Culture

Survey of Social Studies

Mr. Biddle

What is Culture?

• Culture- the way of life of a group of people with common traditions, interests, and beliefs

• Culture includes the language, art, Religion, clothing, morals, etc of a group of people

Aspects of Culture1)  Learned-   Process of learning one's

culture is called  enculturation. 2)  Shared- by the members of a

society.  No "culture of  one." 3)  Patterned- People in a society live

and think in ways  that form definite patterns.

4)  Mutually constructed- through a constant process of social interaction.

5)  Symbolic-  language and thought are based on symbols and symbolic meanings.

6)  Arbitrary-   Not based on "natural laws" external to humans, but created by humans according to the "whims" of the society.  Example: standards of beauty.

7)  Internalized-   Habitual.   Taken-for-granted.    Perceived as "natural."

Aspects of Culture

• Members of a culture share values and norms

• Values- important and enduring beliefs or ideals shared by the members of a culture about what is good or desirable and what is not

• Norms- Informal guideline about what is considered normal (what is correct or incorrect) social behavior in a particular group or social unit

Aspects of Culture

• An example of Norm in American culture: When two adults are introduced to each other they shake hands

• When a person does something that is not considered a norm or value than they are described as having deviant behavior

Types of Culture

• High Culture- Entertainment and arts enjoyed mostly by the elite members of society

• Pop Culture- Mainstream stuff that fades in and out of fashion

• Material Culture-The aggregate of physical things used by a society

Anthropology

• Anthropology- the study of humankind in all its aspects, especially human culture or human development

• Anthropologist disagree on whether they should stress the materialist side or the idealist side of culture

Cultures are Adaptive

• Cultures contain information about how to survive in the world

• Inuit's in North America live different lives than aborigines do in Australia

• Culture is uniquely human and can change

Cultures are Adaptive

• Cultural Change may result from internal or outside forces

• What types of internal forces do you think can change a culture?

• What types of outside forces do you think can change a culture?