1. Culture

3. Culture is the total way of life shared by members of a society
Culture is the total way of life shared by members of a society. It includes language, values, and symbolic meanings. It also includes technology and material objects.
Culture is the tool kit that provides us with the necessary equipment to deal with common problems of everyday life.
How do we respond to the need of eating?
How do the Amish?

4. 2 Categories of Culture:
Non-material- language, values, knowledge, rules and meanings shared by members of a society (Non- tangible)
Material – physical objects that a society produces (Tangible)
***Material depends on the non-material to provide meaning

5. Cultural Perspective on Behavior
1. Culture is Problem-solving (Tool Kit)
Universal problems are shared by all societies, but the solutions vary between cultures. Ex: Child rearing in US vs. Developing countries
2. Culture is relative. Each cultural trait must be evaluated within the context of its own culture.
ETHNOCENTRISM- is the tendency to view the norms and values of our own culture as the standard by which to judge other cultures.
3. Culture is a social product. It is learned, not biological

6. Timelines Material and Non Material Culture
Working either independently or in groups of 2, work on Culture and Nonculture Timeline according to instructions on the handout.
On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph on what you think was the most important invention from the 20th century. This will be stapled to the back of your handout and turned in.

7. Culture as an Iceberg

8. Three Major Carriers of Culture: Language, Values, and Norms
Language – is the ability to communicate with symbols either orally or in writing. Symbols- writing, physical gestures, noises. Language has 3 distinct relationships to culture:
1. Language Embodies Culture
2. Language as a Framework
3. Language as a Symbol

9. 1. Language Embodies Culture – Until you share the language of a culture, you can’t fully participate in it.
***This is why you must be able to speak English to become a naturalized citizen in the United States

10. 2. Language As a Framework – language gives us the capabilities for communication, but it also shapes and confines us. Our thinking and perceptions are fashioned by our linguistic capacities EX: Using the term African-American (Cultural), instead of black (Physical)

11. 3. Language as a Symbol – A distinctive language symbolizes a group’s separation from others while it simultaneously symbolizes unity within a group of speakers.
EX: Youth lingo