SOC 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Desert Climate, Sex Education, The Who
Document Summary
Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted meanings and behavior that defines the way of life for a given group or society. It includes beliefs, values, knowledge, art, morals, laws, customs, habits, language, ways of thinking and dress, among other things. Culture: is shared, is learned, is taken for granted, is symbolic, varies across time and place. Five universal aspects of culture that apply to all culture everywhere. Shared: culture is collectively experienced and agreed upon. Learned: we thoroughly learn culture through observation and imitation. Taken for granted: we engage unknowingly in hundreds of cultural practices every day; culture (cid:373)akes these practices see(cid:373) (cid:862)(cid:374)or(cid:373)al. (cid:863) Symbolic: the significance of culture lies in the meaning it holds for people. Symbols are things or behaviors to which people give meaning; the meaning is not inherent in the symbol but is bestowed by the meaning people give it. Culture develops as humans adapt to the physical and social environment around them.
