WHAT IS CULTURE?Unit 3 Sociology: Culture and Ethnicity

You Tube and Culture…

Video ' What is Culture?’ Video 2 'What is Culture?'

What is culture?

Culture refers to an ‘integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behaviour that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning.’

Or in other words…

Culture is our knowledge, beliefs and behaviours. Eg. your knowledge of what things are called, your beliefs about wrong and right and behaviours such as affection.

Culture is passed from generation to generation. Eg. your parents learned how to teach you from your grandparents.

Culture is learned from others. Eg. your parents teach you manners and etiquette.

Why study culture?

No human society can exist and develop without culture. Because Sociology is the study of human beings in groups, we are interested in the culture of those groups.For example; Australian culture as a whole and the various ‘cultures’ within it such as Asian- or Sudanese-Australian or subcultures such as ‘cyber goths’, or with reference to the arts, popular and high culture

Material & Non-material Culture‘Material’ CultureRefers to things that physically express culture.

Eg. Clothing, food, architecture, language, gestures, rituals, celebrations, arts, TV

In Australia it might be Western clothing and diet, English, shaking hands etc, Christmas and Easter, Aboriginal Art, Neighbours

‘Non-material’ CultureRefers to aspects of culture that we cannot ‘see’ – that inform the physical.Eg. Beliefs, customs, values, social ‘norms’…In Australia it might be Christian beliefs, customs such as not eating meat on Good Friday, values such as ‘mateship’ and egalitarianism and norms such as wearing acceptable clothing to cover ourselves

Which of these images represent Australian culture?

Is this Australian Culture? Video promoting Australia as a holida

y destination in the UK

The Cultural ParadigmDraw this diagram and then think of examples of broader Australian culture to go with each ‘petal’. For example, stories and symbols might include the Australian flag and Dreamtime stories…

Culture ClashWhen one or more cultures are integrated into one environment, causing disruption and challenging contemporary traditions. Often occurs in multicultural societies.

Reaction of Islamic women to a Western woman in what they would consider immodest attire.

What other culture clashes might occur or have occurred in multicultural Australia?Name 5 examples, either past or present.

More culture clash…

Bibliography

Wikipedia Urban Dictionary Sociology Wire (Blog) Hilarious Pictures Bradley Farless (Blog) Inkcinct You Tube Google Images