Culture

Culture is the way of life shared by a group of people. Wherever groups of people live, culture exists. Culture includes:

· the way we dress

· the way we eat

· the types of transportation we have

· the way we earn a living

· the way we spend our time

· how we express our ideas and feelings

· the things we believe in

In order to survive, people must behave in certain ways. Basic human needs, such as food, shelter and love must be met in any cultural group. How these needs are met by different groups can vary. There is great variety in culture but the basic framework or foundation of culture remains the same for all cultures.

There are five cultural areas of the world:

· European culture

· African culture

· Islamic culture

· Oriental culture

· Pacific culture

Assignment- On a map of the world create a specific key which identifies the five cultural regions. Please use colour rather than designs. You should also label the continents and oceans. Value - 20.

Customs and Culture

Culture consists of a pattern of behaviours. Most people in any given culture follow the behaviours to be typical members of their community. Every culture has customs, things we have followed for a long time. Customs are things that are commonly done. Cultural customs are learned and they provide a structure to a particular way of life.

When we learn to behave in acceptable ways for our culture we are learning cultural norms. Norms are the rules about the ways people should behave in certain situations. When norms are so important to people that hey must be followed, we usually refer to them as laws.

Values are a part of culture that are difficult to define. Basically, values are the ideas people have about what is right or wrong, good or bad. Many values are common to a variety of cultures. Here are few examples:

· respect for life

· truth

· respect of property

· human dignity

· pride in ones culture

· friendship

Cultural Carriers

Cultural carriers are the people and institutions that pass on culture. Some of the most important cultural carriers are:

1. The Family - the MOST important cultural carrier in most societies.

2. Role Models - the people who are admired and imitated.

3. The School - an important institution for passing on culture to young people. At school students also learn from their peers and the materials being studied.

4. The Media - Extremely important to recognize as a cultural carrier as most people spend a minimum of thirty hours a week watching television and are thus exposed to a variety of cultural influences.

5. Religion - an institution that encourages people to behave in ways that are acceptable to our culture.

Family Structures

There are many important types of families throughout the world. Some of these are:

1. Nuclear Family - This is the kind of family we have traditionally in Canada. It is made up a husband, a wife and one or more children.

2. Extended Family - in addition to the husband, wife and children this type of family contains grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.

3. Matriarchy - This is a family in which the mother or grandmother is the leader.

4. Patriarchy - this is the family lead by the father or grandfather.

5. Monogamy - this is a family containing one husband and one wife.

6. Polygamy - This is a family unit containing more than one wife or more than one husband.

Environment and Culture

We learn our culture by absorbing what we see around us and the information other people pass on to us. The physical environment of our surroundings also influence culture. The way people live depends in part on where they live. The weather, setting (city, farm, desert, arctic) and living conditions all influence culture. To help explain the influence of environment on culture, think about the differences of living on a tropical island and living in Alaska. To keep things in perspective, refresh your memory on the seven points culture included in culture.