(16) CULTURE- The student understands how the components of culture affect the way people live and shape the characteristics of regions. Describe distinctive cultural patterns and landscapes associated with different places in Texas, the United States, and other regions of the world and how these patterns influenced the processes of innovation and diffusion; Describe elements of culture, including language, religion, beliefs and customs, institutions, and technologies; Explain ways various groups of people perceive the characteristics of their own and other cultures, places, and regions differently; Compare life in a variety of urban and rural areas in the world to evaluate political, economic, social, and environmental changes.

(17) CULTURE- The student understands the distribution, patterns, and characteristics of different cultures. Describe and compare patterns of culture such as language, religion, land use, education, and customs that make specific regions of the world distinctive; Describe major world religions, including animism, Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, and Sikhism, and their spatial distribution; Compare economic, political, or social opportunities in different cultures for women, ethnic and religious minorities, and other underrepresented populations; Evaluate the experiences and contributions of diverse groups to multicultural societies.

(18) CULTURE- The student understands the ways in which cultures change and maintain continuity. Analyze cultural changes in specific regions caused by migration, war, trade, innovations, and diffusion; Assess causes, effects, and perceptions of conflicts between groups of people, including modern genocides and terrorism; Identify examples of cultures that maintain traditional ways, including traditional economies; Evaluate the spread of cultural traits to find examples of cultural convergence and divergence such as the spread of democratic ideas, US-based fast-food franchises, the English language, technology, and/or global sports.

CULTURE Peoples way of life, including how they meet their needs, their language, religion, beliefs, customs, institutions, technology, etc. Customs- Things people usually do, such as how they dress, the foods they eat, the holidays they celebrate, and how they deal with turning points in life (birth, coming of age, graduation, marriage, parenthood, and death)

Institutions Organizations developed by society to make social roles clear and to take care of social needs. Families: Deals with size of family, care of family members, upbringing of children; Schools: Teaching values of society and preparing people for the responsibilities of adulthood; Governments: Protection from outsiders, Promotion of social cooperation, and regulation of behavior. Other institutions include the army, hospitals, churches, etc.

Religion Set of beliefs about the meaning of life, the nature of the universe, and the existence of the supernatural; Set of customs and practices that relate to the worship of God (or gods) and a set of rules for the conduct of a good life; An organization (like a church or other place of worship), which oversees the conduct of religious practices; Designation of places that see as sacred or holy.

Other Cultural Issues: Polytheism vs. Monotheism Social Class & Social Mobility Homogenous vs. Heterogeneous Perceptions of other cultures (true or not?) Gender Roles and Treatment of Ethnic Minorities

Innovation- The creation of better or more effective products, processes, services, technologies, or ideas that are accepted by markets, governments, and society. Innovation differs from invention in that innovation refers to the use of a new idea or method, whereas invention refers more directly to the creation of the idea or method itself productsprocessesservicestechnologiesideasmarketsgovernmentssocietyinvention Technology- T echnology has made many activities much easier… Air transportation (and other types of transportation), engines, TV, radio, Internet, food production, and just a whole bunch of other advances in technology have made the spread of ideas, goods, services, general communication, and culture much easier and faster. One of the most important technological advances was the development of the printing press…it allowed the spread of religious and political philosophies to be much easer and more widespread. INNOVATION PUT TO WORK!

Terrorism- the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, especially for political purposes; the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization; a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government. In other words, to get what you want using tactics that create fear. Usually, terrorists like to make “dramatic” statements like blowing up planes or trains, targeting innocent people (like women, children, tourists), or doing things that make people afraid to live normal lives.

Cultural Convergence- When different cultures exchange ideas and become more similar. It is SIMILAR to cultural diffusion, but is not exactly the same. Cultural diffusion is the spread of culture, whereas CONVERGENCE is when a more common culture is actually created. Cultural Divergence- This is when different cultural influences cause an area to break up (divide) into separate parts. When this happens, the “separate” group may hold on to much of the “bigger culture”, but there may have been a slight change in the CORE VALUES of a group that caused them to break away…think about religions, political systems, etc.