Unit 2 What is culture?

Journal #9 How would you define culture/ How does culture enrich my life?

Watch Baraka Baraka

Journal #10 What pressure do you experience to follow the trends, the language, the codes of conduct of your peers?

Defining “Culture”: Culture is something that is difficult to define because it encompasses many aspects of our day to day living.   CULTURE is a set of meanings, beliefs, values and rules for living shared by groups and societies as the source of their identity.

Seven Characteristics of Culture Humans create culture: Culture distinguishes us from the rest of nature. Only humans have culture. According to Chinese customs, a husband should carry his bride over a pan of burning coals when entering their home for the first time

Seven Characteristics of Culture Culture consists of ways of doing things: It is not about the actions, but about how we do those actions and the meanings and beliefs about how things should be done. Culture is a set of values about things we do everyday, such as driving cars, opening doors or going to the movies. Women in the Tiwi tribes are married at birth

Seven Characteristics of Culture Culture is public: Culture is about how we as a community of people do things. It is not private; it is public. Ex: Media; parades; sporting events You can’t mock or disrespect the King of Thailand in Public

Seven Characteristics of Culture Culture arises from tradition: Many of the ways we do things, we got from our parents / ancestors. Some of these traditions go back hundreds or thousands of years. Ex: Family traditions; sports traditions; Catholic Mass Hinduism tradition: A cow is the most sacred of all animals

Seven Characteristics of Culture Culture is made up of rule-governed actions: Because the way we do things comes from tradition, we feel that we have a duty to keep them that way. The traditions function like rules. Ex: Catholic Mass; family dinners; Super Bowl / Stanley Cup Playoffs How would you feel if you could not do any of your cultural traditions anymore?

Seven Characteristics of Culture Culture becomes established in institutions: Over time, our way of doing things becomes established in a set and familiar way. Actions are linked together to form a “system” of doing things. We sometimes call these systems institutions (i.e. institution of family). Ex: School, Parish, Youth Group, Soccer Team

Seven Characteristics of Culture Culture gives us our identity: The way we do things gives us a sense of our cultural identity. The way we do things in Canada is different from the way things are done in other countries. Ex: Italian-Canadian, Catholic, hockey player Create a poster using images and words that represents that cultural aspects of you. Present it to the class.

Assignment #8 I am Canadian

Journal #11 Which of the media, in your opinion, most influences youth culture (radio, music, television, internet, magazines, newspapers, movies, other)? To which do you give the most time?

Journal #12 What is the meaning of the saying, “Who informs you, forms you”? How can you avoid being manipulated by the media?

Journal #13 What do you think Jesus would say to our culture about our preoccupation with the rights of the individual?

Signs Signs are objects or gestures that express one specific message or meaning. Of example, a stop sign means “ stop” and nothing else

Symbols Objects or gestures that have different associations than what they literally are. For example, rose, cross, heart all represent love

What can symbols do? Symbols help us to search for the deeper significance and levels of meaning Symbols are intimately linked with what they represent Symbols speak to us in powerful and personal ways Symbols touch our hearts as well as our heads Symbols are doorways to the sacred. Name a famous clothing brand symbol? What kind of person wears it?

Why do we need symbols? Words alone are not enough to describe the desires, fears and emotions that touch us deeply. Words/feelings/ideas that are intangible (hard to describe) are associated with something that is tangible (easily recognized) For example, a flower can represent love, friendship, beauty or new life.

Do assignment #9

Journal #14 How can my understanding of signs, symbols and rituals increase my satisfaction of belonging to various cultural groups?

Journal #15 What do you think the Church should do to be relevant to young people?

Journal #16 Many popular movies and games have spiritual themes or religious overtones. Why do you think this is so? Are we humans, by nature, religious? Why or why not?

Journal #17 What are some of your everyday rituals? How effective are your rituals in getting everyday things done?

Rituals Rituals are symbolic actions that help us physically express our values and deepest concerns Ritual usually involves actions that have meaning while a routine is any set of actions done on a regular basis

What do rituals look like? Rituals can be simple (handshake, wave) or complex (catholic mass) Rituals help us to express those things that are hard to express any other way (the sacrament of marriage) Rituals celebrate special occasions, either personal or as a community (birthdays, weddings or holidays) In Modern China a bride has three dresses-red for luck, white as a western influence, and a third one of her choice.

How are rituals a part of our lives? On many occasions in life, such important changes take place that we need to mark them:

Life’s event Symbol Ritual Name of Rite Birth Death and life experience Touch, water Signing with cross Saying of Creed Immersion in water in the name of Trinity Anointing with Holy Spirit Rite of welcome Baptism Passage to maturity, initiation into the Church Oil Touch through laying on of hands Being made part of the Eucharistic community sealed with the Holy Spirit Confirmation Growth in Maturity Bread and wine Praising/ thanking God, receiving Communion Eucharist Sin/Spiritual immaturity. Touch Proclamation of forgiveness Reconciliation/ Confession Beginning marriage Ring/Embrace Exchange of promise and sexual Expression Marriage Service to leadership Oil/Laying on of hands Calling on the Holy Spirit to give priestly Office Ordination to Holy Orders (deacon, priest, bishop) Sickness/death Oil, laying on (touch) Anointing the sick person; invocation of baptism and death of Jesus Sacrament of the sick (Healing).

Assignment #10

Journal #18 What role does religion play in culture? How can I discover more about the impact of religion on the life of my community?

Religion in culture Religion is a system of symbols and rituals. We form powerful beliefs, values, meanings and practices around these symbols and rituals about who we are in relationship to God.

Religious symbols Symbols reveal the bond between us and the sacred. Religious symbols include things like the stars, the earth, cedar branches, smoke, oil and water. We use these things to represent immensity, power, growth, birth, cleansing, communion and so on. These symbols manifest the sacred when they are accompanied by rituals and words

Religious rituals Religious rituals have the power to open up new ways of living and communicating with a power and energy that is higher and deeper than our own

Liturgy In the Catholic tradition, liturgy is the Church’s official act of worship. In liturgy, God interacts with us in the various situations of our lives. All liturgical rites use Christian symbols and rites to “retell” or “remember” the person of Jesus, particularly his death and resurrection.

Transcendence Religious experience has to do with our relationship with a God whom we cannot see, hear, taste, smell and touch. That is, God is beyond, or transcends, our usual physical experience.

Secular Worldly, not religious or sacred; living in the world. To secularize is to make worldly, separate from religious connection or influence.

Watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding Do assignment #11 as you watch.

Journal #19 What does culture look and sound like? What role does religion play in culture?

Do review unit 2, test tomorrow

Class celebration = group 2