“We talk a lot and talk pretty well about race, but we don’t listen enough. And I’m hoping that if we listen to each other, we can begin to … make this society of ours into less and less of a country of strangers.” -David Shipler, 1997

“Appreciation of our differences starts with the acknowledgment of our similarities” -Peter Reese

What Is Culture?

What Is Culture? The customary ways in which humans live. For example; diet, family forms and processes, social organizations, and religions.

Ethnic Group or Culture Group The cultural heritage, or aspects of culture, that a group shares and attempts to hand down from one generation to the next through learning.

Characteristics of Culture or Ethnicity History-time period and conditions under which a group migrated or immigrated. Social Status Factors – education, occupation, income Social Group Interaction Patterns: Intra-group (within group relations) and Inter-group (between-group relations) Value Orientation – standards by which members of a culture judge their personal actions and those of others. Language and Communication: Verbal and Nonverbal Family Life Processes – gender roles, family dynamics Healing Beliefs and Practices – attitudes and beliefs about health. Religion – spiritual beliefs and practices Art and Expressive Forms – art, music, stories, dance, etc. Diet/Foods – preferred food eaten by groups. Recreation – activities, sports for leisure, etc. Clothing – types, styles, and extent of body coverings.

Education and culture In the words of Golda Meyer “The purpose of education is to civilize the thousands of barbarians that are born in to this world every hour”. If education fails to bring change in the learner, then it is worthless. Education is considered the most powerful tool in bringing change in man. On one hand, education acculturates an individual; on the other hand, it preserves, transmits and develops the culture of a society. In short, education and culture are mutually interdependent, complementary and supplementary in all their aspects and activities. Thus the relation between education and culture is inseparable.

Kinds of Culture 1. Individual culture 2. Communal culture 3. National culture 4. World culture: Types of Culture According to contents there are two types of culture in each society. 1. Material Culture: Material culture includes all those man-made things and objects which human society has created for its physical welfare in times of peace and war. Items such as clothes, utensils, homes, roads, ornaments, T.V., radio, various machines, gadgets and various means of transport and communication are some examples of material culture. 2. Non-material Culture: Non-material culture includes all those ideals, attitudes and values which modify the behaviour of man, language, literature, art, music, religion, customs, traditions etc. are some of the examples of non-material culture.