Norms concerning relatively unimportant matters.
folkways
Societies that are held together by kinship ties and by a simple division of labor based on age and gender; sustenance is based on game animals, nuts, berries, and other wild plants.
hunting and gathering societies
A grouping that consists of people who share a common culture, obey the same political authority (government), and occupy a given territory.
society
The profound change in social relationships from communal to associational brought about by industrialization, urbanization, bureaucratization, rationalization, and globalization.
Great Social Transformation (GST)
Norms about matters that are so serious as to be almost beyond comprehension.
taboos
A society that is characterized by rich personalized relationships and in which the main social units are family, kin, and community.
communal society
The manner in which a society obtains the basic materials necessary to sustain itself; the most basic feature of a society.
mode of subsistence
The pattern of beliefs that legitimizes or justifies a particular societal arrangement.
ideology
Societies whose technology of food production is such that annual food surpluses are used to support larger populations and permanent settlements.
agrarian societies
The belief that culture should be viewed from the perspective of different groups.
multiculturalism
A new material or non-material product resulting from the combination of known cultural elements in a novel manner.
invention
Similar cultural solutions in different societies for similar problems of survival.
cultural universals
The specific expectations about how people behave in a given situation.
norms
The activities of individuals or groups aimed at attaining a goal or an end.
human agency
A society in which social relationships are often highly impersonal and the main social units are organizations, corporations, and bureaucracies.
associational society
A representation that stands for something else.
symbol
Societies that derive most of their sustenance from raising domesticated animals.
pastoral societies
Words that are symbols and rules for conveying complex ideas.
language
Noticing something that has not been noticed before.
discovery
Societies that are partly agrarian and partly industrial and whose populations members are largely peasants.
transitional societies
Norms concerning very serious matters.
mores
Societies that rely on technology and mechanization as the main source of sustenance.
industrial societies
Societies in which the cultivation of domestic plants satisfies most needs for food.
horticultural societies
The belief that each culture is unique and must be analyzed and judged on its own terms.
cultural relativism
The preferences that people share about what is good or bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable.
values
The tendency for elements of material culture to change more rapidly than elements of nonmaterial culture..
cultural lag
Societies based primarily on the creation and transmitting of specialized knowledge.
postindustrial societies
The belief that one's own culture is superior to all other cultures.
ethnocentrism
The mutually shared products, knowledge, and beliefs of a human group or society.
diffusion and globalization
Computer software is an example of
material culture
Within a large and socially heterogenous society such as the US, there are many distinct cultures. The term that describes this situation is
cultural diversity
All societies must confront the issue of rearing children
cultural diversity
Language is such a powerful system of symbols that, according to the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis,
we have little choice but to interpret the world in terms of the words and grammar of our native language.
The five interlocking rings of the Olympics is an example of a/an
symbol
World systems theory with the concepts of core nations, periphery nations, and semiperiphery nations is a branch of what theory?
conflict
Which is the goal of multiculturalism?
to incorporate the minority point of view into the curriculum, to produce a more complete picture of society, to create greater tolerance for diversity
Agrarian societies
were made possible by the invention of the plow, were characterized by the emergence of cities, had enough wealth to support toolmakers, administrators, and other non-agricultural specialists
Through time within a society,
the content of values may change even though their outward form remains the same
Industrial societies
rely on technology and mechanization as the main source of sustenance, institutionalize innovation, and often invest heavily in defense technology
Which is characteristic of associational societies?
complex stratification, the valuing of rationality, and the complexity and diversity of life
The scientific ability to genetically alter plants and animals (including humans) has progressed faster than the ability to develop norms and values surrounding that ability. This situation is an example of
cultural lag
What sociological perspective has integrated aspects of social evolution theory into its discussion of change, emphasizing the tendencies for societies to achieve and remain in equilibrium?
functionalist
Which theory of social change argues that traditional societies will eventually take on the characteristics of industrial societies?
modernization
What type of catalyst for change was illustrated by President Johnson's ordering of American troops into Vietnam?
human agency
The Kwakiutl Indians' cultural practice of potlatch was unrelated to their physical environment.
false
The sanctions for violation of taboos are generally more severe than the sanctions for violation of mores.
true
Language is the most powerful and complex type of symbol.
true
Most of the world's population lives in industrial societies.
false
The diffusion of technology and the actions of multinational corporations are contributing to the homogenization of cultures.
true
In the US, people tend to have more communal relationships than associational relationships.
false
The UK is an example of a core nation.
true
According to the world systems theory, nations that are highly industrialized and powerful, and also that control the world system, are called modernized.
false
Noticing that something has not been noticed before is called diffusion.
false
Folkways, mores, and taboos are all norms, yet they vary in importance.
true
The 14th century plague known as the Black Death killed one-quarter of Europe's population.
false
The notion of social evolution served the interests of European powers as they expanded their colonial empires.
true
As societies change, there is a tendency for material cultural elements to change more quickly than nonmaterial cultural elements.
true
According to Marx, Weber, and Durkheim, people in communal societies suffer from the ills of alienation, rationalization, and anomie.
false
Few technological developments are entirely new; most build on existing science, technology, and inventions.
true