The Study of Culture

World Geography

The way of life of a group of people who share similar beliefs and customs.

What is culture?

What are the elements of culture?LanguageReligionDaily livesHistoryArt GovernmentEconomic activities

Ethnic group – people who share a common language, history, place of origin, or a combination of these elements. (Example – Hispanics)

Culture region – an area that includes many different countries that have certain traits in common. (Example – Latin America)

Cultural diffusion/convergence – the process of spreading new knowledge and skills from one culture to another. (Example – the exchange of culture between Juárez and El Paso)

Cultural divergence – when a culture is restricted from outside influences (Example – The Amish)

Culture hearths – early centers of civilization whose ideas and practices spread to surrounding areas. (Example – Egypt)

Important Terms to Know

What race are you?Almost everyone in this classroom is considered white.Hispanic is not a race! It is an __________________.Hispanic cannot be a race because you can be any color

and be Hispanic. Sammy Sosa is black, but he is Hispanic because he comes from a Spanish-speaking country (Cuba).

Mexican is not a race! It is a ____________________.If you asked Mrs. Seeburg what race she was and she said

American, you would think that was weird. American is her nationality because that’s where she was born. So you can’t say you’re Mexican if people ask for your race. That’s your nationality, but only if you were actually born in Mexico. Otherwise, you are Mexican-American.

A Note About Race

One of the strongest unifying forces for a culture

Differences within a language – dialectLanguage families – large groups of

languages having similar roots

Language

ReligionCreates a sense of

identityInfluences your daily

lifeHolidays and

festivalsMajor world

religions include Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Judaism, Animism and Sikhism

GovernmentAutocracyOligarchyDemocracy

SubsistenceMarketCommand

Let’s Review Government and Economic Systems

Economic Systems

Celebrations

Customs/Traditions

Holidays