NL Studies 2205 Introduction to Culture

Definition of Culture Is the way of life of a group of people, defined by –objects –way we behave –Values Changes over time *Life in a Suitcase

Suitcase Basic clothing Survival/wet weather suit Laptop, telephone, chargers Beefaroni, mr noodle, purity products, bottled moose… Hygeine products (teen) Quilt (nans quilt etc.)

Local Culture Elements of culture not widely practiced Particular to a local area, often inspired historical events, previous ways of living, etc. The row houses of St. John’s were inspired by a community recovering from a great fire.

Regional Culture Practiced over a wider geographical area Chopsticks are common throughout East Asia. Tim Hortons coffee stores are common in Canada and North eastern US. The capelin Roll is celebrated on coastlines from Newfoundland to Quebec. ATVs and Skidoos are an important part of winter recreation in Northern and eastern Canada

Popular Culture Patterns of behavior that are widely popular and practiced around the world. Facebook *cell phones, laptops, western weddings

Cultural Complexes Ineracting tangible and intangible things in our lives that make up who we are. Made up of three categories of traits: –artifacts –sociofacts –mentifacts

Artifacts Objects, material items and technologies Basic necessities, recreation, entertainment *ipad, iphone, xbox, DC gear, nikes, trike

Sociofacts Structures and organizations Influence behaviour Families, governments, sports organizations, religious groups, etc.

Mentifacts Shared ideas, values and beliefs Religion, language, viewpoints, feelings of what is right or wrong

4 Forces Shaping Culture Economic (pp 48-51) Oil prices influence vehicle types and travel behavior, Interest rates/Industry Changes/Unemployment affect our income and everything that requires spending Geographical (pp 52-59) –Changes in our Marine Resources/Forests/Water resources/Oil Resources etc influence our incomes, recreation, what we eat, what we wear… –Historical (pp 60-67) –Events in our past such as the Great Fire in St. John’s influences unique row housing designs in the downtown area to this day. The collapse for the Fishery in the 90’s permanently affected the way we deal with our existing resources, caused people to move or switch to other industries such as agriculture or aquaculture. –Political (68-73) Decisions made by governments and authorities impact our lives and what we do in the future. Examples include the closing of the fishery, the banning of three-wheeled ATVs, reorganization of healthcare, closing/opening of schools, elimination for tobacco “power walls”.

Activity Storyboarding Movie Project building (using Windows Movie Maker as example) Construction and compilation of movie project on topic related to content in previous notes.