Sociology Universal Values

Societies and social beliefs change from tribe to tribe, and from nation to nation. The constructed nature of social beliefs mandate that from one society to another, the social beliefs change because each tribe has experienced a different growth curve, has experienced a different history, has identified different seminal events. As a result, each tribe has a unique set of socially constructed beliefs.

For most of the last century, the primary understanding of social values has been based on a constructed and evolutionary model. Darwin's and his cousin Galton's theories of constructed identities have influenced the field of sociology. What was once believed to be passed down as 'truth' on the authority of a society's religious beliefs has now been redefined as 'myth construction.' We believe that man's feelings of weakness, or powerlessness over aspects of his environment has led individual societies to build myths which look toward supernatural, or causes which are based on factors which are 'essentially other' than the human experience in order to give them a sense of power over the powerful, or control over the uncontrollable aspects of life.

However, while the individual details of these social values change from tribe to tribe, I see a common thread through all of man's tribal beliefs and values. The Kaulong of New Guinea believe in spirit powers which emanate from the individual that form the basis of their societal values (Goodale, 1995). The Greeks and Romans believed that separate beings, the Gods of Mt Olympus were causal to their lives events, and therefore their values were build around the process of interacting, and influencing the God's. The Chinese worship their ancestors, and believe that through honoring the ancient ancestors and ancient traditions that good fortune and power will flow into their daily lives.

The similarity between these tribal values is that each human tribe looks outward, beyond themselves and the physical life to a metaphysical influence over life...

Humans have a unified and universal value construct which seeks to connect to a higher power, a life force outside of ourselves to which we look for meaning. This is a universal value, timeless, and unchanging across the centuries.
Social values and cultural ideas as identified in architecture and personal - cultural space usage

San Bernardino's campus of the California State university system is a peaceful and small campus setting in the shadow of the San Bernardino mountains. The setting is peaceful, and the campus is laid out to reflect, as well as enhance the mountains which with just to the west of campus. The social values of the college are obviously built around the value of higher education.

The most obvious element of space usage in the campus which gives support to the commitment to education is the library, which sits in the very center of the campus buildings. All roads come to the hub of campus, which is the library building. However the library is not a dominant structure, which sticks out is ugly architectural disharmony with its surroundings. The library's main entrance is perfectly designed to so as to flow with, and not dominate the mountain range which stands majestically behind the building. This usage of space and design resemble and support the college's mindset that education should be an integral part of life, and that life is a part of the ecological and environmental system of which it is a part. Education does not dominate the environment, neither does the environment dominate and direct education. But the two needs to work together and both be used in the framework which creates our lives.

Culturally, the programs of the university campus also reflect a balanced approach to life. USC-SB is a small college campus which is part of a larger system. The university has diverse offerings of programs, and is not heavily influences by the sciences, technology, or the humanities. We are in practice what society is…