SOCI201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Cultural Relativism, Cultural Universal, Spoken Language

• School: University of Delaware
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOCI201
• Professor: All

Document Summary

Ethnocentrism: ethnocentrism: tendency to assume that one"s own culture and way of life represents the norm or is superior to others, our view of the world is dramatically influenced by the society in which we were raised. Cultural relativism: cultural relativism: viewing people"s behaviors from the perspective of their own culture, different social contexts give rise to different norms and values. Elements of culture: written language, spoken language, nonverbal communication, norms, values. Sapir-whorf hypothesis: hypothesis that language is culturally determined and shapes our interpretation of reality. Norms: established standards of behavior maintained by a society. Types of norms: formal norms (laws): generally written; specifically strict punishments for violations, informal norms: generally understood but bot precisely recorded, mores: norms deemed highly necessary to the welfare of a society, folkways: norms governing everyday behavior. Sanctions: penalties and rewards for conduct concerning a social norm: pos. Sanction: pay raises, medals, words of gratitude, etc: neg.