TOPIC- THE GEOGRAPHY OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY

EXERCISE 5-DEFINING OURSELVES IN CULTURAL TERMS

A culture is a system of interrelated realms of human life, such as technology and food, economy, social organization, political organization, and knowledge and belief. In the analysis and understanding of human society, culture is a fundamental analytical concept. In this exercise, you have an opportunity to apply this abstract concept to yourself to reveal the connections that the concept helps us to understand.

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare a paper that addresses the following:

Reflect on how you would describe your culture to someone from another part of the United States or from another country. Remember that we can think of culture as a system of interlinked areas of human life, including the "infrastructure" of food and technology, the "social structure" of human relations (social and political organization), and the "superstructure" of ideas, knowledge, and belief. One way of thinking about culture is to recognize that it helps us to accomplish things, adapt to the world (both the world of nature and the world of people), and to organize ourselves.

• Identify and write down at least FIVE characteristics (such as practices, traditions, materials, ideas, beliefs) of your culture as you define it. Focus on aspects that you think are most representative of who you are. It would be interesting if you consider at least one characteristic from each area of human life that we discussed in class (the "system" model of culture).

• Why are these characteristics important to you? (What do they accomplish? How do they help you adapt to your world?)

• Across the world today, there are many aspects of human cultural diversity that are disappearing, through globalization, personal choice, and conflict. What would you do if someone outside of your society forced you to abandon these characteristics?

This paper is primarily a "reflection paper," so a list of references is not required; however, it would be appropriate to list sources if you use any for information or inspiration. Better papers will present a developed discussion with additional information from the course notes, readings, or other research.