soc 5025 usa cultural values
DESCRIPTION
SOC5025 AssignmentTRANSCRIPT
USA cultural values and cultural universals
Jessica McLuckieAppalachian State University
SOC 5025-376
Understand U.S. Values – clusters and contradictions
Learn about subcultures and how they fit (or don’t!)
Think about cultural universals – what can we ALL agree on?
Examine cultural change and lag Discover where you “fit” in your culture
Goals for Today
The US is a pluralistic society
Here are some different groups that make up the US: Religious Racial-ethnic Political Interest On your index card,
write down which groups you identify with from the list!
But isn’t there more to you than that?
What other groups do you identify
with?
Music Clothing Mascot Hobby What else?
Robin Williams (not *that* Robin Wiliams) identified 10 core values:
Achievement & Success Individualism Hard Work Efficiency & Practicality Science & Technology Material Comfort Freedom Democracy Equality Group Superiority
What else?
Education
Religiosity
Romantic Love
Value Clusters
See handout for group learning activity
Emerging Value Clusters
Leisure Self-fulfillment Physical fitness Youthfulness Concern for the
environment
Value Contradictions
Group Superiority – I WIN!
= someone else loses – No equality for you!
Let’s talk about subcultures
What about in your world?
When Values Clash
We believe in equality Same-sex marriage? Wait, that offends my
religious beliefs! You’re infringing upon my value system!
But you believe in equality – same-sex couples want the same privilege to marry…
CONFLICT!
Ideal vs. Real
Do Cultural Universals Exist?
The short answer? No.
Singing Marriage Funerals
There are customs we all perform, but they are all done differently!
Cultural Lag & Change
“not all cultures change at the same pace” (Henson, 2010, p. 63)
Let’s welcome Cultural Diffusion
“groups are most open to changes in their technology or material culture” (Henson, 2010, p. 63).
Final Thoughts…and Assignment
Today you have explored U.S. values. You have discovered your similarities as well as conflicts with these values and the people who hold them.
You have looked at cultural universals – where do YOUR cultural values fit in?
FINAL THOUGHTS: To wrap up this chapter, please prepare a thoughtful 1-2 page narrative on how your personal values were shaped by your culture. Examine how those values fit in (or don’t!) with the U.S. values discussed today.