HS2004 Culture, Self & Identity

In its widest sense, culture refers to the sum total of ways of life that are shared by members of a society, providing a sense of social order and yet changing through time. In addition to the concept of material culture, this course focuses on intangible aspects of culture such as values, norms, ideas, beliefs and symbols, which govern the conduct of social life. Culture is transmitted by the institutions and processes of socialization and is drawn into the social construction of personal and collective identities. The course also discusses changing conceptions of selfhood in modern society and issues related to ethnocentrism, cultural relativism, subculture, global culture, popular culture, and multiculturalism.