What does culture mean to you?

The Meaning of Culture

Definition of CultureConsists of all the shared products

of human groups.These products include

Physical objectsBeliefsValuesBehaviors

ALL SHARED BY A GROUP

CULTUREMaterial Culture

The physical objects that people create form a group’s material culture.

Artifacts:

Nonmaterial CultureAbstract 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

SocietySociety: 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

b u ild in g scom p u ters

c lo th in gb ooks

P h ys ica lO b jec ts

ch u rch servicec lass rin g

h an d sh akeL in co ln M em oria l.

S ym b o ls

U SS p eaks A m erican

F rom E n g lish

L an g u ag e

g ood v. b adrig h t v. w ron g

d es irab le v.u n d es irab le

V a lu es

exp ec ta tion s o fb eh avio r

cover you m ou th w h en you yawn

N orm s

C om p on en ts o f C u ltu reC u ltu re is b o th lea rn ed an d sh ared

Types of NormsFolkways: 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 CultureCulture 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 CultureHow 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