Sociology 1025A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Cultural Universal

• School: Western University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: Sociology 1025A/B
• Professor: Lauren Barr

Document Summary

The sum total of the social environment in which we are raised and continue to be socialized throughout our lives. One culture or many: postmodern perspective there is not single canadian culture, only a multiplicity of diverse cultures. But all societies share certain cultural universals: common human experiences survival, communication, reproduction, chain of command, morality, religion. Material culture physical items, buildings, possessions. How culture shapes our understandings: language, norms, values. Why language is important: personal expression, transmission of knowledge. Colonization through language (cid:862)if o(cid:374)e group really wa(cid:374)ts to do(cid:373)i(cid:374)ate a(cid:374)other, they need not only convince themselves that their language is superior, but also to convince the group they do(cid:373)i(cid:374)ate of the sa(cid:373)e thi(cid:374)g(cid:863) Gendered language language confers cultural construction of gender (names, adjectives to describe males and females, job titles) Mores formal (if you violate it, laws against it. Ex) rape, theft, murder) taboos wrong in and of themselves (incest)