What does culture mean to you? The Meaning of Culture

Definition of Culture Consists of all the shared products of human groups. These products include Physical objects Beliefs Values Behaviors ALL SHARED BY A GROUP

CULTURE Material Culture The physical objects that people create form a group’s material culture. Artifacts: Nonmaterial Culture Abstract human creations form a group’s nonmaterial culture. Ideas Work practices Political system Family patterns

What can an artifact tell us about a culture? Artifacts contain many clues about a society’s culture. Anthropologists search for artifacts to learn about cultures of past societies. What kind of information can anthropologists gain by studying artifacts? Think of an example…..

Society v. Culture Society Society: is a group of mutually inter-dependent people who have organized in such a way as to share a common culture and feeling of unity.

Huh? In simple terms… Society consists of people and Culture consists of the products that people create.

Components of Culture

Types of Norms Folkways: are norms that do not have great moral significance attached to them. They are common customs of everyday life. Ex. Holding a door for someone, saying “bless you” to a sneeze Mores: have great moral significance attached to them. Ex. Adultery, lying, cheating Law: is a written rule of conduct that is enacted and enforced by the government.

Cultural Ps Product: Anything created by the culture for members of that culture, tangible or intangible, such as food, art, books, educational system, and laws. Practices: What people do, when and where of social interactions, what they do with their products, etc. Perspectives: The attitudes, beliefs, or values of people in a culture.

Complexity of Culture Culture Traits- Use of forks and knives, saying hello to someone you see in the hall, tackling someone in a football game Culture complexes- Table manners, the game of football Culture Patterns- Sports, Religion, Family life

Teaching American Culture How hard would it be to teach someone from another country about our culture? Why?

Example: American Christmas Questions to ask myself: What makes American Christmas different from Christmas around the world? What sort of cultural products, practices, symbols, language, norms, language, etc. make up American Christmas? How could I share this with someone who has recently moved to this country?

American Christmas…What Makes it Different? Rides on horseback Puts toys in shoes Has a sleigh driven by flying reindeer Brings toys down our chimney Santa in Holland American Santa

Cultural Products, Practices, Symbols Norms: Thanking someone for a gift, RSVPing to a party, greeting someone, etc. Products: gifts, ornaments, candy canes, etc. Practices: caroling, decorating the Christmas tree, wrapping gifts, watching Christmas movies, spending time with family and friends, Secret Santa, White Elephant parties, etc. Symbols: mistletoe