SOCIOL 1Z03 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Cultural Relativism, Necrophilia, Zoophilia

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Sociology
• Course: SOCIOL 1Z03
• Professor: Lina Samuel

Document Summary

Material culture: includes tangible artifacts, physical objects, and items found in a society. Non material culture: includes a society"s intangible and abstract components, such as values and norms. Values: are the standards by which people define what is desirable or undesirable, good or bad, beautiful or ugly; in other words, they are attitudes about the way the world ought to be. Norms: culturally defined rules that outline appropriate behaviours for a society"s members. Norms help people to know how to act in given social situations. Folkways: informal norms that do not inspire severe moral condemnation when violated for example, walking on the left side of a busy sidewalk. (least serious) Mores: do inspire strong moral condemnation for example, extramarital affairs while some actions are considered to be such a violation of social mores that they are absolutely forbidden. Taboo: actions such as necrophilia, bestiality, or cannibalism are considered prohibited and deemed immoral and disgusting (extremely serious)