Regional Differences and Elements of Culture
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NAME:_________________________
Culture—set of rules that guide our behavior; Beliefs, history, knowledge, language, moral principles, and skills
o Culture is not inherited, it is learned—for example, all people in all societies use fire, but no one argues that
the knowledge of how to use fires is inherited.
Cultural Traits
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Cultural Trait – single object, action, or belief; smallest unit of a culture.
o Ex—Wedding Ring, handshake, the belief that washing one’s hands helps prevent the spread of germs.
Cultural traits usually combine to form culture complexes.
Culture Complex – set of interrelated traits.
o All people eat, and many cultural traits surround this action.
Key Elements of culture
All cultures consist of the same key elements:
1. Values – collection of what is considered good, desirable, and proper in a culture.
2. Norms – are the guidelines people follow in their relation with one another.
3. Symbols—commonly understood gestures, words, sounds, objects, colors, or designs that have come to stand for
something else.
4. Knowledge—attempts to define what exists, or the reality of the world.
Beliefs—theories and ideas about physical and social world
Your task:
 Divide the Map of OCHS into regions
 What are some “unifying characteristics” that could be used to divide OCHS into regions?
Room function? Courses taught? Human characteristics? Grade level? Clique?
 Include a title and a key
 Use symbols or color to show where these regions are.