What is Culture?

This lesson explores culture: defining what culture is, what are its basic elements, and how it shapes our world today.

Concepts such as ethnocentrism, ethnicity, cultural hearths, cultural diffusion, cultural divergence, cultural convergence, acculturation, and enculturation are explained for the viewers. In addition, the role that technology and innovation have in making culture dynamic is discussed.

As culture is not only dynamic, but also symbolic, language as a mirror of culture is examined. Aspects of language are defined such as language families, dialects, and how lingua francas are used in the world.

While applicable to anyone who is wishing to better understand what culture is and what it entails, this lesson is provided to specifically address elements of the Texas Education Knowledge Standards of the World Geography studies course.