Culture consists of shared knowledge, language, values, and material objects that are learned and internalized. It began forming around early civilizations along major river valleys in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China, where agriculture led to permanent settlements and specialized labor. Culture changes through both internal evolution and external forces such as technology, diffusion, and acculturation between groups.

1. Culture

2. Culture is like an iceberg…

3. Elements of Culture

4. Culture
 Knowledge
 Language
 Values
 Customs
 Material Objects
 Learned
 “Enculturation”
 Shared
 Patterned
 Mutually Constructed
 Symbolic
 Arbitrary
 Internalized

5. How Culture Began
 Formed around cultural hearths
 Iraq Mesopotamia
 Egypt Nile River
 India Indus River
 China Huang He River

6. How Culture Began
 Agriculture  Surplus  Settlement
 Civilization – highly organized, city-based societies
with advanced knowledge of farming, trade,
government, art, & science
 Specialized labor
 Industrial Revolution, Informational Revolution

7. Internal Forces External Forces
 Culture changes
evolution
 Technology is the key
 Diffusion – spreading
 Acculturation – adopting
 Assimilation
 Integration
 Separation
 Marginalization
How Does Culture Change?

8. Cultural Regions

9. Why is Culture Important?