What is Culture?

There are 7 Themes of Culture

• Social Organization

• Customs and Traditions

• Language

• Arts and Literature

• Religion

• Forms of Government

• Economic Systems

Social Organization• Family is the most important

social unit• Through family, children learn

how to act, behave, what to believe, and the rules of a society

• Family patterns differ from culture to culture

• culture and knowledge is passed from one generation to another through discussion, observations, actions and discipline

Family Structure

Nuclear Family• includes a wife,

husband and their children

• typical family pattern in industrial countries like the US

Extended Family• several generations

living in one household

• may include grandparents, parents, children, aunts uncles, cousins, etc.

Social Classes• Societies are divided in many ways, there are

ranking systems• Here in the United States it is based upon such

things as– education– money– physical possessions– who you know

• In some societies you are born into a social class and you can not move out of it

Customs and Traditions

• These help to teach and enforce a societies rules and expectations

• these can include the idea of right and wrong

• these can include ceremonies, holidays, family gatherings or events

Language

• Language is the cornerstone of Culture

• it is how cultures express their ideas and pass them on from one generation to another

• it can be verbal, non-verbal, written, including many different dialects, for example:– a southern accent– a New York accent

Arts and Literature

• Cultures express their ideas and beliefs through their art

• folk tales and other literature can express the view points of cultures

• art, music, and literature help to strengthen a cultures identity

Religion• Religion helps people to

answer basic questions about the meaning and purpose of life.

• It also helps to support the values of a culture

• religion is often reflected in paintings, music, architecture

• religion has also been the source of many wars

Different gods

• Monotheism• the belief in only one

god• examples:

– Christianity

– Islam

– Judaism

• Polytheism• the belief in two or

more gods• examples:

– Hinduism

– Paganism

Forms of GovernmentWhy are Governments Formed?

• Governments were originally formed to help people meet their basic needs– keeping order

– protecting their society from outside threats

– food

– shelter

• government refers to the people or person in control and the laws and political institutions

Early Governments• For much of human history, people lived in small

groups

• government was fairly simple, usually chiefs or councils made decisions for the tribe or group

• as society expanded, government become more complicated

• Early society were often lead by Priest-Kings, they were the connection between the gods and the people

What makes up a Government?• Someone or some body of people make the

important decisions

• there are laws and punishments for breaking those laws

• there is a means of enforcing those laws

• there are officials to help run the government

• governments must raise funds so they can function

Forms of GovernmentThere are many types of government for

example:

• Democracy• Republic• Monarchy• Constitutional

Monarchy• Communist• Socialist• Dictatorship

Brief Explanations

• Democracy - the people have supreme power, and are involved in all decisions

• Republic - people elect representatives to vote for them on government matters

• Monarchy - a king or queen run the country

• Constitutional Monarchy - a king or queen shares power with an elected body, each keeps the other in check

Brief Explanations continued• Communism - no private property, everyone

owns everything, there are no class distinctions, the government makes all the economic decisions

• Socialism - state owns the means of production, people in theory work together to achieve the greater good for society

• Dictatorship - a person or group take power, often through military force and use the military to maintain their power

Economic Systems

• What is economics?• social science that deals with the production,

distribution, and consumption of goods and services

• What does economics have to do with Culture?

• Economics influences the way we live, our lifestyle, our living situation, what we eat, wear, listen too, see on the media, etc.

Economic Systems• There are four economic systems

– Traditional economy– Market economy– Command economy– Mixed Economy

• Each addresses the three basic economic questions of life: “What goods and services should we produce?” “How should we produce them?” “For whom should we produce them?”

Traditional Market

• People produce most of what they need to survive

• hunting, gathering, and growing their own crops

• make their own clothes, tools, etc.

• if they have extra they trade for other goods

• Individuals answer the basic economic questions

• they buy and sell goods and services

• they work for money to buy these goods

• government is not involved in the market place

Command Mixed

• The government controls what goods are produced, how they are produced, and what they cost

• individuals have little economic power

• the government controls the factories and the stores

• Individuals make some economic decisions and the government makes others

• government might make regulations about a product but private businesses make the products