AP Human Geography Notes PDF

Ap Human Geography Notes: Introduction to Culture 3.1 video notes Culture comprises customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits constituting a group’s distinct tradition. Material & non material -Nonmaterial culture, The beliefs, practices, and values of a group of people cu...

Ap Human Geography Notes: Introduction to Culture 3.1 video notes Culture comprises customary beliefs, social forms, and material traits constituting a group’s distinct tradition. Material & non material -Nonmaterial culture, The beliefs, practices, and values of a group of people culture - The physical items produced and used by members of specific cultural groups reflect their traditions, lifestyles, and technologies. “Customary beliefs” & “social forms” “Material traits” Local (folk) & popular culture Local (folk) - Culture is traditionally practiced by a small, homogenous group, rural, group living in relative isolation from other groups. EX: Indigenous groups Popular culture, or “pop culture,” is found in a large, heterogeneous society that shares certain habits despite differences in other personal characteristics. Cultural Components Culture trait- A defining characteristic of the culture that d by most, if not all, members. Cultural traits: are characteristics of a particular culture -Practices, technologies, attitudes & behaviors -Material or nonmaterial -Folk or popular Artifacts -Visible objects and technologies (houses, clothing, tools, etc) Sociofacts - Structures and organizations that influence behavior (define the way people act around others and establish rules that govern behavior) Mentifacts -elements of a culture that reflect shared ideas or values Taboo - A description of behavior imposed by social custom. Dietary laws: Halal (Islam) Kashrut (Judaism) - Both prohibit the consumption of pork Cultural Evaluation Ethnocentrism -Evaluating other cultures based exclusively on the perspective of one’s own culture. Cultural relativism - The study of culture from the viewpoint of members of the culture, as opposed to the perspective of a researcher from a different culture Cultural Patterns 3.3 Patterns Of language Language - a system of commutation through the use of speech, a collection of sounds understood by a group of people to have the same meaning. Language family - A collection of languages thought to have descended from a single, common ancestral tongue, long before recorded history. Patterns Of Religion Religion - A system of beliefs and practices that attempts to order life in terms of culturally perceived ultimate priorities. Cultural Patterns Senese of place Disctinve & important Placemaking Efforts to develop a unique sense of place Cultural Forces Centripetal forces - Forces tend to bind together a state's citizens, thus promoting its unity. Centrifugal Forces - Forces that tend to divide a country threatening the unity of a state. Types Diffusion Diffusion- The process of spreading a feature or trend from one place to another over time. Relocation Diffusion- The spread of a feature or trend through bodily movement of people from one place to another. Expansion Diffusion - The spread of an innovation or an idea through a population in an area in such a way that the number of those influenced grows continuously larger, Resulting in an expanding area of dissemination Types: Contagious diffusion - the rapid, widespread diffusion of a feature or trend throughout the population by contact from person to person  Hierarchical diffusion -The spread of a feature or trend from one key person or node of authority or power to other persons or places Stimulus diffusion - A form of diffusion in which a cultural adaptation is created due to the introduction of a cultural trait from another place. Historical Causes of Diffusion 3,5 Historical Diffusion Imperialism- a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. Colonialism- the policy or practice of acquiring full or partial political control over another country, occupying it with settlers, and exploiting it economically. Trade- the action of buying and selling goods and services. Economic development/spread of technology- The transfer of technology has helped to boost innovation and productivity. Migration-The movement of a person or people from one country, locality, place of residence, etc., to settle in another New forms of cultural Expression Pidgin- A form of speech that adopts a simplified grammar and limited vocabulary of a lingua franca; used for communications among speakers of two different languages. Creole- A language developed from pidgin to become the native tongue of a society A mix of languages between colonizers & Indigenous lingua Franca Lingua franca- A “common language,” a language used among speakers of different languages for trade and commerce Bilingualism- Describing a society’s use of two official languages Contemporary Causes of Diffusion 3.6 Contemporary Diffusion Globalization- The expansion of economics, political, and cultural processes to the point that they become global in scale and impact Cultural Change Convergence- The idea that cultures are converging, or becoming more alike Divergence- The adaptation of globalized products to local tastes and contexts. Diffusion of Language & Religion 3.7 Cultural Hearth - Place of origin of a major culture Language classification 1. Language Families 2. Language Subfamiles 3. Languages 4. Dialects Dialect- Local or regional characteristics of a language. While accent refers to the pronunciation differences of standard language, a dialect, besides pronunciation variation, has distinctive grammar and vocabulary. Religion Classification: Religions: Buddhism (U) Christianity (U M) Hinduism (E P) Islam (U M) Judaism (E M) Sikhism (U M) Monotheistic religion - The doctrine or belief of the existence of only one god. Polytheistic religion - Belief in or worship of more than one God. Universalizing religion - A religion that claims global truth and applicability, regardless of ethnicity or culture group, and seeks the conversion of all people via evangelism and missionary work. (58%). Ethnic religion - A religion with a relatively concentrated spatial distribution whose principles are likely to be based on physical characteristics of the particular location in which its adherents are concentrated; ethnic religion do not actively seek converts. (26%) Impacts of culture Language Official language - A governmentally designated language of instruction, of government, of the courts, and other official public and private communication. Religion Pilgrimage - Voluntary travel by an adherent to a sacred site to pay respects or participate in a ritual at the site. Sacred sites- Location with special significance to a religious group. These sites are often natural features or religious structures directly connected with a deity or associated with significant events in the history of a particular religion. Cultural Landscape 3.2 Cultural landscape—The visible imprint of human activity and culture on the landscape. Human environmental modifications, including the built environment and agricultural systems, reflect aspects of their culture. Build Environment - The man-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in scale from persona; and shelter to neighborhoods to the large-scale civic surroundings. The cultural landscape is a representation of the material & nonmaterial aspects of a culture. Sequent occupancy - The use and modification of a place by successive cultural groups, reflecting differing cultural values, technologies, and social relations that contribute to a cumulative cultural landscape. Placelessness Popular culture is characterized by uniformity Art architecture food beliefs Placelessness is the loss of uniqueness in the cultural landscape so that one place looks like the next; it is also known as a uniform landscape. Effects of diffusion 3.8 Acculturation - Cultural modification or change that results when one culture group Assimilation- A process by which a minority population reduces or loses completely its identifying cultural characteristics and blends into the host society Erasing Multiculturalism - The coexistence of several cultures in one society  Several Syncretism- The blending of traits from two cultures to form a new trait. Creating Class notes October 31st Built environment: The man-made surroundings that shape human activity can range from personal shelter to civic surroundings Cultural ecology: The study of how the natural environment can influence a cultural group ex: Inuit people using the animals and environment to survive Adaptive strategy: How humans adapt to the physical and cultural landscape they live in.