UNIT 2

CULTURE AND THE INDIVIDUAL

Key concepts, terms and names

The following concepts, terms and names are all important. Using your dictionary, the Glossary from you text or the context in which these terms are used in your textbook, look up and write down the definitions and descriptions of these terms. Similarly, look up these names.

I.You have to read and find the answers to the following questions:

•What is "human nature"?

•What distinguishes the human species from other animals?

•What is culture, how is it perpetuated, and how is it affected by social change?

In 1859 Charles Darwin's book “On the Origin of Species” introduced the idea that all species (humans included) evolve over time and influence each other's evolution. Humans and apes evolved from a common ancestor living millions of years ago. In the 1970s biologist Edward O. Wilson proposed that many aspects of human social life are based in biology and suggested, for instance, that male promiscuity and dominance over women may be due to the genetic makeup of our species. Sociologists object that there is little hard evidence for this view, and point out that instincts (complex patterns of behavior common to all members of a species) do not exist in humans.

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Culture and Society

The terms culture and society refer to separate but closely related concepts: society refers to the system of interrelationships that connect individuals together. Culture refers to the way of life of a group or society and includes the values or abstract ideals held by the group, the norms or principal rules they follow, and the material goods they create.

Values and norms vary widely across societies. Features of one culture can appear alien or even bizarre to observers from another culture, and often only make sense when considered in the full context of the society's way of life. Sociologists try to avoid ethnocentrism, the tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one's own.

Cultural Universals: Some general features can be found in virtually all cultures; these include religious rituals, property rights, marriage, a family system, some form of incest prohibition, and a grammatically complex language. Specific forms, of course, are extremely varied.

The process by which the human infant gradually learns how to function as a self-aware, knowledgeable member of society is known as socialization, and the social contexts in which this process occurs are referred to as agencies of socialization. These include:

•The Family: In modern societies, most early socialization takes place in small families, with the mothers being by far the most important focus. In cultures where households are larger, other family members such as aunts or cousins may play significant roles as well.

•Peer Relationships: Traditional societies often formalize peer

groups as age-grades and provide support for making life-cycle transitions (for instance from childhood to adulthood). Modern societies generally lack such formal structures, though peer relations are still important and are structured to some extent by schools.

•Schools: Social as well as academic lessons are learned in schools, including how to sit quietly for long periods, how to be punctual, and how to follow complex rules.

•Mass Media: Newspapers and television are relatively new means

of socialization, but now reach into even the most impoverished regions of the world.

II. This time you have to read the sentences below and say whether they are true or false.

1. The term "culture", as it is used by sociologists, usually refers to the "higher things of the mind" such as art and painting.

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2.Darwin's theory of evolution was controversial because he claimed that human beings were descended from chimpanzees.

3.Sociobiologists believe that male promiscuity is a sound strategy from the point of view of the human species.

4.Sociologists tend to support the claims of sociobiology.

5.In human beings, courtship behaviors arise from genetically patterned instincts.

7.All cultures possess grammatically complex languages.

8.Formalized peer groups—age-grade systems—are normally confined to males in the cultures where they occur.

9.In a child-centered society, all children experience love and care from adults.

10.According to the text, socialization, by its very definition, deprives us of individuality and freedom.

III. In this exercise you have to fill the blanks using the words in the box.

Culture, cultural universals, ethnocentrism, instinct, society, mass media, natural selection, peer groups, reflex, socialization, sociobiology

1. The term _____________________refers to the values held by a group or society, their norms, and the material goods they create.

2.The system of interrelationships that connect individuals together is called_________________.

3.The tendency to judge other cultures by the standards of one’s own is called by social scientists__________________.

4.One key component in the theory of evolution is ____________, which is based on the idea that those best adapted to their environment survive, while those less able to cope with its demands do not.

5.The premise of_________________ is that genetic inheritance controls complex forms of human activity.

6.Involuntary blinking is based on biological ________________ rather than genetic _________________.

7.The institution of marriage, religious rituals, property rights, and incest prohibition are all examples of_______________.

8.______________ is the process by which an individual becomes skilled in the ways of the culture into which he or she is born.

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9.Friendship groups of similar-aged children are known as____________.

10.The ________________, including printed documents and electronic communication, seems to be an increasingly important socializing agent in our age.

IV. You have to translate the following Russian sentences into the English language

1.Культура включает в себя ценности, носителями которых являются члены определенной группы, нормы, которым они следуют, и материальные блага, производимые ими.

2.В каждой культуре приняты свои уникальные модели поведения, которые кажутся странными представителям других культурных образований.

3.Предпосылкой социобиологии является то, что генетическая наследственность контролирует сложные формы человеческой деятельности

4.Социологи стремятся в максимально возможной степени избежать этноцентризма, то есть попытки оценивать чужую культуру, сравнивая ее со своей собственной.

5.Некоторые общие черты, которые присущи почти всем обществам, называются культурными универсалиями.

6.Под агентами социализации понимают группы и социальные контексты, в рамках которых совершаются процессы социализации.

7.От детей ожидается, что они будут тихо заниматься в классе, пунктуально вести себя на уроках и соблюдать правила школьной дисциплины.

V. Now you have to make the right choice

1.The concept of “culture” as used by sociologists includes

a.Marriage customs and family life

b.The “higher things of the mind” such as art and literature

c.Material goods in factories

d.All the above.

2.Sociobiological theory has been challenged because

a.There is little evidence that genetic heritance direct human activity

b.Nonhuman animal species cannot be said to be “social”

c.Biology does not influence human society

d.All the above.

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