1. Bring an object or picture to class that, in your opinion, illustrates “culture.” Explain to the class how your item represents culture, using concepts such as material or nonmaterial and real or ideal culture to talk about it.

2. Work with a small group to come up with an example of a cultural inconsistency between ideal and real culture in the United States. Can you come up with an example that relates to the family, higher education, consumer culture, or the workplace, for example?

3. Recall Miner’s (1956) description of the Nacirema. Could you write a description of a contemporary cultural practice that follows the model of his effort to detach the American obsession with care of the body from its presumed “naturalness” or “normalcy” in U.S. society? Could you write a culturally detached description of the U.S. ritual of Superbowl watch parties, celebrity culture, texting, the high school graduation, or baseball, for example? Prepare a description and share it with classmates to see if they can guess what you are describing.

4. With a group of your peers, describe the norms that govern your college or university. Discuss whether these norms are folkways, mores, or taboos. Debate why these norms exist in this particular social setting.

5. Consider the following popular extracurricular collegiate activities: member of a sports team, actor in a theater production, school club member, band member, and fraternity or sorority member. Describe how your habitus has encouraged or hindered your likelihood to participate in these activities.

6. Consider a piece of material culture and a global commodity like the cell phone. As a cultural object, the cell phone can be subjected to social norms. Visit The Society Pages website. Read through the short essay, which also includes a short video clip from Larry David’s show Curb Your Enthusiasm. Answer the questions at the end of the essay in your own words.

7. Based on the previous question, attempt a norm violation using your cell phone (make sure to do this in public space so you can gauge the reactions of onlookers). Describe what the norm you are violating is. What reactions did your norm violation elicit? Were you surprised by the responses? Consider submitting your results to The Society Pages to be included in a future post.