1. Sociology
Unit 2: Culture and Society

2. Unit 2 Overview
Unit EQ:
How are culture and society related to human
interaction?
You will need to be able to “Do” the following:
• Define the key components of a culture.
• Explain the difference between culture and society.
• Differentiate between the types of societies and analyze
societies through this understanding.
• Generate examples of cultures and societies, and various subtypes of groups and formal organizations.

3. You will need to be able to “Understand” the
following:
• Culture consists of all the shared products of human
groups.
• All cultures are made up of the same five basics
components. (technology, symbols, language, values, and
norms)
• There are certain core values that the vast majority of
Americans Share
• Social structure is the network of interrelated statuses and
roles that guides human interaction.

4. You will need to be able to “Understand” the
following:
• There are five common forms of social interaction.
(exchange, competition, conflict, cooperation , and
accommodation)
• Sociologists identify three types of societies. (preindustrial,
industrial, postindustrial)
• Groups are the foundation of social life and they differ in
terms of size, organization, and purpose.

5. Unit 2 Outline
Unit EQ:
How are culture and society related to human interaction?
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Culture – Lesson 1 2 3
Value Systems – Lesson 4
Social Structure – Lesson 5
Social Interaction – Lesson 6
Types of Societies – Lesson 7
Groups – Lesson 8 9
Formal Organizations – Lesson 10
Exam – 11

6. Culture
EQ: 1. What are the basic components of culture?
2. How does cultural change occur?
Vocabulary
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Culture
Society
Values
Norms
Folkways
Mores
Laws
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Cultural universals
Subculture
Counterculture
Ethnocentrism
Cultural relativism
Cultural diffusion
Lessons

7. Lesson 1: Components of Culture
Activator:
1. What is culture?
2. What are the different components of
culture?

8. Culture
• Society and Culture NOT interchangeable
• Society consists of people
• Culture: consists of shared products of human groups.
• Material Culture: physical objects that a culture
creates
• Nonmaterial Culture: Abstract human creations.
Assignment: In pairs, come up with 5
examples of each type of culture. Write
your responses and raise your hand when
you are finished.

9. Material Culture
•Automobiles
•Books
•Buildings
•Clothing

10. Nonmaterial Culture
• Beliefs
• Family patterns
• Ideas
• Language
• Political and economic systems

11. Assignment: Use p. 35 to describe these four components of
culture. In addition, relate the term to your own culture
through examples.
Symbols
Technology
Language
4 Components
of
Culture
Values

12. Lesson 2: Components of Culture
Activator:
1. Difference between society and culture
2. Which four components were discussed
yesterday?

13. Norms
Values
Technology
The Five
Components
of Culture
Language
Symbols

14. Norms
• Norms are shared rules of conduct that tell people how to act
in specific situations.
• Groups use Norms to enforce cultural values
• Norms are expectations for behavior, not actual behavior
• Some norms apply to everyone in society, others to select
groups
Assignment:
In groups, come up
with 5 examples of a
norm. Write your
responses on the
board.

15. Types of Norms
• Folkways
• Norms that describe socially acceptable behavior but do not have
moral significance attached to them.
• Failure to follow results in minor punishment or reprimand
• Some non-conformity to Folkways is permitted because it does
not endanger society.
• Mores
• Great moral significance is attached to them
• Societies establish punishments for violating in order to protect
social well-being
• Serious mores are formalized as laws
Assignment: Classify your examples as
folkways or mores

16. Group Assignment
• Your group should
pick a situations,
place, or event and
identify the norms.
• Create a 1-2 minute
skit which shows a
violation of norms
(both folkways and
mores)
• Perform the skit

17. Lesson 2: Components of Culture
Summarizer:
1. Questions Remaining

18. Lesson 3: Culture
• Activator: Components of Culture

19. Cultural Variation
EQ: 1. What are the basic components of culture?
Vocabulary
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Cultural universals
Subculture
Counterculture
Ethnocentrism
Cultural relativism
Cultural diffusion
Lessons

20. Cultural Universals
•Cultural Universals: features
evident in all cultures
•What are some features that
all cultures have?
•(Try and Guess 7)

21. Cultural Universals
Cultural
Universal
Examples
Arts and Leisure
Athletic sports, dancing, decorative art, games, music
Basic Needs
Clothing, cooking, housing
Beliefs
Body adornment, folklore, funeral rites, religious ritual
Communication
and Education
Education, language, greetings
Family
Courtship, kin groups, marriage
Government and
Economy
Calendar, division of labor, government, law, property
rights, status differentiation, trade
Technology
Medicine, toolmaking

22. Cultural Variations: Assignment
• Read with a Purpose: Using the material on p.
39-40 in your textbook, answer the following
question: What is the difference between a
subculture and counter culture?
• Identify and example of each. (In addition, to
what can be found in the reading)
• Share in cooperative groups

23. Cultural Variations: Subculture
• Subculture: Groups that share values, norms, and
behaviors that are not shared by the entire population.

24. Cultural Variations: Counterculture
• Counterculture: Groups that rejects the major values,
norms, and behaviors that is practiced by larger society

25. Response to Variation
• Ethnocentrism: the tendency to view one's own culture
and group as superior to all other cultures and groups
• Cultural relativism: a belief that cultures should be
judged by their own standards

26. How is this political
cartoon a reflection of
ethnocentrism?

27. Cultural Change
• Cultural diffusion: the process of spreading
cultural traits from one society to another
• Cultural leveling: the process through which
cultures become more and more alike
How does globalization contribute to this trend?

29. Lesson 4:
Value System
ACTIVATOR: One of the 5 components of
culture discussed was that of values. Values
are defined as shared beliefs about what is
good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or
undesirable. Brainstorm and record
American values.

30. Value Systems
EQ: How have our values changed?
Vocabulary
• Self-fulfillment
• Narcissism
2
Lessons

31. American Values: A Pictorial
What values are reflected in these images?

32. The American Value System
American Values
Personal Achievement
Progress and Material
Comfort
Work
Individualism
Efficiency and Practicality
Morality and
Humanitarianism
Equality and Democracy
Freedom
Descriptions/Examples

33. Personal Achievement
Doing Well at school and at work is important.
Gaining wealth and prestige is a sign of success.

34. Progress and Material Comfort
History is marked by ongoing progress, and this
progress improves people’s lives.

35. Work
• Discipline, dedication, and hard work are signs of
virtue

36. Individualism
Hard work, initiative, and individual effort are the
keys to personal achievement.

37. Efficiency and Practicality
Every problem can be solved through efficiency
and practicality. Getting things done well in the
shortest time is very important.

38. Morality and Humanitarianism
Judgments should be based on a sense of right
and wrong. This sense of morality also involves
helping the less fortunate.

39. Equality and Democracy
Everyone should have an equal chance at success
and the right to participate freely in government.

40. Freedom
Personal freedoms, such as freedom of religion,
speech, and the press, are central to the American
way of life

41. American Values: Assignment
Using your notes on the values of American society and a
graphic organizer like this one, decide whether each
value reflects practical concerns, idealistic goals, or a
little of both

42. New Values: Narcissism
Narcissism: the feeling of
extreme self-centeredness

43. Values: Assignment
1. In a written response, explain how YOLO is a
reflection of a value system based in narcissism
and self fulfillment.
2. When directed, discuss your responses in
assigned groups.

44. Lesson 5: Social Structure
ACTIVATOR:
What is the difference between ROLE
and STATUS?

45. Social Structure
EQ: How are status and roles related?
Vocabulary
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Social structure
Status
Role
Ascribed status
Achieved status
• Master status
• Role conflict
• Social institutions
2
Lessons

46. Status: a socially defined
position in a group or in a
society.
Ascribed Status: a status assigned according to
qualities beyond a person’s control.
Achieved Status: a status acquired through their own
direct efforts.
Master Status: The status that plays the greatest role
in shaping a person’s life and determining his or her
social identity.

47. Status: Ascribed and Achieved

48. Status: Activity
Brainstorm: Your ascribed and achieved statuses
Identify your master status. Write a paragraph that
explains why this status is characterized as a
master status in your life.

49. Roles
• Statuses serve simply as social categories. Roles are the
components of social structure that bring statuses to life.
• Most of the roles that you perform have reciprocal roles.
These are corresponding roles that define the patterns of
interaction between related statuses.
• EX. doctor-patient, teacher-student, or coach-athlete
Role Play Activity: Obtain an index card with a
role. Without speaking, act out the interaction
between you and your reciprocal role.

50. Role Conflict, Strain, and Exit
• Role Conflict: a situation that occurs when fulfilling
the expectations of one status makes it difficult to
fulfill the expectations of another status
• Role Strain: a situation that occurs when a person
has difficulty meeting the expectations of a single
status
• Role Exit: the process that people go through to
detach from a role that has been central to their
self-identity

52. Social Institutions
Definition: a system of statuses, roles, values, and
norms that is organized to satisfy one or more of
the basic needs of society
• The family, the most universal social institution, takes
responsibility for raising the young and teaching them
accepted norms and values.
• The economic institution organizes the production,
distribution, and consumption of goods and services.
• The political institution is the system of norms that governs
the exercise and distribution of power in society.
• Education ensures the transmission of values, patterns of
behavior, and certain skills and knowledge.
• Religion provides a shared, collective explanation of the
meaning of life.

53. Social Structure: Summarizer
QUESTIONS REMAINING

54. Lesson Activator
Any questions prior to the culture quiz?

55. Lesson 6: Social Interaction
ACTIVATOR:
What motivates you in your actions with
others? Think of 3 separate interactions
with individuals or groups. What was your
motivation for interacting with them?

56. Social Interaction
Unit EQ: How are culture and society related to
human interaction?
EQ: How do individuals and groups use
accommodation to settle disputes?
Vocabulary
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Exchange
• Conflict
Reciprocity
• Cooperation
Exchange theory • Accommodation
Competition

57. Exchange
• Most basic and common form of social
interaction.
• Dating, family life, friendship, and politics all
involve exchanges.
• Reciprocity is the basis for exchange
• the idea that if you do something for
someone, that person owes you something in
return.

58. Exchange Theory
• Definition: a theory that holds that people are motivated
by self-interests in their interactions with others .
• People do things primarily for rewards. Behavior that is
rewarded tends to be repeated. exchange theory
appears to run counter to some social norms such as
altruism.

59. Why is this an example of Exchange Theory?

60. Social Interaction Assignment
Read p. 59 in the text and identify the
Difference Between Conflict and
Competition

61. Competition
• Definition: an interaction that occurs when two or more
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people or groups oppose each other to achieve a goal
that only one can attain.
A common feature in Western society.
Basis behind capitalism and democracy
If it follows accepted rules of conduct, most sociologists
view it as a positive means of motivating people to
perform the roles society asks of them.
Negatively, competition can lead to psychological stress,
a lack of cooperation in social relationships, inequality,
and even conflict.

62. Conflict
• Definition: The deliberate attempt to control a person by
force, to oppose someone, or to harm another person.
• Few rules of accepted conduct, and even these often are
ignored.
• May range from the deliberate snubbing of a classmate
to the killing of an enemy.
• Four sources of conflict: wars, disagreements within
groups, legal disputes, and clashes over ideology (religion
or politics)
• Can be useful
• Reinforces group boundaries
• Strengthen group loyalty
• Bring about social change

63. Cooperation
• Definition: interaction that occurs when two or more
persons or groups work together to achieve a goal that
will benefit many people
• No group can complete its tasks or achieve its goals
without cooperation from its members.
• Competition may be used along with cooperation to
motivate members to work harder for the group.
ASSIGNMENT: Think of groups with which you
have been involved. Have they ever used
competition along with cooperation? What are
some examples?

64. Accommodation
• Definition: a state of balance between
cooperation and conflict
• Accommodation helps to ensure social stability.
• It can take a number of different forms
• Compromise
• Truce
• Mediation
• Arbitration

65. Social Interaction Assignment
Using p. 60-61 and a graphic organizer like
the one below, sequence the four forms of
accommodation in terms of their ease of
achievement. Explain your placements with
annotations.

66. Lesson: Social Interaction
SUMMARIZER:
3 types of interaction
2 types of accommodation
1 explain exchange theory

67. Lesson 7: Types of Societies
ACTIVATOR:
As time goes on, societies advance and
change. Using your knowledge of world
history, identity and describe 3 different
types of societies. In groups, discuss and
write your consensus on the board.

68. Social Interaction
Unit EQ: How are culture and society related to
human interaction?
EQ: How does sociology classify societies?
Vocabulary
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Preindustrial society
Industrial society
Postindustrial society
Division of labor
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Mechanical solidarity
Organic solidarity
Gemeinschaft
Gesellschaft

69. Types of Societies Assignment
• Separate into groups of 3. Each member should take one
of the 3 types of societies and identify the key
characteristics of the society.
• Reconvene as a group and share the key characteristics.
When discussing each societal type, identify real world
examples of that type of society.
• ENRICHMENT: Following the directions on p. 66 question
7, Sequence the 6 types of societies. (4 of the types are
found in preindustrial societies)

70. Preindustrial Societies
• Food production through the
use of human and animal
labor is the main economic
activity
• Subdivided according to
technology and method of
food production
• Hunter-Gatherer
• Pastoral
• Horticultural
• Agricultural

71. Hunter-Gatherer
• Constantly moving
searching for food
• Do not build permanent
villages
• Limited artifacts
• Rarely exceed 100 people
• Status fairly equal
• Family is the main social
unit

72. Pastoral
• Rely on domesticated herds
• Nomadic: moving herds
from pasture to pasture
• Larger populations due to food reliability
Food surpluses result in division of labor
• Trade and inequality emerge
• Property is passed between generation

73. Horticultural
• Food grown in garden plots
• Slash and burn techniques
• Simple tools
• Move to new land when land becomes
barren
• 30-2,000 people
• Similar in technology and social structure
to Pastoral

74. Agricultural
• Animals are used to cultivate land
• Increased technology allows to plant more
crops
• Irrigation increases crop yield
• Large crop yield support large/permanent
societies
• Increased specialization leads to cities
• Wealth becomes more concentrated
• Barter system emerges

75. The Affects of Industrialization
Preindustrial Society Industrial Society
• Emphasis is food
production
• Economic activities in
the home
• Produced entire product
• Family is the primary
socialization and
education agent
• Social status fairly fixed
• Emphasis is
manufactured goods
• Economic activities in
the factory
• Division of labor
• Education and
socialization take place
outside the family
• Increased potential to
change status

76. Postindustrial society
• Emphasis in on the provision of
information and services
• Standard of living for much of
the population as wages
increase
• Strong emphasis on roles of
science and education
• Technological advances are
viewed as the key to future
prosperity

77. Sociology and Society
Preindustrial Societies
• Mechanical Solidarity: when people share values and tasks
they become united
• Gemeinshaft: most people know each other. Activities
center on the family and community. Strong sense of
solidarity
Industrial Societies
• Organic Solidarity: with increased specialization,
relationships become less personal and people are less able
to provide for their own need.
• Gesellschaft: Relationships are impersonal, temporary, and
based on need rather than emotion. Values are weak and
individual goals are more important than group goals

78. Types of Societies: Summarizer
QUESTIONS REMAINING

79. Lesson 8: Groups
ACTIVATOR:
Define “group”

80. Groups Within Society
Unit: How are culture and society related to
human interaction?
How do sociologists define the term group?
Vocabulary
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Dyad
Triad
Formal group
Informal group
Primary group
Secondary group
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Reference group
In-group
Out-group
Electronic community
Social network

81. What is a group?
Definition: A set of people who interact on the basis of shared
expectations and who possess some degree of common
identity.
The Four Features of a Group
1. Two or more people
2. Interaction among members
3. Shared expectations
4. Sense of common identity
Assignment: Identify different 5 examples of groups

82. Aggregates (Not A Group)
Definition: When people gather in the same place
at the same time but lack organization or lasting
patterns of interaction.

83. Varying Features of a Group
SIZE
TIME
ORGANIZATION

84. Dyad
Triad
• Two members
• Each member has direct
control over the group’s
existence
• Decision making can be
difficult if they don’t
agree
• Three member
• Group takes on life of its
own
• Can’t be disbanded by
one member
• Tie breaker make
decisions easier

85. Formal Group
Structure, goals, and
activities are clearly
defined
Informal Group
There is not official
structure or established
rules of conduct

86. Primary Group
• Small group that
interacts over a long
period
• Communication deep
and intense
• Intimate/ face-to-face
• Entire self shared
Secondary Group
• Interaction is temporary
and impersonal
• Casual and limited in
personal involvement
• Personal importance
based on function
performed
• Individual easily replace
• Partial self shared

87. In-group
• A group that a person
belongs to & identifies
with
• Separate themselves
through use of symbols
• See themselves as (+)
and out-groups as (-)
• Compete with outgroups
Out-group
• A group that a person
does not belong to or
identify with

88. Reference Group
Definition: Any group with whom individuals identify and
whose attitudes and values they adopt.
• Groups chosen are important because they can have
positive and negative effects
• As a person grows older, reference groups change.

89. Assignment: Using the different types of
groups, label each of these pictures using as
many applicable terms as possible.

90. Electronic Communities & Social Networks
Electronic Communities demonstrate behaviors similar to
primary groups – argue, engage in intellectual discussions,
share intimate details, gossip, play games, and flirt.
Social Networks: A web of relationships formed by the
sum total of a person’s interactions with others.
• Unlike a group there is not a common identity
• Provide interaction and career advancement
• Can provide support during stressful periods

91. Group Functions
1.
2.
3.
4.
Must define boundaries for belonging
Need to set goals, assign tasks, and make decisions
Need to control members’ behavior - Conformity
Must select leaders (People who influence the attitudes
and opinions of others)
• Instrumental leaders: Task-oriented
• Expressive leaders: emotion-oriented
• Groups need both to be successful

92. Assignment: Simulation
Are You In or Are
You Out?
Textbook p. 80-81

93. Groups Within Society:
Summarizer
QUESTIONS REMAINING

94. Lesson 10: Formal Organizations
ACTIVATOR:
“Bureaucracy”

95. Lesson 10: Formal Organizations
Unit: How are culture and society related to
human interaction?
How do sociologists view formal organizations?
Vocabulary
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Formal organization
Bureaucracy
Rationality
Voluntary association
Alienation
Iron law of oligarchy

96. Formal Organizations
Definition: a large, complex secondary group that
has been established to achieve specific goals
Formal organizations include:
Schools
youth organizations
businesses
political organizations
government agencies volunteer associations
religious organizations labor unions
Most formal organizations are structured in a form
that is known as a bureaucracy

97. Bureaucracy
Definition: a ranked
authority structure
that operates
according to specific
rules and procedures
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Weber’s Model
Division of Labor
Ranking of Authority
Employment based on formal
qualifications
Written rules and regulations
Specific lines of promotion
and advancement

98. Effects of Bureaucracy
Positives
• Creates order through clearly defined job tasks and
rewards
• Provide stability and are not reliant upon an individual
Negatives
• Can undergo goal displacement – abandon the original
purpose and replace with self continuation.
• Encourage the development of bureaucratic personalities
• Employees feel alienated
• Power concentrates at the top – iron law of oligarchy

99. Exam Review
EQ: What do I need to study for the exam?
• Take practice exam and use answer key to
correct
• Use Culture and Society Unit Map
vocabulary and practice exam results to
identify areas of weakness
• Prepare questions related to areas of
weakness
• Review as class

100. Study
for the
Culture and Society Exam

101. Lesson Activator
Any questions prior to the Culture and
Society Exam?