SOC 1101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Cultural Relativism, Cultural Lag, High Culture

• School: University of Ottawa
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOC 1101
• Professor: Sam Alvaro

Document Summary

High culture refers to cultural patterns that distinguish a society"s elite; in contrast, popular culture designated cultural patterns that are widespread among a society"s population. High culture is not inherently superior to popular culture. Subcultures are cultural patterns within a population whose values, norms, folkways or mores set them apart from the mainstream culture. Multiculturalism is an educational program recognizing the cultural diversity of the country and promoting the equality of all cultural traditions. Multiculturalism stands in opposition to eurocentrism, the dominance of. Countercultures are cultural patterns that strongly oppose accepted culture within a society. As cultures change, they strive to maintain cultural integration, the close relationship among various elements of a cultural system. William ogburn"s concept of cultural lag refers to the fact that cultural elements change at different rates, which may disrupt a cultural system. Ethnocentrism is the practice of judging another culture by the standards of one"s own culture.