| Lesson
1:
Teacher Background: What Is Culture?
Culture is a shared set
of beliefs, practices, attitudes and behaviors
that are passed down from one generation
to the next. Culture is not only the things
that are visible from the outside—food,
dress, music, language, dance or crafts;
it’s also things that are invisible—concepts
of beauty, ideas about family, even, what’s
funny. Culture is sometimes referred to
as an “iceberg”—just
as 9/10 of an iceberg is below the surface
of the water, 9/10 of culture is not something
we can easily see. *(see lesson) Culture
is also sometimes referred to as a circle
because culture is made up of many different
parts that are equally important. Together,
all the parts make a whole. *(see lesson)
Cultural
Change and Continuity
Culture changes over time. It is constantly
responding and adapting to society and
the world around it. Yet, as culture changes,
many core elements, or essential parts
of culture, continue through time—that
is called cultural continuity. For instance,
just because Americans do not dress, eat
or live in the same types of houses as
they did 300 years ago does not mean they
have lost their “culture.”
Many cultural core values and traditions
in America—ideas about individual
rights, democracy, and equality—have
been maintained and continue to adapt—that’s
cultural continuity.
Everybody has
a culture, even though they sometimes
do not realize it. *(see lesson) Think
about the following questions: What language(s)
do you speak? What is your religion? What
holidays and ceremonies are important?
What things do you believe are right and
wrong? The answers to some of these questions
may reflect your individual personality,
but most of them reflect shared beliefs,
practices and behaviors—that’s
culture.
Learning
about Culture
In order to learn about cultural change
and continuity, it is important to think
about all of the parts of culture that
make up the circle or iceberg—both
the visible and invisible parts. It’s
also important to recognize your own bias
or ideas about another person or group
of people, based on stereotypes you may
have encountered throughout your life.
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