UCSP

• Society


  A group of people involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same geographical or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations
• Societas


  Latin word for "comrade, friend, ally"; adjectival form socialis used to describe a bond or interaction between parties that are friendly, or at least civil
• Interdependence


  Mutual reliance between two or more groups
• Cultural identity


  The identity or feeling of belonging to a group, related to nationality, ethnicity, religion, social class, generation, locality or any kind of social group that has its own distinct culture
• Solidarity


  Unity (as of a group or class) which produces or is based on unities of interests, objectives, standards, and sympathies
• Hierarchy


  An arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) in which the items are represented as being "above," "below," or "at the same level as" one another
• Culture


  The social behavior and norms found in human societies, transmitted through social learning
• Colere


  Latin word meaning "to inhabit, care for, till, worship"
• Cultus


  Latin word meaning "A cult, especially a religious one"
• Politics


  The process of making decisions applying to all members of each group, and achieving and exercising positions of governance
• Social norms


  The group shared expectations, rules developed by a group of people that specify how people must, should, may, should not and must not behave in various situations
• Functions of social norms

  • Control behavior
  • Make behaviour systematic and pattern
  • Maintain law and order
  • Help in self-control
• Types of social norms

  • Folkways
  • Mores
  • Law
• Folkways


  Behavior patterns of everyday life which generally arise unconsciously in a group
• Examples of folkways


  • Correct manners
  • Appropriate dress
  • Proper eating behavior
• Mores


  Customs and group routines which are thought by the members of society to be necessary to the group's continued existence
• Examples of mores


  • Wearing clothes
  • Respect for parents
  • Students obeying educational institute norms
  • Having sexual relationships without marriage
  • Entering others' houses without permission
• Types of mores


  • Positive mores
  • Negative mores
• Positive mores


  Prescribe behavior patterns, represent the 'Do's, give instructions and provide guidance
• Negative mores


  Prescribe behavior patterns, represent the "Don't", also called 'taboos', forbid or prohibit certain behavior patterns
• Law


  Acts or rules of conduct of any organized society that are enforced by threat of punishment if they are violated
• Race


  A category of people who have been singled out as inferior or superior, often on the basis of real or alleged physical characteristics such as skin color, hair texture, eye shape, or other subjectively selected attributes
• Race has little meaning biologically due to interbreeding in the human population, only 6% of DNA differences in humans can be attributed to racial differences</b>
• Characteristics of ethnic groups

  • Unique cultural traits
  • A sense of community
  • A feeling of ethnocentrism
  • Ascribed membership from birth
  • Tendency to occupy a geographic area
• Characteristics of ethnic groups

  • Common Ancestry
  • Cultural Heritage
  • Nations of Origin
• Prejudice


  A negative attitude based on generalizations about members of selected racial, ethnic, or other groups
• Ethnocentrism


  The tendency to regard one's own culture and group as the standard
• Stereotypes


  Overgeneralizations about the appearance, behavior, or other characteristics of members of particular categories
• Racism


  Attitudes, beliefs, and practices that justify the superior treatment of one group
• Cultural relativism


  The view that all beliefs, customs, and ethics are relative to the individual within his own social context
• Cultural form


  The scientific study of the development of human cultures based on ethnologic, ethnographic, linguistic, social, and psychological data and methods of analysis
• Plural societies


  Societies where many cultures coexist but some are dominant, emphasizing plurality but not equality
• Multicultural societies


  Societies comprising different groups with varied beliefs, practices and historical memories, where all cultures would be equal in an ideal scenario
• Dominant ideology


  A set of ideas that prevail in a society in a given time period, as the ruling ideas of the ruling class
• Tool-kit


  A set of resources—knowledge, experiences, ideas—that we draw from to make decisions, construct our lives, and make sense of the world
• The 5 dimensions of cultural potency

  • Retrievability
  • Rhetorical Force
  • Resonance
  • Institutional Retention
  • Resolution