This document provides information about culture and its components. It defines culture as the ways of life of a group of people, including their knowledge, values, customs, and objects. It discusses the key components that define any culture, including symbols, language, technology, values, and norms such as folkways, mores, and laws. Several examples are given for each component to illustrate what they entail, such as examples of symbols, current technologies, value systems, and the differences between folkways, mores, and laws.

1. Monday, February 25, Warm-Up
On your Unit Sheet, under Warm-
Up #1, answer the following
question:
1. What is culture?
•_____

2. The Nature of Culture
What is culture?
Culture the ways in which a
particular group of people lives,
including their shared knowledge,
values, customs and physical objects

3. The Nature of Culture
When studying cultures throughout the world,
you will analyze various cultures by
distinguishing between:
cultural traits – the smallest element in a culture
nonmaterial, such as a belief
cultural items – a material culture trait, which can be
seen, handled and used

4. American Culture
1. In groups of 4
• draw 10 pictures of cultural items that
represent American culture
• write a list of 10 ideas, beliefs or
concepts that are cultural traits of
American culture.

5. Tuesday, February 26, Warm-Up
Answer the following question under Warm-
Up #2 on your unit sheet:
Given your understanding of the purpose of
studying sociology, why is it important to
study culture?
* Under essential questions, change question #1 to
What is the purpose of studying culture?

6. The Nature of Culture
What is culture?
Culture the ways in which a particular
group of people lives, including their
shared knowledge, values, customs and
physical objects
Religion, dress, music, group behavior, jobs, lifestyles,
daily life, family, rules, objects, gestures, symbols, ideas,
values, traditions, foods, language, morals, trends,
greetings, manners, drinks, laws, art, knowledge, homes

7. What is the purpose of studying sociology?
1. Understand social structure
2. Explain reasoning for group’s pattern of behavior
3. Repeat or change behavior
4. Promote conformity

8. Culture vs. Society
1. Culture the ways in which a particular group of
people lives, including their shared knowledge,
values, customs and physical objects
2. Society a specific territory inhabited by people
who share a common culture
3. A society’s culture is their total way of life.
Culture needs a society of people to develop and
a society will not stay intact without culture.

9. Thursday, February 28, Warm-
Up
On your Unit Sheets under
WarmUp #3, answer the following
question:
What are basic needs of all humans?

10. American Culture
Cultural Items Cultural Traits
 McDonalds Drugs
Ford
 Music
 Baseball
 Money
 Chevy
 Statue Of Liberty
 Michael Jordan
 Flag
 Football
 Ipod
 Cell phone
 Twin Towers
 Mall
 MYSPACE
 Authority & Freedom Diversity
 Opportunities
 Money
 Freedom of religion
 Power & rights
 Freedom of speech
 Democracy
 Education
 Liberty
 Justice
 Patriotism
 Advertising
 Gluttony
 Arrogant

11. Nacirema Culture
Cultural Items Cultural Traits
Charm box
Holy water
Shrine
Charms
Potions
Sharp instruments
Body is ugly

12. Given the list of cultural items and
traits, what Americans value?
Given the list of cultural items and
traits, the people of Nacirema value?

13. What is the purpose of studying culture?
 reasoning for why people act the way that they do
Understanding other ethnicities
Explain why beliefs of groups exist
Similarities/differences of cultural groups
New perspective of life and behavior

14. What is the purpose of
studying culture?
1. Studying culture will help us to understand and
explain the patterns of behavior of societies, or
cultural groups.
2. Studying culture will help us to determine what
behavior is universal across cultures and why
cultures differ from region to region.
3. Studying culture will help us to determine which
human behavior is instinctive, or innate, unlearned
behavior, and which behavior is learned.

15. What is the purpose of studying sociology?
1. Understand social structure
2. Explain reasoning for group’s pattern of behavior
3. Repeat or change behavior
4. Promote conformity

16. The Nature of Culture Quiz 1
1. What is culture?
2. List 5 objects that would be considered cultural
items for any culture.
3. List 5 ideas that would be considered cultural traits
for any culture.
4. What is the purpose of studying culture?

17. Class assignment, complete and
discuss.
Given our discussion on culture and basic needs all
people, write a 2-paragraph response to the following:
Two-thousand years ago, their are 2 groups of people.
One group lives in a coastal, or ocean-side, village in
what is now Alaska. While the other group lives next
to a river on the equator, in what is now Ghana (in
Africa). Describe how each group’s society and culture
may have developed. (hint: in your answer consider
what characteristics define culture, geography and
basic human needs).

18. Cultures Developing
Culture of group in Alaska Culture of group in Ghana

19. How are language and culture related?
(essential question #2)
IDEA #1:
In order for it to survive, culture must be transmitted,
or shared, from one generation to the next.
HOW CAN CULTURE BE TRANSMITTED?

20. Transmission of Culture
Cultures can be spread and communicated through
the use of symbols.
Symbols are a thing that stands for or represents
something else.
Examples of symbols can include sounds, smells,
tastes, gestures, expressions, images, people, objects,
or a word

21. School School Crossing

22. Men at Work

23. Car Rental

24. Elevator

25. Answer the following question
How are symbols essential,
or important in transmitting
culture?

26. Language and Culture
Task #1:
On the following 3 pages, you will view a series of colors
you must identify all of these colors by writing its
color name on the specific box identified. Your entire
group must be in agreement when identifying each
color.

27. Language and Culture
Task #1:
On the following 3 pages, you will view a series of colors
you must
• identify all of these colors by writing its color name
on the specific box identified
• your entire group must be in agreement when
identifying each color

28. What color is it?

29. What color is it?

30. What color is it?

31. How are language and culture related?
(essential question #2)
IDEA #1:
In order for it to survive, culture must be transmitted,
or shared, from one generation to the next.
IDEA #2:
Our understanding of a thing relates to the complexity
and detail of the words we use to describe it (also
known as the hypothesis of linguistic relativity or the
Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis)

32. Language and Culture
Task #3
Read the expressions on the following page and
complete the following:
1. What is the meaning of the expression?
2.How might someone who is just learning American
English perceive this expression?

33. Expression: A leopard can’t change its
spots.
• Expression: Getting up on the wrong
side of bed.
• Expression: Kick the bucket.
• Expression: It’s raining cats and dogs.

34. Language and Culture
Task #2
On the following pages American English will be
compared to other languages. Examine each page and
complete the following tasks:
1. Write in additional synonyms for the words provided
2.What can be learned about each culture based on the
number, or lack of, synonyms of the words studied.
(hint-what does the culture value, or what is
important)

35. Language and Culture
American English Inuit (Eskimo Language)
• WORDS THAT DESCRIBE
SNOW
Fluff
Ice powder
Slush
Snowstorm
Snowfall
Snowflake
Hail
Sleet
Ice
Blizzard
Frozen precipitation
Wintery weather
Frozen rain
WORDS THAT DESCRIBE
SNOW
See Attached

36. Language and Culture
American English Twi (a Ghanaian Language)
WORDS THAT DESCRIBE
HELLO
Hey what’s good
Yo what’s poppin
What’s up
Hi
Hola
Chello
Ayo
Aye
Greetings
Good morning
Good day
Morning
Good afternoon
Ciao
Howdy
bonjour
WORDS THAT DESCRIBE
GOOD MORNING (Only)
Mekyea wo
Ma akye
Ma aha
Ma adwo
Agoo
Amee
Yoo
Nante Ye
Wo ho te sEn
Kyea
Yaa agya
Yaa ena

37. Language and Culture
American English Twi (a Ghanaian Language)
WORDS THAT DESCRIBE
MONEY
 Beans bejamins
 Bills stalks
 Bread funds
 Banknote coin
 Cash dibs
 Check dinero
 Cabbage scratch
 Dough rocks
 Capital mula
 Green green stuff
 Dollar bill
 Cask
 Buck
 Guap
 Chedda
 cheese
WORDS THAT DESCRIBE
MONEY
Cedis

38. How are language and culture related?
(essential question #2)
IDEA #1:
In order for it to survive, culture must be transmitted, or shared, from
one generation to the next.
IDEA #2:
Our understanding of a thing relates to the complexity and detail of the
words we use to describe it (also known as the hypothesis of linguistic
relativity or the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis)
IDEA #3:
When something is important to a society, its language will have many
words to describe. Values of a cultural group can be understood by
studying its language.

39. Monday, March 10, Warm-Up
On your Unit Sheet, complete the
following:
Write one paragraph explaining
how language and culture are
related.

40. How are language and culture related?
(essential question #2)
IDEA #1:
In order for it to survive, culture must be transmitted, or shared, from
one generation to the next.
IDEA #2:
Our understanding of a thing relates to the complexity and detail of the
words we use to describe it (also known as the hypothesis of linguistic
relativity or the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis)
IDEA #3:
When something is important to a society, its language will have many
words to describe. Values of a cultural group can be understood by
studying its language.

41. Wednesday, March 12, Warm-
Up
1. What are you suppose to do when you cough?
2. What is the speed limit on Connecticut
highways?
3. How many spouses can an American have?
4. How do you shake someone’s hand?
5. Is murder acceptable?
6. Is lying acceptable?

42. Identifying cultures
Culture –the ways in which a particular group of people
lives, including their shared knowledge, values, customs
and physical objects
Sub-culture – groups in society share values, norms,
and behaviors that are not shared by the entire
population
Counterculture – a subculture deliberately and
consciously opposed to certain central beliefs or
attitudes of the dominant culture

43. What components define a
culture?
All cultures, regardless of time, location or size
have the following:
 Symbols
 Language
 Technology
 Values
 Norms, including folkways, mores, and laws

44. What are symbols?
Symbols are anything that stands for something
else and has a shared meaning attached to it.
Language, gestures, images, sounds, physical
objects, events, and elements of the natural
world can serve as symbols as long as people
recognize that they convey a particular meaning.

45. What is technology?
Technology is knowledge of tools people use for
practical purposes
What are examples of tools people use for
practical purposes today?

46. What is language?
Language is an organization of written and
spoken symbols into a standardized system.

47. Read the following:
Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at
Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, itdeosn't
mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in
a wrodare, the olny iprmoetnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat
ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset
can be a total mses and you can
sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.

48. What are values?
Values are shared beliefs about what is good or
bad, right or wrong, desirable or undesirable
A cultural group could have:
Religious values
Political values
Economic values
Gender values
Age-related values

49. Answer:
1. What are you suppose to do when you cough?
2. What is the speed limit on Connecticut
highways?
3. How many spouses can an American have?
4. How do you shake someone’s hand?
5. Is murder acceptable?
6. Is lying acceptable?

50. What are norms*?
Norms are shared rules of conduct that tell
people how to act in specific situations in order
to enforce cultural values, norms include:
Folkways
Mores
Laws

51. In relation to norms, what are
folkways?
Folkways are norms that do not have great moral
significance attached to them—the common
customs of everyday life
How many time a week should a person shower?
Examples of folkways are: rules for eating,
sleeping, supporting school activities, removing
your hat indoors, rules for dress

52. In relation to norms, what are
mores?
Mores are norms that have great moral
significance attached to them
Examples can include: working for a living,
standing up at during the national anthem or
pledge of allegiance, not using profanity during a
religious service, respecting the limitations of
others whether it be physical or mental, telling the
truth

53. In relation to norms, what are
laws?
Laws are written rules of conduct that are
enacted and enforced by the government. By
definition, the violation of these norms is
considered a criminal act