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• Culture

  ● The term culture refers to the knowledge, language, values, customs, and physical objects that are passed down from generation to generation among members of a group.

  ● Culture helps to explain human social behavior. What people do and don’t do, what they like and dislike, what they believe and don’t believe.

  ● Culture provides a blueprint that people in a society use to guide their relationship with others.
• Material culture

  refers to the tangible and physical objects created, used, or modified by a society. Examples: Tools, Clothing, Painting, Architecture, Cuisine.
• Non-Material Culture

  Encompasses the intangible aspects such as words people use, the habits they follow, ideas, customs, and behavior that any society professes and to which they strive to conform. Examples: Laws, Language, Beliefs, Customs, Music, Values.
• Elements of Culture

  Knowledge

  Beliefs

  Values

  Technology

  Social Norms
• Knowledge – organized information that is acquired by the members of society.

  Example: knowledge on setting fire and preparing foods
• Beliefs – the perception of accepted reality. Belief is not only based on perception, fact, or emotional evidence but also on the acceptance of the likelihood something to be true.

  Example: Superstitious beliefs, Religion
• Values – the deeply held beliefs and principles that guide individuals and societies in determining what is important, desirable, and morally right. Example: NUNS Core Values
• Technology – the practical application of knowledge in converting raw material into finished products such as tools, equipment, gadgets, etc
• Social Norms – established expectations of society as to how a person is supposed to act depending on the requirements of the time, place, or situation.
• Types of Social Norms

  Folkways

  Mores

  Laws

  Taboos
• Folkways - are customs that we follow but are not often not written down. We learn them through intuition as we group up. They are mostly customary and polite. Examples: Not talking loudly in quiet places, trying not to smoke downwind of others
• Mores - are moral norms. The term ‘more’ comes from ‘morality’. If you break a “more”, society will consider you to be immoral. Some mores are illegal (making them also laws), while others are not. Example: Talking behind a friend’s back, Stealing, Adultery, Bro/Girl Code
• Laws - are norms that are actually defined as being legal or illegal. The government has decided these norms and if you’re found to have broken the law, you could be fined or even go to jail. Example: Data Privacy Act, Jaywalking
• Taboos - are ‘negative norms’ - things that people find offensive and socially inappropriate if you are caught doing them. They're often things that no one talks about because they’re so embarrassing and socially unacceptable Example: Sex, Incest, Abortion
• Aspects of Culture

  Symbolic

  Learned

  Shared

  Influences Biological Process

  Changes

  Adaptive

  Universal

  Integrated
• Symbolic

  Uses symbols (something that bears a meaning) to establish shared meaning
• Learned

  Can be learned by an individual in his / her society by getting together with them.
• Shared

  Culture can be absorbed from others and can also be passed to other individuals.
• Influences Biological Process

  Culture affects the physical characteristics of individuals
• Changes

  As time goes by, ideas, behaviors, morality, and other components of culture may change due to varying factors.
• Adaptive

  Culture enables members of society to adapt from the challenges brought by the environment.
• Universal

  Some elements that are the same across all cultures such as a sense of humor, family, clothing, etc.
• Integrated

  Each component / element of a culture is interrelated to each other. In the case of change in one of them, other components would be affected.
• Layers of Culture

  Cultural Universal

  Mainstream Culture

  Subculture

  Counterculture
• Cultural Universals

  Refers to the cultural elements, patterns, practices, or activities that are common and similar across cultures. Examples: Games, Marriage, Importance of family, Division of labor, etc.
• Mainstream Culture

  Refers to the dominant or prevalent set of values, beliefs, practices, and norms that are widely accepted and followed by the majority of people within a society at a given time. Examples: Taylor Swift, Tiktok, Kdrama
• Subculture

  A subculture is a group of people with their own unique way of doing things that sets them apart from the larger culture.They share common interests, styles, or beliefs that create a special identity within the bigger society. Examples: HipHop, Residents of Manila Chinatown in Binondo
• Counterculture

  Counter-culture is a social movement that goes against mainstream culture. People in counter-culture reject or challenge the usual ways of thinking and living. They often have their own beliefs, lifestyle, and symbols. Examples: Punk, Foth, and Civil rights activists
• Views on Culture

  Xenocentrism

  Ethnocentrism

  Cultural Relativism
• Xenocentrism

  The perception that one’s own culture is comparatively inferior to others. For them, products, styles or ideas of foreigners are better than their own
• Ethnocentrism

  The perception and assumption through comparison that one’s own culture is far more advanced or superior to another
• Cultural Relativism

  The idea that we should understand and judge a culture based on its own beliefs and values, without using our own cultural standards. It means recognizing that different cultures have their own reasons and ways of doing things, and we should respect and appreciate this diversity rather than imposing our own views.