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Begin your bellwork on a new sheet of paper.
Day 1
Culture
9/8
What do you think of when you hear the
word culture?
 Give at least 3 specific examples.
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Culture: the beliefs,
customs, language,
dress, and arts of a
particular society,
group, place, or time.
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The 7 Elements of Culture
1. Social Organization
2. Customs & Traditions
3. Religion
4. Language
5. Arts & Literature
6. Forms of Government
7. Economic Systems
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Social Organization
 Family units
 Friends
 Work (bosses, employees, etc.)
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Customs & Traditions
 Rules of behavior
 Ideas of right and wrong
 Clothing, leisure activities, holidays
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Religion
 Answers basic questions about the meaning of life
 Supports important values
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Language
 The cornerstone of culture.
 All cultures have a spoken language
 People who speak the same language often share
the same culture.
 Many societies include a large number of people
who speak different languages.
 Each language can have several different dialects.
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Arts & Literature
 Products of the human imagination.
 They help us pass on the culture’s basic beliefs.
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Forms of Government
 People form governments to provide for their
common needs, keep order within society, and
protect their society from outside threats.
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Economic Systems
 How people use limited resources to satisfy their
wants and needs.
 Answers the basic questions: what to produce,
how to produce it, and for whom.
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2
4
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5
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Day 2
Culture
9/9
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Think of a culture you admire (Appalachian,
Japanese, African, English, French, etc.) and
list at least 3 things that distinguish that
culture from others.
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Work in groups and use the 7 elements of
culture to better define what your culture is
using the handouts you’ve been given.
Be specific!
20 minutes
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How does your culture compare to the one
depicted below? Use your Venn diagrams to
compare & contrast.
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Day 3
Culture
9/10
What is the generic name you use for these
beverages?
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Culture is constantly changing.
It changes through a process called
“cultural diffusion.”
Cultural diffusion: the spread of cultural
beliefs and social activities from one group
to another.
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There are 3 kinds of cultural diffusion:
1. Expansion
2. Relocation
3. Hierarchical
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Expansion - an innovation or idea that
develops in a source area and remains
strong there, while also spreading outward
to other areas
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Relocation - an idea or innovation that
migrates into new areas, leaving behind its
origin or source of the cultural trait.
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Hierarchical - an idea or innovation that
spreads by moving from larger to smaller
places, often with little regard to the distance
between places, and often influenced by
social elites
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What is the most likely type of diffusion
that explains the way “soda” is used across
the United States?