Deck 5: B: Culture

Question 1

Describe the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis.Is the idea supported by this hypothesis still adhered to by social scientists today?

Answer 1

The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis states that language determines thought.However,while language and culture are intertwined,there is little evidence to suggest that language actually determines thought or that people who speak different languages cannot perceive the same social reality.

Question 2

Define the term cultural adaptation.Provide an example of this process.

Answer 2

Cultural adaptation is the process by which environmental pressures are addressed through changes in practices,traditions,and behaviours as a way of maintaining stability and equilibrium.Because functionalists argue that every social practice leads to some collective benefit,any practice that diminishes a culture's ability to prosper will be unlikely to survive.
Examples will vary by student.

Question 3

What does cultural diffusion refer to? Provide an example.

Answer 3

Diffusion occurs when cultural items or practices are transmitted from one group to another.Consider,for example,the influence that American media have on cultural practices throughout the world.Canadian sociologist Marshall McLuhan understood the power of media and their ability to transcend geopolitical borders when he coined the phrase "global village." While telecommunications have made the world feel like a smaller place,American mass media have also promoted a "culture of thinness" that has diffused throughout popular culture.
Examples will vary by student.

Question 4

Define body language,haptics,olfactics,and chronemics.What are these examples of? Provide an example of each.

Question 5

Do you think that attending university for the first time could be considered a form of "culture shock"? Why or why not?

Question 6

What is the difference between "material" and "non-material" culture? Give Canadian examples of each.

Question 7

Provide two examples of cultural norms that you might encounter/adhere to when planning and hosting a birthday party.

Question 8

Explain how culture influences every area of our lives.

Question 9

How would a conflict theorist view Aboriginal residential schools?

Question 10

Identify the key difference between "subculture" and "counterculture." Provide an example for each.

Question 11

Explain the relation between language and symbols,and their relation to culture.

Question 12

Describe cultural universals from a functionalist perspective.

Question 13

Compare and contrast cultural relativism and ethnocentrism.Which is more aligned with the sociological imagination? Why?

Question 14

What is the importance of language to culture? What happens when language is lost? Explain.

Question 15

Name and describe the three different sources for inspiring cultural change,providing an example for each.