ANALYSE THE CONCEPT,

ASPECTS AND CHANGES OF

CULTURE AND SOCIETY
MODULE 2 LESSON 1
 WHAT IS IT

❖ CULTURE REFERS TO A GROUP OR COMMUNITY WHICH SHARES COMMON EXPERIENCES THAT

SHAPE THE WAY ITS MEMBERS UNDERSTAND THE WORLD. IT INCLUDES GROUPS THAT WE ARE BORN
INTO, SUCH AS RACE, NATIONAL ORIGIN, GENDER, CLASS, OR RELIGION. IT CAN ALSO INCLUDE A
GROUP WE JOIN OR BECOME PART OF.
❖ CULTURE IS A STRONG PART OF PEOPLE'S LIVES. IT INFLUENCES THEIR VIEWS, VALUES, HUMOR,
HOPES, LOYALTIES, WORRIES AND FEARS. IT HELPS TO HAVE SOME PERSPECTIVE AND
UNDERSTANDING OF THEIR CULTURES.
❖ CULTURE AND SOCIETY DEFINED, CULTURE CONSISTS OF THE BELIEFS, BEHAVIORS, OBJECTS, AND
OTHER CHARACTERISTICS COMMON TO THE MEMBERS OF A PARTICULAR GROUP OR SOCIETY.
❖ THROUGH CULTURE, PEOPLE AND GROUPS DEFINE THEMSELVES, CONFORM TO SOCIETY'S SHARED
VALUES, AND CONTRIBUTE TO SOCIETY.
❖ THE MAJOR ELEMENTS OF CULTURE ARE SYMBOLS, LANGUAGE, NORMS, VALUES, AND ARTIFACTS.
 WHAT IS IT

1. A SYMBOL IS ANYTHING THAT IS USED TO STAND FOR SOMETHING ELSE. PEOPLE WHO SHARE A CULTURE OFTEN
ATTACH A SPECIFIC MEANING TO AN OBJECT, GESTURE, SOUND, OR IMAGE. FOR EXAMPLE, A CROSS IS A
SIGNIFICANT SYMBOL TO CHRISTIANS. IT IS NOT SIMPLY TWO PIECES OF WOOD ATTACHED TO EACH OTHER, NOR
IS IT JUST AN OLD OBJECT OF TORTURE AND EXECUTION. TO CHRISTIANS, IT REPRESENTS THE BASIS OF THEIR
ENTIRE RELIGION, AND THEY HAVE GREAT REVERENCE FOR THE SYMBOL.
2. LANGUAGE IS A SYSTEM OF WORDS AND SYMBOLS USED TO COMMUNICATE WITH OTHER PEOPLE. THIS INCLUDES
FULL LANGUAGES AS WE USUALLY THINK OF THEM, SUCH AS ENGLISH, SPANISH, FRENCH, ETC. BUT, IT ALSO
INCLUDES BODY LANGUAGE, SLANG, AND COMMON PHRASES THAT ARE UNIQUE TO CERTAIN GROUPS OF PEOPLE.
3. SYSTEMS OF VALUES ARE CULTURALLY DEFINED STANDARDS FOR WHAT IS GOOD OR DESIRABLE. MEMBERS OF
THE CULTURE USE THE SHARED SYSTEM OF VALUES TO DECIDE WHAT IS GOOD AND WHAT IS BAD.
 LET US REMEMBER

• CULTURAL ARTIFACT OR ARTEFACT IS A TERM USED IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES,

PARTICULARLY ANTHROPOLOGY, ETHNOLOGY, AND SOCIOLOGY FOR ANYTHING
CREATED BY HUMANS WHICH GIVES INFORMATION ABOUT THE CULTURE OF ITS
CREATOR AND USERS.
• ARTIFACTS ARE SUCH VALUABLE TOOLS FOR EXPLORING THE PAST AND USING
THEM TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST.
• HUMAN VALUES ARE ESSENTIAL IN OUR LIFE BECAUSE THEY HELP US TO GROW
AND DEVELOP. IT IS A PERSON'S STANDARDS OF BEHAVIOUR, PRINCIPLES AND
OWN JUDGMENT. SOME OF THE VALUES, HUMAN TREASURES ARE HONESTY,
LOVE, HAPPINESS, AND INTEGRITY.
 LET US REMEMBER

• SOCIAL AND CULTURAL NORMS ARE RULES OR EXPECTATIONS OF BEHAVIOR

AND THOUGHTS BASED ON SHARED BELIEFS WITHIN A SPECIFIC CULTURAL OR
SOCIAL GROUP.
• SOCIAL CHANGE - VARIATIONS OR MODIFICATIONS IN THE PATTERNS OF SOCIAL
ORGANISATION OF SUB GROUPS WITHIN SOCIETY
• CULTURAL CHANGE - REFERS TO ALL ALTERATIONS AFFECTING NEW TRAITS OR
TRAIT COMPLEXES AND CHANGES IN A CULTURES CONTENT AND STRUCTURE.