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Culture Refers to all shared learning (or values, norms, language), and all of the material artifacts produced through that within a given society. Key elements for the study of human behavior are: Values - the ideals that society holds above all others Norms - values are the building blocks of norms, which are shared rules of social behavior Material goods - physical objects humans create How is culture created and shared? Language is the basis of culture A set of verbal or written symbols with rules for putting them together Symbols are objects, sounds, or designs that refer to or represent something Nature vs Nurture: Human behavior innate or learned? Nature What makes us human is biology Our genetic makeup is reflected in behavior as well as physical traits and nature selects for traits that increase our chances of reproducing We behave in some ways but not others Nurture Our behavior is shaped by learning We have no culture at birth, will learn culture Spend a lifetime learning language and culture through social interaction Cultural universal of human societies Language Marriage and family Religious rituals Incest Taboos Property rules Universality implies that these are hard wired (by nature) into being “human” Variations even among universals traceable to culture Societies need some conformity to function smoothly; comes from shared culture Because people accept the norms and values of their societies as natural Those who don’t conform are subject to measures of social control

Nonetheless culture varies across groups, place and time. What is important or normal at one time may not be at another How are we to understand cultural variation? Subculture Variations in the above between distinct populations within a culture Usually consistent with dominant cultures but when they are not -deviance Ex: amish, nerds, jocks, cool kids Ethnocentrism vs cultural relativism Tendency to regard one’s own culture as superior vs judging other cultures by their cultural standards Assimilation vs multiculturalism Adjust their behavior to the dominate cultural behavior vs don't have to become all the same, different cultures within the society, to become equal of each other...