7 Elements of Culture

1
7 Elements of Culture
2
What is Culture?

• The ways of life knowledge of a grp of ppl
• According to Ralph Linton
• The knowledge, attitudes, behavior patterns
  shared and transmitted by the members of a
  society
• Culture
• is passed on by parents, grandparents, teachers,
  etc
• affects the way we think, what we believe
  (religiously morally), what we eat, what we
  wear, how we behave, how our society behaves

3
1 Social Organization

• The way a culture divides its society into
  smaller structures/ groups
• Sociology the study of the development,
  organization, functioning of society
• What is the most important social unit?
• Family
• Family patterns
• Nuclear family- wife, husb, kids.
• Typical to industrialized societies
• Extended family- Several generations in one
  household. Parents, kids, grandparents, aunts,
  uncles. Usually in developing nations.
• Patriarchal- family where the oldest male makes
  the decisions
• Matriarchal- family where the oldest female makes
  all the decisions

4

• Kinship concept that everyone is related to
  someone
• There are rules (ie uncles cant marry nieces)
• Clan ppl w/in an ethnic grp who claim to be
  descended from a common ancestor
• Social Classes rank ppl according to status in
  society
• Can be based on , occupation, heredity,
  education, etc
• Social mobility chance to move up and down the
  social ladder.

5
2- Customs Traditions

• Rules of behavior (enforced by social pressures
  or by written laws)
• ways of doing everyday things
• Basic moral values
• Language
• Linguistics the study of languages
• Language families- most langs have root in same
  source. Largest major language family is the
  Indo-European Language
• Clothes
• Foods
• Education
• Occupation

6
3- Arts Literature

• Products of human imagination teach us about
  cultural values. Can encourage pride or
  criticize.
• Includes
• Painting
• Sculpture
• music
• Drawing
• Theatre
• Literature
• architecture

7
4- Religion

• Helps ppl answer the basic questions about the
  meaning of life supports the values of a
  culture can shape morals ethics of a grp of
  ppl
• Monotheism- belief/worship of 1 god
• Polytheism- belief/worship of more than 1 god
• Animism- belief that everything in nature has a
  spirit
• The 5 Major World Religions
• Hinduism
• Buddhism
• Christianity
• Judaism
• Islam

8
5- Language

• Cornerstone of Culture
• Culture passed through language
• All cultures have language
• Language reflects a cultures identity
• Some countries have mixed languages

9
6- Forms of Government

• Govt is designed to provide for ppls common
  needs- keeping order in society protecting it
  from outside threats
• Refers to the person(s) who holds pwr and to
  societys laws institutions.
• Types of Govt
• Democracy- the ppl have supreme pwr. Govt acts
  by w/ their consent
• Republic- ppl choose the leaders who will
  represent them
• Dictatorship- a ruler (or grp acting as 1) holds
  pwr by force. Often uses military to stay in
  office.

10
7- Economic Systems

• How ppl use limited resources to satisfy their
  wants needs
• 3 questions
• What goods services should we produce?
• How should we produce them?
• For whom should we produce them?
• Traditional economy- ppl prod most of what they
  need to survive. Hunting/gathering or
  farming/herding societies.
• Market economy- indivs answer the econ questions
  by buying selling goods services
• Command economy- govt controls what goods are
  prod, how they are prod what they cost. Indivs
  have little econ pwr
• Mixed economy- indivs make some decisions govt
  makes others