Honors Culture Project 6 parts of the project By Tuesday, October 1st: Culture Project Request Form – Turn in a typed request for the culture you would like to research. You must have 3 options. – Note: this is not a country necessarily, so please research what you want to analyze. – This is for Part 6 of the project. What do we mean by CULTURE????? – You must choose a living culture (people living right now, not an ancient culture). – For example: the Mayans are both ancient & modern…so that can be an option of choice.

A few cultures… Links to articles, etc.

Saudi Arabia’s Bedouin Culture

Scottish Highlands

Scottish Culture

Australian Aborigines

Culture is what makes you a stranger when you are away from home

An iceberg as an analogy of culture

From Gary Weaver in Culture, Communication and Conflict: Readings in Intercultural Relations

Cultural Universals George Murdock’s 70 Cultural Universals

age-grading athletic sports bodily adornment calendar cleanliness training community organization cooking co-operative labor cosmology courtship dancing decorative art divination division of labor dream interpretation education eschatology ethics ethno-botany etiquette faith healing family feasting fire-making folklore food taboos funeral rites games gestures gift-giving government greetings hair styles hospitality housing hygiene incest taboos inheritance rules joking kin groups kinship nomenclature language law luck / superstitions magic marriage mealtimes medicine obstetrics penal sanctions personal names population policy postnatal care pregnancy usages property rights propitiation of supernatural beings puberty customs religious ritual residence rules sexual restrictions soul concepts status differentiation surgery tool-making trade visiting weather control weaving

Introduction to the Seven Elements of Culture

Basic Elements of culture Social Organization Customs and Traditions Language Arts and Literature Religion Forms of Government Economic Systems

Social Organization Creates social structure by organizing its members into small units to meet basic needs Family Patterns: family is the most important unit of social organization. Through the family, children learn how they are expected to act & what to believe. – Nuclear family: husband, wife, children Typical family in an industrial society (U.S.A.) Does not have to be large to accomplish tasks of living – Extended family: Several generations living in one household, working & living together: grandparents, aunts/uncles, cousins Respect for elders is strong Social classes: rank people in order of status, depending on what is important to the culture (money, job, education, ancestry, etc.)

Customs & Traditions Rules of Behavior – enforced ideas of right & wrong – often these ideas are part of the culture’s written laws

Arts & Literature Products of the human imagination – help us pass on the culture’s basic beliefs examples: art, music literature, folk tales

Religion Answers basic questions about the meaning of life – supports values that groups of people feel are important – religion is often a source of conflict between cultures – Monotheism: worship one god – Polytheism: worship more than one god

Forms of Government To provide for their common needs, keep order within society & protect their society from outside threats Definition of government: – 1. Person/people who hold power in a society – 2. Society’s laws & political institutions Democracy: people have supreme power, government acts by & with consent – Republic: people choose leaders who represent them Dictatorship: ruler/group holds power by force – usually relying on military support for power

Economic Systems How people use limited resources to satisfy their wants & needs Traditional Economy: people produce most of what they need to survive (hunting, gathering, farming, herding cattle, make own clothes/tools etc.) Market Economy: buying/selling goods & services. Command Economy: government controls what/how goods are produced & what they cost. Individuals have little economic power. Mixed Economy: individuals make some economic decisions & the government makes others.