Ucsp reviewer

Culture – Is a complex whole that encompasses beliefs, practices, values, attitudes, laws, norms, artifacts,
symbols, knowledge, and everything that a person learns and shares as a member of society (Tylor,2010)
Evolution -the process of biological change occurring in a population across successive generations
Broken Pebbles – Earliest tools by earliest by pre-human primates.
Society – Refers to the high level of cultural and technological development of humans.

Biological capacity for culture

1. Our thinking capacity- The primary biological component of humans that allowed for culture is the
developed brain
2. Our Thinking capacity - As the brain is the primary source of a human’s capacity to
comprehend sound and provide meaning.
3. Our gripping capacity – Look at your hands, and observe how your thumb is opposed to other
fingers, this gives you the ability of gripping, also an exclusive trait of humans
4. Our walking/standing capacity – Primates have 2 forms of locomotion; bipedalism(ability to
walk and stand on two feet) and quadrupedalism (uses all 4 limbs)

Human Variation

Environment and History – are 2 primary factors that shape the behavior of human groups.
Nationality – the identity that is tied to being part of a nation or country
Naturalization – Can be acquired by being born in a country (Birthplace)
Ethnicity – Cultural Heritage or background (e.g., Bulakenyo) `
Ethnic groups - communities or populations made up of people who share a common cultural
background or descent. (e.g., Asians)

Categories of Social Differences

- Gender, Socioeconomic Class, Political identity, and Religion

Gender – Socially constructed roles, behaviors, activities, and attributes.

Sex – Refers to biological characteristics of human; Male or Female
Political Identity - a political strategy in which individuals who identify as members of a specific
race, religion, gender, socioeconomic origin, social class, or other group create political agendas
based on these characteristics.
Religion - Organized system of belief, ceremonies, and rules used to worship God/s

Cultural Variation – Refers to the difference in social behaviors

Ethnocentrism – Belief that one’s culture is superior to all other cultures
Cultural Relativism – The idea that a person’s beliefs and practices should be understood.
Human Differences – Social facts that must be understood and accepted
Types of gender
Heterosexuals- ppl who are attracted to the opposite gender, usually called “straight”
Homosexuals – ppl who are attracted to the same type of gender
Gay – Male who is sexually and romantically attracted to the same gender
Lesbian – Female who is sexually and romantically attracted to the same gender
Bisexual – Attracted to both genders
Asexual – Not attracted to any gender, incapable of being attracted to any gender
Polysexual – Attracted to multiple genders but not all
Pansexual – Accommodates or attracted to all gender
Transexual – People who underwent medical surgeries to switch gender
Transgender – Switches gender but did not undergo surgeries.