Questions and Answers
What is a characteristic of religion in Nigeria?
What is a common feature of cities like Katsina or Kano?
What is a difference between the influence of Islam and Christianity on gender roles in Nigeria?
What is an example of material culture in Nigeria?
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What is a characteristic of the study of culture in Nigeria?
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What is a common feature of women's lives in Nigeria?
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What is a result of women's public invisibility in cities like Katsina or Kano?
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What is a characteristic of Islam in Nigeria?
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What is a difference between Nigeria and Western Europe or the United States?
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What is a characteristic of gender relations in Nigeria?
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The concept of culture refers to the customs and traditions of a specific ethnic group.
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Cultural traits are the largest elements by which a culture can be described.
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Myths are stories that have been proven to be historical facts.
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Folkways are norms for formal or official interactions.
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Culture performs only one function in the society.
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Beliefs are words that people in the society hold to be false.
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Values are culturally spelled out principles of undesirability.
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Culture shock, culture change, and culture lag refer to the same phenomenon.
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The study of culture is limited to the material aspects of human life.
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Culture is acquired by individuals through biological inheritance.
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Study Notes
Course Overview
- GNS 201: Nigerian People and Culture is a 2-unit course with 10 study sessions
- The course aims to introduce students to the basic concepts of culture in the Nigerian context
- Course objectives include understanding the role of culture in socio-economic and political lives of Nigerians, familiarizing with the scope of culture and its characteristics
Culture
- Culture consists of two component parts: material and non-material aspects
- Material aspects include artifacts and visible products of society
- Non-material aspects include laws, belief systems, language, family patterns, music, ceremonies, literature, and folklore
- Culture is learned through symbolic and meaningful interactions with others in a social setting
- Culture is transmitted from one generation to another and is cumulative
- Culture has social quality, providing ideological quality and normative expectations
Qualities of Culture
- Culture is dynamic, implying it changes over time and space
- Factors responsible for cultural change include war, disaster, epidemics, invention, discovery, colonialism, education, and contact with another culture
- Cultural lag occurs when inconsistencies within a cultural system arise due to differences in rate of change among cultural elements
Culture, Diffusion, and Religion
- Culture diffusion refers to the transmission and assimilation of culture traits from one culture to another
- Islamic religion and Quran education first arrived in West Africa through diffusion in the 9th century
- In contemporary Nigeria, religion plays a significant role in shaping gender roles and relations
- Islam has a major impact on the lives of women, particularly in terms of public visibility and participation
- Christianity also influences gender roles, although in a more complex manner due to various branches and Western education
Markets and Products in Nigeria
- The study of culture can be broadly divided into material and non-material culture
- Material culture encompasses physical items such as clothing, cookware, housing materials, and billboards
Culture
- Culture refers to the bundle of learned and shared patterns of behavior and understanding concerning the meaning and value of things, facilitated by language and communication in a social group.
- Culture helps in explaining strange happenings, mysteries, folktales, folkways, science, technology, education, literature, arts, and dates among others.
- Culture possesses inalienable qualities.
Functions of Culture
- Defines situations as joyful or mournful.
- Explains myths, legends, symbols, and the supernatural.
- Defines attitudes, values, norms, and goals learned through socialization and observation.
- Spells out behavior patterns in society.
- Moulds individual behaviors and national character.
- Defines ways of life of a people.
Basic Concepts in Culture
- Culture shock: Not defined in the text, but implied to be a significant concept in culture.
- Culture diffusion: The transmission of culture traits from one culture to another.
- Culture lag: Not defined in the text, but implied to be a significant concept in culture.
Culture and Religion
- Nigerians are generally deeply religious people.
- Religion influences the material landscape and people's sense of place.
- In Muslim areas, mosques are prominent features of the landscape, and periodic calls to prayer are an important marker of people's daily schedules.
- In Christian areas, Biblical surnames are common, and people often incorporate Biblical phrases into various aspects of the textual landscape.
- Christians predominantly live in the south of the country, whereas Muslims live predominantly in the north.
- Native religions involve belief in deities, spirits, and ancestor worship, and are specific to different ethnic groups.
Subculture
- A subculture is a distinctive culture shared by a group within a society.
Glossary of Terms
- Culture: A complex art, mortals, law, customs, and any other capability acquired by man as a member of society.
- Cultural Trait: The smallest elements by which a culture can be described.
- Belief: Words that people in the society hold to be true.
- Myths: Traditional stories, especially those concerning early history or explaining natural or social phenomena, involving supernatural beings or events.
- Values: Culturally spelled-out principles of desirability guiding social interaction.
- Folkways: Norms for routine or casual interaction.
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Description
Explore the basics of Nigerian culture, its role in socio-economic and political lives, and its characteristics in this course overview.
