY NEGATIVE NORM THAT SHOULD NOT GET VIOLATED BECAUSE PEOPLE WILL BE UPSET. 4. LAWS – MOST IMPORTANT TO THE STUDY OF CRIME AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE, OUR LAWS.  ASPECT OF CULTURE DYNAMIC, FLEXIBLE AND ADAPTIVE SHARED AND CONTESTED LEARNED THROUGH SOCIALIZATION AND ENCULTURATION PATTERNED SOCIAL  SOCIETY DESCRIBES A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO SHARE A COMMON TERRITORY AND A CULTURE. TYPES OF SOCIETY 1.HUNTING AND GATHERING SOCIETIES. ARE THE EARLIEST FORM SOCIETY. THE MEMBERS SURVIVE PRIMARILY BY HUNTING, TRAPPING, FISHING AND GATHERING EDIBLE PLANTS. THE MAJORITY OF THE MEMBERS TIME IS SPENT LOOKING FOR AND GATHERING FOOD. 2. PASTORAL SOCIETIES IS A SOCIAL GROUP OF PASTORALISTS, WHOSE WAY OF LIFE IS BASED ON PASTORALISM, AND IS TYPICALLY NOMADIC. DAILY LIFE IS CENTERD UPON THE TENDING OF HERDS OR FLOCKS. 3. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES IS AN ORGANIZATION DEVOTED TO THE STUDY AND CULTURE OF CULTIVATED PLANTS. SUCH ORGANIZATION MAY BE LOCAL, REGIONAL, NATIONAL, ORINTERNATIONAL. 4. AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES AN AGRARIAN SOCIETY IS ANY SOCIETY WHOSE ECONOMY IS BASED ON PRODUCING AND MAINTAINING CROPS AND FARMLAND.  INDUSTRIAL 5. SOCIETIES DEVELOPED WITH THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION THAT STARTED AROUND 1769. THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION BEGAN WITH ENGLAND’S IMPROVEMENT AND USE OF THE STEAM ENGINE AS A WAY TO POWER MACHINES. 6. POST- INDUSTRIAL SOCIETIES THE STAGE OF SOCIETY’S DEVELOPMENT WHEN THE SERVICE SECTOR GENERATES MORE WEALTH THAN THE MANUFACTURING SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY.