Jacqueline E. Porter - Clinton
Handout # 1
Terms and Definitions Relating to Culture
Culture:
The way of life of a group of people.
The level of technology, tradition, customs, and values are all part of a culture.
Customs:
Special practices that are common to one group of people.
Examples would be the way people wear their hair, what clothes they wear, and what kind of transportation they use.
Traditions:
Customs that survive from one generation to the next generation.
Examples would be religious celebrations, festivals and national holidays, and rituals such as how a culture deals with a child's baby tooth falling out.
Technology:
Scientific knowledge and tools available to a culture.
The more complex and diverse the knowledge and tools, the higher the level of technology.
Technology ranges from the hoe to a spaceship.
Values:
Beliefs about what is good, desirable, and worth holding on to.
What we do and what we say are based on values.
Values can be held by many people at the same time. Schooling for all children is an example of a value.