Characteristics of Culture: 1. Culture is Shared. How does your book/film depict shared culture amongst the characters? “Who” is sharing the culture here, and what is it comprised of? What material cultural items are in the film, and/or what non-material cultural values or beliefs are shared? Provide examples in your presentation, and illustrate them with images, text, etc.
Characteristics of Culture: 2. Culture is Learned. How do the characters in your book/film learn about the culture they are inhabiting? Which people, agents of socialization, or institutions, have taught them the cultural norms they know? Are the cultural norms or rules different for diverse groups? And, is there more than one culture depicted in your book or film? If so, discuss similarities/differences in expectations for types of people.
Characteristics of Culture: 4. Culture is Symbolic. Symbols are “things or behaviors to which people assign meaning.” For this component, go back to your lecture notes on Symbolic Interaction theory to help you apply this theory to your book/film. Which symbols (signs, images, hand gestures, facial expressions, body language) are used to communicate sociological ideas amongst the characters in your book/film? Discuss specific symbols used by the film or book’s characters as they apply to social class, gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, power, etc.
