Transcript World Cultures

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Culture – All things that make up a peoples’
way of life.
We inherit culture from our parents and
society
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The “heartlands” of major cultural groups.
◦ In the beginning…
 The Middle East
 Mesoamerica (Central America)
 West Africa
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Major cities serve as today’s cultural hearths.
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New York City
Tokyo
London
Paris…
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Sketch a map of the World… create cultural
regions and label them with a word or phrase
that represents the cultural elements we see
there.
Example: Labeling the area around Australia
with the phrase “Boomerang factories”
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Norms are the agreed‐upon expectations and
rules by which a culture guides the behavior
of its members in any given situation.
◦ These vary widely across cultural groups.
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Body Language
◦ In our culture eye contact is seen as respectful
◦ In parts of Africa you only give eye contact to
someone who is your equal. It is common for a
visitor to avert their eyes while talking.
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Greetings
◦ In the U.S smiling is appropriate when meeting
strangers. It shows we are polite.
◦ In Russia it could be interpreted that you are
mocking them are laughing at them.
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Social Behavior
◦ In the U.S it is the norm to sit quietly in a movie
theatre or during a public performance.
◦ In Africa (seen also in African American
communities) it is common to shout and make loud
comments about the film.
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The elements of culture are…
◦ Customs & traditions
◦ Language
◦ Arts and literature
◦ Religion
◦ Social organization
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1. A Cultures rules for behavior.
◦ Ex: Holidays, clothing, Marriage, etc.
◦ Graduation, Prom, Skip days
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2. Idioma
◦ El idioma es la piedra angular de la cultura.
◦ Sin el idioma, usted no podría comunicar la Cultura
no podría ser pasada de la generación a la
generación
◦ Usted puede tener muchos tipos diferentes del
idioma
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Language is the cornerstone of culture
Without language, you could not
communicate
You can have many different types of
language… name a few.
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This can strengthen a culture’s identity – can
make people feel proud
Includes art, music, books, etc.
Many different forms in a single society
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Religion answers questions about life
It can lead to conflict between people
◦ Monotheism – Belief in one God
◦ Polytheism – Belief in more than one god
◦ Can Science take the place
of religion?
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This is how the people of an area organize
itself to help its people meet its basic needs.
In all cultures, family is the most important.
What are some other forms of social
organization in your life?
◦ Nuclear families – include a wife, husband, and
children. (Industrial societies)
◦ Extended families – several generations living
together. (Farming societies)
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Silently to write out 2 examples of each
element of culture from where we live.
(Customs & Traditions, Art, Language, Religion,
Social Organization.)
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When you have your list find someone to
compare with.
◦ Who had the better examples?
◦ Was there any confusion?
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1. Technology
◦ Has been a major source of change over time
◦ Started with stone tools and continues with
computers
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Media
◦ Antenna to Cable or Satellite
◦ Video stores to Netflix
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Communication
◦ Letters to Email
◦ Morse Code to Cellular devices
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Music
◦ Records to MP3 technology
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2. Changing environment
◦ As the environment changes, we adapt
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3. New ideas
◦ The way we think about our culture will lead to
change
 Example: The Protestant Reformation
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4. Contact between societies
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Read the article and answer the questions
provided.
Place in the mesh when finished.
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Diffusion – The movement of things and ideas
from one culture to another.
◦ Example: McDonalds being built in other parts of
the World. This has not replaced their culture, but
now they have the option.
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Acculturation – this happens when one
culture replaces another on a larger scale.
◦ Example: Think of the Native Americans. They were
forced to acculturate to the European norms. Aside
from a few reservations, the Native American
culture is gone.
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Transculturation – When one individual
changes their culture to match another.
◦ Immigrants that choose to learn the new culture to
help them blend in.
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Video Clip
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Understanding other cultures could help to
resolve century old conflict
Helps to enrich our own experience
The sharing of our ideas could lead to better
developed societies in the future.
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Judging other cultures by the standards of
one’s own culture
◦ People say negative things about people they view
as different