Final answer:
Dr. Thomas Parhan's understanding of culture includes values and beliefs, norms such as laws, mores, and folkways, and the essential roles of language and symbols. Culture also encompasses dominant practices, subcultures, countercultures, and is subject to cultural change, analyzed through various theoretical perspectives.
Step-by-step explanation:
Dr. Thomas Parhan identifies that culture is made up of many different elements, which come together to form larger combinations, or aggregates. A culture comprises values and beliefs, which are central to the society's worldview. Culture is also structured by norms, such as laws, mores, and folkways, which guide people's behaviors in various ways.
Additionally, language and symbols play essential roles in the development and communication of a culture. Sociologists recognize that within societies, there are dominant cultural practices as well as various forms of subcultures, including countercultures that can lead to significant cultural change. Furthermore, culture is also analyzed using different theoretical perspectives like functionalist, conflict, and symbolic interactionism. These approaches offer diverse insights into how culture operates and affects societies.