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World Cultures vocabulary from the entire year, semester one and semester two
metacognition
thinking about thinking (big brain)
culture
a way of life shared by a group of people
identity
the collection of traits that make a person, or group of people, unique
language
an organized system of communication
religion
a system for explaining the origins and meaning of life
economics
a system for gathering and distributing resources within a society
government
a system for organizing and controlling a culture
art
the creative expression of human imagination
customs
the rules and common way of doing activities in a culture
tradition
a custom that has been done for a long period of time and is meant to pass on meaning
identifiers
labels for the layers of your identity (your onion)
cultural diffusion
when culture spreads from one place to another
geography
the study of where things are and why they are there
location
where something is located on Earth
relative location
the location of a place relative to another place
absolute location
a place’s exact location on Earth in terms of latitude and longitude
place
the mix of human and non-human features at a given location (also, the identity of a location)
region
an area with at least one unifying feature such as climate, landforms, culture, etc.
movement
how and why people, goods, and ideas move from one place to another
human-environment interaction (HEI)
how people affect their environment and how their environment affects them
maps
Good: easy to carry
Bad: they are flat, Earth is round
globes
Good: they are round, like Earth
Bad: harder to carry
political map
shows political units such as countries, states, or capitals
physical map
shows the physical, or natural, features of a place, like elevation
special-purpose map
shows the location or distribution of specific human or physical features, like a highway map, distribution of resources map, etc.
stereotype
a widely believed, but incomplete, assumption about a group of people’s identity
traditional economy
an economy in which people make economic decisions based on their group’s customs and values
command economy
an economy in which the central government makes all economic decisions
market economy
an economy in which individual consumers and producers make economic decisions
mixed economy
an economy with varying degrees of government control that combines elements of traditional, market, and command economies
democracy
a form of government in which citizens hold political power
authoritarian government/dictatorship
a government in which all power is held by a single person or small group
unitary system
a system in which a central government makes all laws for the entire country
federal system
a system in which power is divided among central, regional, and local governments
artifact
objects made by human beings, such as a tool or weapon
fossil
hardened remains or imprints of living things that existed long ago
hunter-gatherer
nomadic people who survived by hunting, gathering wild plants, and fishing
Paleolithic Era
ancient technological or cultural stage characterized by the use of rudimentary chipped stone tools
bureaucracy
a system of many government officials who carry out government rules
papyrus
a paper-like material made from the papyrus reed that grew along the Nile River
hieroglyphic
a drawing or symbol that stands for a word, idea, or sound
surplus
an amount greater than you need
multiculturalism
the presence of several distinct cultural or ethnic groups within a society
Mandate of Heaven
the idea that there could only be one legitimate ruler of China at a time and that this ruler had the blessing of the gods
legalism
excessive adherence to law or formula
the Silk Road
an ancient trade route that linked the Western world with the Middle East and Asia
philosophy
love of wisdom
Confucianism
an ancient Chinese belief system, which focuses on the importance of personal ethics and morality
Daoism
an ancient Chinese belief system that emphasizes harmony with the natural, balanced order of the universe
arable
suitable for producing crops
steppe
a large area of flat unforested grassland in southeastern Europe or Siberia
homogeneous
of the same or a similar kind of nature
autocracy
a form of government in which one ruler has absolute control and decision-making power
hierarchy
a system in which people or things are put at various levels or ranks according to their importance
dynasty
a series of rules in a country who all belong to the same family
piety
the quality of being religious or reverent
archipelago
an area that contains a chain or group of islands scattered in rivers, lakes, or the ocean
peninsula
a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water
plateau
an area of relatively level high ground
