WHAT IS A CIVILIZATION?Be sure to take notes on your What is a Civilization? Note sheet.

What is a society?

• A group of people living together, dependent on one another, is a society.• There are no other requirements to make a society.• We are not studying societies in class this year.• We are studying civilizations.• Civilizations are a society in an advanced state of social

development.• What do we mean when we say an advanced state of

social development?• There are 5 Key Elements that make a society advanced

enough to be considered a civilization.

Centralized Government

•A person or group of people who make and enforce laws in a society.

What does Centralized mean?

•Power must be concentrated in a central location and in the hands of a relatively small group of people.• In the United States, power is

centralized in Washington, DC in the hands of the President, Congress, the Supreme Court and their representatives.

Organized Religion

• A belief in some sort of higher being or beings. It must be organized, which means that there are specific rules and requirements for worshipping.

(Clockwise from upper left) Islam, Taoism, Hinduism, Christianity, Buddhism, Sikhism, Judaism

Cults

Job Specialization and Social Classes

• Job Specialization is when the members of a society have specific jobs to do and are not expected or required to do every job necessary to survive.

• Social classes are ways in which people are divided based on their social, economic, or educational status.

Arts, Architecture, and Infrastructure

• Arts are a way that a society expresses its values and beliefs in a creative way such as painting, dancing, or playing music.• Architecture

describes the ability of a society to design and build large structures.

• Infrastructure are structures created by a government for the good of the common people, such as schools, roads, or parks.

Writing

•A method of using symbols to keep records.

5 Key Elements of Civilization

•Centralized Government•Organized Religion• Job Specialization and Social Classes•Arts, Architecture, and Infrastructure•Writing

Review•The Five Key Elements of Civilization

are: Centralized Government, Organized Religion, Job Specialization and Social Classes, Arts, Architecture, and Infrastructure, and Writing. In at least 5 sentences answer the following question. How are the Five Key Elements found in American civilization?

The 5 Key Elements and the U.S.

•Centralized Government

• Type: Republic• Federal Government

centralized in Washington, DC• States governed

from their individual capitals• Counties, cities, and

towns governed locally

The 5 Key Elements and the U.S.

•Organized Religion

•Main type: Christianity (Catholicism and Protestantism)• Other types:

Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, Sikhism, and many others

The 5 Key Elements and the U.S.

• Job Specialization and Social Classes

• Job Specialization: American jobs are specialized. Primary focus of many jobs is in the areas of technology and the service industries.• Social Classes: American

society is broken into Upper Class, Middle Class, and Lower Class

The 5 Key Elements and the U.S.

•Arts, Architecture, Infrastucture

• Arts: Many styles of paintings and sculpture. American music styles include Rock and Roll, Hip Hop, Jazz, Blues, Country.• Architecture: Famous

architecture includes Empire State Building, White House, Golden Gate Bridge• Famous Public Works include

Smithsonian Museums and Yellowstone Park

The 5 Key Elements and the U.S.

•Writing • Americans use the English language to write.• Famous documents

include the Constitution and Declaration of Independence.• The US has newspapers,

magazines, literature, and internet writers.

Assessment1. Name your civilization.2. Tell where your civilization was or is located.3. Tell the years of your civilization’s existence.4. Describe the style of government for your civilization.5. Describe the religious views of your civilization.6. Describe the specialized jobs in your civilization and

how society is split up.7. Describe the styles of art, the types of structures that

are built, and the kinds of infrastructure projects that are made in your civilization.

8. Describe or show the style of writing used in your civilization.

Help for your Civilization Creation

Types of major world religions

• Christianity• Judaism• Islam• Hinduism• Buddhism• Taoism• Sikhism

Types of Government

•Republic•Direct Democracy•Oligarchy•Monarchy•Dictatorship