Exam 3: Culture

Participating in a common culture requires understanding the shared meaning of which of the following?

According to the Sapir-Whorf thesis, which of the following cultural elements is the most important for the way we see the world?

Prior to the 1960s sociologists tended to view culture as an independent variable, but more recently many sociologists think of it as a dependent variable.

Which of the following refers to the chemical units that carry traits from parents to children?

Why is culture significant for individual human beings and for societies, respectively? Illustrate your answer with examples.

What argument do evolutionary psychologists provide for gender differences in promiscuity? Outline an alternate, sociological explanation of these differences.

Men are more likely than women to have same-sex relations.

Which cultural process is illustrated by Marshall McLuhan's idea of a "global village"?

Explain the significance of beliefs for culture. Give an example of a belief shared in Canadian culture today.

What is culture?

Look carefully at the following term: Gütergemeinschaft. What is the principal reason most Canadian-born English speakers do not understand what this term means?

What form of culture involves an eclectic mixing of elements from different times and places, the erosion of authority, and the decline of consensus around core values?

How do sociobiologists understand the relationship between biology and culture?

Is cow worship in rural India a rational practice? Explain your answer.

Reviewers of recent James Bond films have observed that they contain so many product placements that "a licence to sell" is now central to 007. Why do manufacturers use product placement?

Describe the evolution of hip-hop music from a sociological point of view.

When a father tells his son, "You should brush your teeth before going to bed," what is the father expressing?

Which of the following refers to the judging of another culture by the standards of one's own?

Matthew overhears an argument where one person claims that social behaviour is determined by the same biological patterns as those that determine people's eye colour. What is this position known as?

What do we call a set of distinctive values, norms, and practices within a larger culture that sets members apart from the dominant culture?