UCSP SECOND WEEK

• Culture refers to the cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings, hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in the course of generations through individual and group striving
• Cultural variation refers to differences or distinct forms of social behavior that various cultures exhibit from around the world
• Society is a fairly large number of people who are living in the same territory, are relatively independent of people outside their area, and participate in a common culture
• Social difference is the dissimilarities among individuals based on their social characteristics and qualities, including race, ethnicity, class, age, sex, gender, etc
• Social change is the alteration of society over time or changes in human interaction
• Politics came from the word “polis” which means city-state and is the science of government, involving the exercise of control or authority within society
• Political identity focuses on the interests and perspectives of groups with which people identify
• Symbols are objects, gestures, or images that represent or stand for something else, used to communicate ideas, values, and beliefs in a culture or society
• Artifacts refer to material objects or products created by human beings to express, reflect, or shape cultural values, beliefs, and norms
• Practices refer to the actions and behaviors that individuals engage in on a regular basis within a particular cultural, social, or organizational context
• Attitudes refer to evaluative judgments, feelings, or beliefs that individuals hold about a particular person, group, object, or idea
• Values refer to the beliefs, principles, and standards that individuals and groups hold to be important, desirable, and worthy of pursuit
• Laws refer to the rules and regulations established by governments and other social institutions to regulate behavior and enforce social order
• Norms are behavioral expectations or unwritten rules considered typical or acceptable within a group or society
• Traits refer to the stable and enduring aspects of a person's personality or behavior, considered to be innate or biologically determined
• Beliefs refer to the attitudes, convictions, and opinions that individuals and groups hold to be true or valid
• Characteristics of culture:

  • Culture is social and develops through social interaction
  • Culture varies from society to society and is unique
  • Culture is shared and not possessed by individuals alone
  • Culture is learned and not inborn
  • Culture is transmitted among members of society
  • Culture is continuous and cumulative, evolving over time
  • Culture is gratifying and idealistic, fulfilling needs and desires
• Knowledge refers to the beliefs, ideas, and understanding that individuals and groups hold about the world, themselves, and each other
• Key characteristics of culture:

  1. Learned

  2. Shared

  3. Dynamic

  4. Symbolic

  5. Integrated

  6. Adaptive