🌍 Vocabulary: What is Culture?
1ère Bac Sciences et Technologies Mécaniques STM
📌 Introduction to Culture
Culture encompasses the shared values, traditions, norms, customs, arts, history, and social institutions of a group. This lesson explores key cultural concepts and vocabulary.
Material Culture
Physical objects, resources, and spaces
Example: Traditional clothing, architecture, tools
Non-Material Culture
- Values, beliefs, norms
- Language, symbols
- Rituals, traditions
Cultural Insight: “Culture is the lens through which we view and interpret the world around us.”
🔍 Core Cultural Concepts
1. Cultural Values
“Shared ideas about what is good, right, and desirable”
2. Social Norms
“Expected behaviors in specific situations”
3. Cultural Symbols
“Objects, gestures, sounds that carry particular meaning”
4. Cultural Transmission
“Passing cultural elements to next generations”
5. Cultural Diffusion
“Spread of cultural elements between societies”
6. Cultural Relativism
“Understanding cultures on their own terms”
7. Ethnocentrism
“Judging other cultures by one’s own standards”
8. Subculture
“Cultural group within a larger culture”
9. Cultural Imperialism
“Imposing one culture on another”
10. Acculturation
“Cultural change through contact with other cultures”
🎯 Exercise: Matching Concepts
Match each cultural concept to its definition:
1. Cultural Values
2. Social Norms
3. Cultural Diffusion
🧩 Elements of Culture
Key Components:
All cultures share common elements that work together to create a cohesive system:
Symbols → Language → Values → Norms → Artifacts
Cultural Universals: These are patterns that appear in all known cultures, though their specific expressions vary:
Family structures, rituals, food customs, music, games, healing practices, etc.
✏️ Exercise: Identify Cultural Elements
Classify these examples as either Material or Non-Material culture:
1. Traditional wedding dress →
2. Concept of personal space →
3. Religious beliefs →
🌐 Cultural Perspectives
Comparing Worldviews
Ethnocentrism
- Judging others by one’s own standards
- Seeing one’s culture as superior
- Common but can lead to prejudice
Cultural Relativism
- Understanding cultures in their context
- Suspending judgment
- Promotes cross-cultural understanding
🔍 Exercise: Scenario Analysis
Identify whether these statements reflect Ethnocentrism or Cultural Relativism:
1. “Their eating customs are strange and improper.” →
2. “This practice makes sense given their history and environment.” →
3. “Our way of doing this is clearly the best.” →
🔄 Cultural Change & Globalization
✍️ Exercise: Cultural Change Examples
Complete the sentences about cultural change:
1. The spread of sushi restaurants worldwide is an example of cultural .
2. When a minority group adopts patterns of the dominant culture, it’s called .
3. The adoption of elements from another culture without understanding is cultural .
🌍 Globalization Effects
Globalization has accelerated cultural exchange through:
Discussion: Is globalization creating a single global culture or strengthening local cultural identities?
