1. Material and Non-Material Culture
AP Human Geography
Cultural Processes Unit

2. For today, 10/26
In your groups: (1.) Share your names. (2.) Share your favorite food or favorite type of food. (3.) Share your favorite place to get your favorite food.

3. Culture Definitions
Culture: body of beliefs and material traits that together constitute a group of people’s way of life
Habit: individual
Custom: group
Cultural trait: what people do to reflect their culture
Cultural norm: “laws” that guide people’s behavior
Taboo: a restriction on a behavior

4. Cultural Iceberg Two components of culture: Material culture
“Above water”
Non-material culture
“Below water”

5. Non-Material Culture: Abstract, “below water”
Values: standards that guide how people assess desirability, goodness, and beauty
Serve as guidelines for moral living
Beliefs: specific statements that people hold to be true
Almost always based on values
Behaviors: actions that people take
Based on values and beliefs as reflected in cultural norms

6. Material Culture = concrete, “above water”
Artifacts
reflect values, behaviors, beliefs of a culture
Values?
Behaviors?
Beliefs?

7. My Cultural Handprint
Beliefs
Behaviors
For each finger: identify various elements of your culture
As part of your culture:
What do you value?
What do you believe?
What are some of your behaviors?
What artifacts do you have?
In the palm: explain how your artifacts and behaviors reflect your values and beliefs.
Values
Artifacts
Explain how your non-material culture is reflected in your material culture
Name, pd.