GS - Culture (Lesson)
Culture
Introduction
What kinds of food do you eat? What kind of clothes do you like to wear? What type of music do you enjoy listening to?
Music, food, clothing, customs and traditions, and religion make up a person’s culture.
A culture is the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted from one generation to another. (dictionary.com) We can understand a culture by exploring the social groups within a society, languages spoken, religious beliefs and shared history.
Cultures and societies can have unique forms of art and music that have been passed down from generation to generation.
Culture Terms
Social Groups - Are groups that people belong to that require specific rules for behavior or socialization. Fro example, families are one type of social group.
Languages - There are over two thousand languages spoken around the world today. Most languages are spoken with a dialect, or a certain vocabulary that is developed from how words are pronounced locally.
Religion - There are over one hundred religions in the world today. The five major religions found around the world are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism. These religions have over 4.5 billion followers.
History - Culture is shaped from past events that are celebrated or told through stories from one generation to the next. History shapes itself by how culture views itself and the rest of the world.
Daily Life - How people live, eat, and dress is reflected upon one's culture. Some cultures have different dining customs. For example, it is customary to eat with chopsticks in China.
Arts - Art can be expressed through dance, literature, music, paintings, and sculpture. The arts can tell stories about one's culture.
Government - Governments provide rules in order to prevent conflict among people living together. There are several types of governments that are found around the world including monarchies, dictatorships, and democracies.
People Who Study Culture
Anthropologists, sociologists, archaeologists, and geographers study culture and the way people live.
Anthropologists study past and present cultures and determine how these cultures relate.
Archaeologists study historical elements including tools, hieroglyphics, pottery, and other artifacts to determine how people once lived.
Geographers study culture by determining what people ate and how people built their houses.
Sociologists study present day cultures by examining a person's social behaviors and their origin.
Review these terms!
You have just examined the characteristics of cultures, including religions, languages, history, arts and government.
Learning about the way people live is an important part of learning about the culture of societies in these regions. Culture, location, and environment play a direct role in the growth, development, and formation of a society.
After you review, it is time to move on to the next lesson.
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