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1、,Answer: features that are common to all cultures,Find the Main IdeaWhat are cultural universals?,Cultural Variations,SubcultureGroups that share traits with each other but not the larger societyExamples are groups organized by age, gender, politics, or geographyMost do not reject all of the values
2、of the larger societyMost subcultures do not threaten the larger American culture,CountercultureCountercultures adopt values that are designed to challenge the values of the larger societyExamples are groups such as cyberpunks, anarchists, the Mafia, and hippies,Reading Check,ContrastWhat is the dif
3、ference between a subculture and a counterculture?,Answer: Subcultures accept most values of the core society, but have certain variations, such as language, not shared by the larger society; counterculture rejects the values of larger society and substitutes its own set of values and cultural patte
4、rns.,Cultural Diversity and Sociology,The Adaptive American CultureThe long history of immigration to the United States has resulted in an American culture that embraces values, behaviors, and material culture from other cultures around the world.,Latino influence is especially strong as Hispanics a
5、re the largest minority groupInfluences food, clothes, and cars availableLatino holidays are celebratedSpanish-language advertisements are common,South Asians are becoming a larger and larger portion of U.S. populationPakistani and Indian food has quickly become more popularBollywood movies are popu
6、lar,At a Glance,The American Value SystemOver the years, sociologists have identified what they believe are the core values of American society.Among these values are work, individualism, morality and humanitarianism, personal achievement, and others.American values have not stayed the same over tim
7、e, however. New values, such as respect for the environment, regularly develop and become part of American culture.,The American Value System,Main IdeaEven though American society is quite diverse, there are certain core values that the vast majority of Americans share.,Reading FocusWhat are traditi
8、onal American values?How have our values changed since the 1970s?,American Values Summary,Personal Control Over the EnvironmentChangeTime and Its ControlIndividualism and EqualityOrientation to ActionPrivacySelf-Help ConceptCompetition and Free EnterpriseDirect & OpennessPractical & EfficientMateria
9、listic/AcquisitionsInformality, Formality, & Friendship,Personal Control Over the Enviroment,Americans no longer believe in the power of Fate, and they have come to look at people who do as being backward, primitive, or hopelessly nave. To be call fatalistic is one of the worst criticisms one can re
10、ceive in the American context; to an American, it means one is superstitious and lazy, unwilling to take any initiative in bringing about improvement.In the United States, people consider it normal and right that Man should control Nature, rather than the other way around. More specifically, people
11、believe every single individual should have control over whatever in the environment might potentially affect him or her. The problems of ones life are not seen as having resulted from bad luck as much as having come from ones laziness in pursuing a better life. Furthermore, it is considered normal
12、that anyone should look out for his or her own self-interests first and foremost.,Change,In the American mind, change is seen as an indisputably good condition. Change is strongly linked to development, improvement, progress, and growth. Many older, more traditional cultures consider change as a dis
13、ruptive, destructive force, to be avoided if at all possible. Instead of change, such societies value stability, continuity, tradition, and a rich and ancient heritagenone of which are valued very much in the United States.These first two valuesthe belief that we can do anything and the belief that
14、any change is goodtogether with an American belief in the virtue of hard work and the belief that each individual has a responsibility to do the best he or she can do have helped Americans achieve some great accomplishments. So whether these beliefs are true is really irrelevant; what is important i
15、s that Americans have considered them to be true and have acted as if they were, thus, in effect, causing them to happen.,Time and Its Control,Time is, for the average American, of utmost importance. To the foreign visitor, Americans seem to be more concerned with getting things accomplished on time
16、 (according to a predetermined schedule) than they are with developing deep interpersonal relations. Schedules, for the American, are meant to be planned and then followed in the smallest detail.It may seem to you that most Americans are completely controlled by the little machines they wear on thei
17、r wrists, cutting their discussions off abruptly to make it to their next appointment on time.Americans language is filled with references to time, giving a clear indication of how much it is valued. Time is something to be on, to be kept, filled, saved, used, spent, wasted, lost, gained, planned, g
18、iven, made the most of, even killed.,Individualism and Equality,Individualism and equality are often regarded as the most marked characteristics of American society. Sometimes, people see them as in conflict, and sometimes, they see them as complementary. When equality goes too far, it is likely to
19、threaten certain aspects of individualism. When individualism goes too far, it also tends to threaten certain aspects of egalitarianism.,Individualism and Equality,Americans are still trying hard to wrestle with these two inherently contradictory notions, for they come in together like a package. On
20、e simply cannot get one without the other.,Orientation to Action,This concept has two meanings in American culture. In everyday life, the idea of decision making is used to justify a wide range of behavior.In its more formal sense, decision making incorporates a loose cluster of assumptions and valu
21、es in American culture that have been systematized as procedures for guiding activity.,Orientation to Action,Three American assumptions:Human beings are responsible for setting their own directions in the world;Clarity is preferable to ambiguity;And contemplation should lead to action.,Privacy,Priva
22、cy, the ultimate result of individualism is perhaps even more difficult for the foreigner to comprehend. The word privacy does not even exist in many languages. If it does, it is likely to have a strongly negative connotation, suggesting loneliness or isolation from the group. In the United States,
23、privacy is not only seen as a very positive condition, but it is also viewed as a requirement that all humans would find equally necessary, desirable and satisfying. It is not uncommon for Americans to sayand believesuch statements as If I dont have at least half an hour a day to myself, I will go s
24、tark raving mad.,Self-Help Concept,In the United States, a person can take credit only for what he or she has accomplished by himself or herself. Americans get no credit whatsoever for having been born into a rich family. (In the United States, that would be considered an accident of birth.) America
25、ns pride themselves in having been born poor and, through their own sacrifice and hard work, having climbed the difficult ladder of success to whatever level they have achievedall by themselves. The American social system has, of course, made it possible for Americans to move, relatively easily, up
26、the social ladder.,Competition and Free Enterprise,Americans believe that competition brings out the best in any individual. They assert that it challenges or forces each person to produce the very best that is humanly possible. Consequently, the foreign visitor will see competition being fostered i
27、n the American home and in the American classroom, even on the youngest age level. Very young children, for instance, are encouraged to answer questions for which their classmates do not know the answer.Americans, valuing competition, have devised an economic system to go with itfree enterprise. Ame
28、ricans feel strongly that a highly competitive economy will bring out the best in its people and, ultimately, that the society that fosters competition will progress most rapidly. If you look for it, you will see evidence in all areaseven in fields as diverse as medicine, the arts, education, and sp
29、ortsthat free enterprise is the approach most often preferred in America.,Direct and Open,Many other countries have developed subtle, sometimes highly ritualistic, ways of informing other people of unpleasant information. Americans, however, have always preferred the first approach. They are likely
30、to be completely honest in delivering their negative evaluations. If you come from a society that uses the indirect manner of conveying bad news or uncomplimentary evaluations, you will be shocked at Americans bluntness.If you come from a country where saving face is important, be assured that Ameri
31、cans are not trying to make you lose face with their directness. It is important to realize that an American would not, in such case, lose face. The burden of adjustment, in all cases while you are in this country, will be on you. There is no way to soften the blow of such directness and openness if
32、 you are not used to it except to tell you that the rules have changed while you are here. Indeed, Americans are trying to urge their fellow countrymen to become even more open and direct. The large number of assertiveness training courses that appeared in the United States in the late 1970s reflect
33、s such a commitment.,Practical and Efficient,Americans have a reputation of being an extremely realistic, practical and efficient people. The practical consideration is likely to be given highest priority in making any important decision in the United States. Americans pride themselves in not being
34、very philosophically or theoretically oriented. If Americans would even admit to having a philosophy, it would probably be that of pragmatism.Will it make any money? Will it pay its own way? What can I gain from this activity? These are the kinds of questions that Americans are likely to ask in thei
35、r practical pursuit, not such questions as: Is it aesthetically pleasing? Will it be enjoyable?, or Will it advance the cause of knowledge?,Materialistic/Acquisitions,Foreigners generally consider Americans much more materialistic than Americans are likely to consider themselves. Americans would lik
36、e to think that their material objects are just the natural benefits that always result from hard work and serious intenta reward, they think, that all people could enjoy were they as industrious and hard-working as Americans.But by any standard, Americans are materialistic. This means that they val
37、ue and collect more material objects than most people would ever dream of owning. It also means they give higher priority to obtaining, maintaining and protecting their material objects than they do in developing and enjoying interpersonal relationships.,Work and Play,The separation of work from pla
38、y. Work is what they do regularly and purposefully whether they enjoy it or not. Play is different. It is fun, an outlet from work, without serious purpose except to make work more efficient.,Informality, Formality and Friendship,Ideally, American friendship is based on spontaneity, mutual attractio
39、n, and warm personal feelings. People choose friends and keep relations with friends separate from social or work obligations. It is important for the American to preserve personal initiative in pursuing friendships, in contrast to those societies where friendship patterns are inseparable from socia
40、l obligations.,How important is work in the American value system?,25,可编辑,Other Core Values,NationalismPatriotismScience and rationalityRacial and group superiorityEducationReligionRomantic loveEnvironmentPolitically Correct,21 Charts That Explain American Values TodayWhat do Americans really think
41、about religion, Wall Street, and morality? A visual summary. (2012 Article),Americans say they are more tolerant and open-minded than their parents. Among the issues that rate more morally acceptable today than a decade ago: homosexuality, human cloning, pre-marital sex, and having a child out of we
42、dlock. At the same time, half believe the economic system is unfair to middle- and working-class Americans, and only 17 percent believe Wall Street executives share fundamental American values. In all, two-thirds think the country is heading in the wrong direction, 69 percent believe the countrys va
43、lues have deteriorated since the 1970s, and nearly half say values will further weaken over the next 10 years.,Two-thirds of those surveyed say the country is heading in the wrong direction,. 7 in 10 say peoples values have been getting worse in America .,. and nearly half expect American values to
44、weaken over the next decade.,Americans are split over whether their values are stronger or weaker than the rest of the worlds .,. while freedom of speech and freedom of religion are cited as the top examples of Americas superior values compared to other places in the world.,The influence of religion
45、 on American life is decreasing.,11 percent of Americans dont believe in God .,. half seldom or never attend church .,. but religion is still important to half of all Americans.,Most Americans say they are more open and tolerant than their parents.,Two-thirds of Americans think the U.S. economy is o
46、n the wrong track .,. and half think the economic system is unfair to middle- and working-class people.,6 in 10 Americans believe budget deficits undermine American values .,. and more than half would raise taxes on the wealthy and businesses.,Only 17 percent think Wall Street executives share Ameri
47、cas fundamental values .,. and of those who say Wall Street values are different, 9 in 10 say they are worse.,7 in 10 believe elected officials reflect mainly the values of the wealthy .,. and Americans are broadly united in their belief that money and lobbyists have too much influence in politics.,
48、More than half do not expect their personal information to be private when they use social media .,. though Americans are more worried about government knowing their personal lives than about private companies.,Finally, more than three-quarters of Americans believe people are typically motivated by self-interest - and just 20 percent believe them to be generally altruistic.,50,可编辑,