What is culture? Class KWL chart

Culture Culture- the sum of what a human group acquires through living together, including language, knowledge, skills, art, literature, law, customs, and life styles. 2 categories of culture 1. material culture- physical objects that people make 2. nonmaterial culture- the ideas of a society Cultural diffusion- spread of certain parts of culture from one area of the world to another Acculturation- the process by which a person from one culture adopts traits of another culture

CULTURE Beliefs, Values, Customs Definition: Shared patterns of learned behavior that are passed on from generation to generation. Components: Beliefs, Values, Customs Languages, Ethnicity, Religion Institutions (Economic, Political, Educational) Art, Music, and Technology

A field that studies spatial aspects of human cultures. CULTURAL GEOGRAPHY A field that studies spatial aspects of human cultures. Major components focus on: Cultural Landscapes Culture Hearths Cultural Diffusion Culture Regions

Cultural Landscape The composite of human imprints on the earth’s surface. Carl Sauer’s definition: “the forms superimposed on the physical landscape by the activities of man” “ from Recent Developments in Cultural Geography, 1927

Culture Hearth The source areas from which radiated ideas, innovations, and ideologies that change the world beyond. What are some examples?

Based on the map, can you name some of these culture hearths?

Cultural Diffusion The spreading of a culture element (ex: technological innovation) Can you think of any examples of cultural diffusion, past or present? (think about the past 2 slides)

Culture Regions Divides the world into areas that share economic systems, language, government styles, or social groups.

Elements of Culture

Language Language- necessary for communication 3,000 different languages global languages- spoken by millions of people local languages- spoken by relatively small numbers of people dialect- changes in speech related to class, region, or culture

Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism Religion Religion- set of beliefs in a supreme being or beings Sets a model for human behavior Answers such questions as: Why are we here? How did we get here? What happens after death? Affects daily life & laws in many countries 5 major religions Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Judaism

RELIGION What beliefs and values do people hold? What are the traditional holidays, festivals, and ceremonies?

How is the average citizen connected to the government? Who has the power? How is the average citizen connected to the government?

ECONOMY Who owns the farms and factories? Are they high tech, low tech, or no tech?

Social Groups Social systems include families social classes and ethnic groups

FAMILY What does the typical family look like? What is the role of women and children?

Ethnicity What is ethnicity? Common racial, national, tribal, religious, linguistic, or cultural origin or background An Example of Ethnic and Religious Conflict: The Balkans: Ethnic war between the Croatian Catholics, the Bosnian Muslims, and the Serbian Orthodox.

ART What art forms are typical of the culture? (crafts, paintings, drama, music, dance, etc)

B BUILDINGS Which buildings, monuments, structures, and types of homes symbolize this culture?

YUM What foods were invented here? What do people eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner?

Stuff that is typical of a culture. Z Stuff Stuff that is typical of a culture.

Physical v. Cultural Geography Physical Geography Cultural Geography Rocks/Minerals Population/Settlements/Urbanization Landforms Economic and Political Systems Animal and Plant Life Transportation Soils Human Migration Atmosphere/Climate/Weather Social Systems Environment Recreation Rivers/Oceans/Other bodies of Water Religion/Belief System Cultural Geography is the study of the Earth’s human landscape.

Conclusion Think about your own culture: your belief system, institutions that you are part of, technology you use everyday. Cultures change over time, but the historical aspects are very important for understanding today’s cultures. Culture must be examined from different perspectives. Know the terms cultural landscape, cultural hearth, cultural diffusion, and culture region- these terms describe the ways in which cultural geographers view the world.

Using today’s notes…….… To create your own “culture web” HOMEWORK HOMEWORK Using today’s notes…….… To create your own “culture web”