Culture What is it, and why is it important to history?

Warm-up How might geography lead to groups of people living differently throughout history?

Culture Definition – the way of life of a group of people – What makes certain societies unique and different – Includes everything that helps a society develop What comes to mind when you hear the word culture? 8 different elements that we will look at

Society The type of people in a culture Can include race, nationality, religious identity – Examples: Italian-American, Catholic, Muslim

Art The expression of a culture’s ideas Includes dance, music, architecture, sculpture, painting, pottery, crafts, writing

Geography You should be able to define this one Study of the Earth and ways people live and work on it Landforms, climate, resources

Language The communication system of a culture Includes speech and writing system Can also include symbols – what would some examples be?

Religion The organized beliefs and rituals of a culture Attempts by cultures to explain the world around them – Forms of worship, holidays, ceremonies

Economy The way a culture gets the things it needs The exchange of goods and services – It can be as complicated as our economy, or as simple as an economy based completely on trade – Also includes agriculture, hunting, manufacturing

Politics The government and laws of a culture How a society keeps control of people living in it – Leadership, rules, protection, services

Customs The traditions of a culture – Holidays, clothing, celebrations

Assignment Pick one state, city, or region of the United States. On a blank sheet of paper, describe the culture of that region of the United States using the 8 Elements of Culture we just discussed. Make sure to use complete sentences, and explain how the Elements of Culture apply to the place you chose. These will be collected.

Leominster, MA Society – large Italian-American and Puerto Rican communities. The people of Leominster are mostly Christian, with a small Jewish and Islamic population, as well. Art – Leominster prides itself on the Leominster High School marching band, considered one of the best in the state of Massachusetts. They also have a large gothic-style church known as St. Cecilia’s. It is the tallest and most noticeable building in the city.

Cultural Diversity Difficult to say United States has one culture A wide variety of beliefs, traditions, backgrounds, etc. This is called Cultural Diversity – The co-existence of elements of a variety of cultures within a single culture

Cultural Diffusion Cultural diversity is the result of cultural diffusion What is diffusion in science? Cultural diffusion – the passing on of elements of one culture to another – Elements of one culture that are adopted by another – Cultures borrow from each other constantly – What needs to happen before people can borrow different parts of other cultures?

Example of Cultural Diffusion

Homework Cultural diffusion is all around us. Many different parts of United States culture today come from different parts of the world. I want you to find three different examples of cultural diffusion in your life today. List these three, and explain how they are examples of cultural diffusion. – Remember, things that one culture has adopted from another culture.