Society and Culture

Society and Culture

• A society is a group of people.
• Culture refers to the rules, instructions, and guidelines within a society that guide people and teach them how to live.
• Culture includes ideas, things, knowledge, beliefs, values, language, and customs that are passed on from one generation to the next.

Culture Variations

• Culture varies greatly across the globe, e.g., toothbrushes and toothpaste are used in America, while twigs from trees are used in some African cultures.
• Sleeping habits differ, e.g., beds in some cultures, tatami mats in Japan, and animal skins in others.
• Language also varies, e.g., over 500 million people speak English, over 1 billion people speak Chinese, and over 480 million people speak Hindi.

Cultural Practices

• Eating habits differ, e.g., meat and vegetables in some cultures, tofu and grasshoppers in others.
• Greetings also vary, e.g., handshakes and waves in the United States, bowing in Japan, and kissing on both cheeks in some European countries.

Characteristics of Culture

• Culture provides guidelines for actions and interactions within a society.
• All people share a culture with others in their society.
• Culture evolves over time and is adaptive to new challenges and opportunities.
• The creation of culture is ongoing and cumulative, with societies building on existing culture to adapt to new challenges and opportunities.
• Culture is transmitted from one generation to the next, teaching a way of life to the next generation.

Society and Culture

• A society is a group of people.
• Culture refers to the rules, instructions, and guidelines within a society that guide people and teach them how to live.
• Culture includes ideas, things, knowledge, beliefs, values, language, and customs that are passed on from one generation to the next.

Culture Variations

• Culture varies greatly across the globe, e.g., toothbrushes and toothpaste are used in America, while twigs from trees are used in some African cultures.
• Sleeping habits differ, e.g., beds in some cultures, tatami mats in Japan, and animal skins in others.
• Language also varies, e.g., over 500 million people speak English, over 1 billion people speak Chinese, and over 480 million people speak Hindi.

Cultural Practices

• Eating habits differ, e.g., meat and vegetables in some cultures, tofu and grasshoppers in others.
• Greetings also vary, e.g., handshakes and waves in the United States, bowing in Japan, and kissing on both cheeks in some European countries.

Characteristics of Culture

• Culture provides guidelines for actions and interactions within a society.
• All people share a culture with others in their society.
• Culture evolves over time and is adaptive to new challenges and opportunities.
• The creation of culture is ongoing and cumulative, with societies building on existing culture to adapt to new challenges and opportunities.
• Culture is transmitted from one generation to the next, teaching a way of life to the next generation.

Society and Culture

• A society is a group of people.
• Culture refers to the rules, instructions, and guidelines within a society that guide people and teach them how to live.
• Culture includes ideas, things, knowledge, beliefs, values, language, and customs that are passed on from one generation to the next.

Culture Variations

• Culture varies greatly across the globe, e.g., toothbrushes and toothpaste are used in America, while twigs from trees are used in some African cultures.
• Sleeping habits differ, e.g., beds in some cultures, tatami mats in Japan, and animal skins in others.
• Language also varies, e.g., over 500 million people speak English, over 1 billion people speak Chinese, and over 480 million people speak Hindi.

Cultural Practices

• Eating habits differ, e.g., meat and vegetables in some cultures, tofu and grasshoppers in others.
• Greetings also vary, e.g., handshakes and waves in the United States, bowing in Japan, and kissing on both cheeks in some European countries.

Characteristics of Culture

• Culture provides guidelines for actions and interactions within a society.
• All people share a culture with others in their society.
• Culture evolves over time and is adaptive to new challenges and opportunities.
• The creation of culture is ongoing and cumulative, with societies building on existing culture to adapt to new challenges and opportunities.
• Culture is transmitted from one generation to the next, teaching a way of life to the next generation.

Learn about the basics of society and culture, including the rules and instructions that guide people, and the ideas and things that are passed on from one generation to the next.