AP Human Geo Unit 3 vocab

Culture

Beliefs, values, practices, behavior, and technology specific to the society passed down generation to generation.

Cultural Trait

Artifacts, sociofacts, mentifacts, (characteris) of a culture.

Artifacts

Visible objects a culture creates showing their culture.

Sociofacts

Organizations like governments, education systems, religious groups, etc influencing social behavior. 

Mentifacts

Elements of a culture reflecting ideas, values, beliefs, etc.

Popular Culture

Widespread of behaviors, beliefs, and practices people everywhere.

Traditional Culture

Long-established behaviors, beliefs, and practices passed down generations. 

Cultural Norms

Shared patterns guiding behavior of a society.

Ethnocentrism

Tendency of ethnic groups to evaluate other groups according to pre considered ideas from their own culture, like judging. 

Cultural Relativism

Understanding other people’s cultures different from their own; opposite of Ethnocentrism

Cultural landscape

A landscape modified by humans reflecting cultural beliefs and values. 

Identity

How humans make sense of themselves or view themselves.

Sequent Occupance

The cultural imprint left by previous settlers, shaping the present cultural landscape.

Ethnicity

The state of belonging to a group who share common cultural characteristics.

Ethnic Neighborhoods

Cultural landscapes within communities (different from their origin country) that are outside of their origin country,

Traditional architecture

Established building styles based on the cultural believes, values, etc. 

Postmodern Architecture

Religion

Spiritual beliefs that form cultural perspective, believes and values.

Pilgrimage

A journey to a holy place for spiritual reasons

Language

How people speak their thoughts and help identify their culture.

Toponym

The unique historical geographic features and characteristic unique to a place.

Gendered Spaces

Cultural landscape spaces to accombinate gender roles.

Safe Spaces

Spaces with acceptance and support for anyone to feel safe and not judged.

Gentrification

The possession of high-income residents moving to low-income locations resulting in increased property values, development, and long-term low-income residents. 

Third place

A communal space separate from home or work to feel safe and open.

Sense of place

The emotional and cultural attachment people have to a location shaped by experiences, memories, and interactions.

Placemaking

When a community collaborates to make a more inhabitable and friendly area to live. 

Dialect

A variation of a standard language specific to fit its location.

Adherent

People who are loyal to their beliefs / religion / organization. 

Denomination

A separate organization in a branch uniting local congregations. 

Sect

A small society separated from an established denomination.

Centripetal Force

A force uniting a group of people

Centrifugal Force

A force separating a group of people.

Diffusion

A process of spreading cultural traits from place to place.

Cultural Hearth

Where cultural traits originate from

Expansion Diffusion

When an aspect of culture spreads outward from its place of origin ( contagious, hierarchical, and stimulus diffusion)

Contagious Diffusion 

Cultural traits spreading to nearby locations regardless of wealth / social status.

Hierachical Diffusion

The Spread of cultural traits coming from a person of high power / social status/ authority to people / places.

Stimulus Diffusion

Cultural traits changing as they adjust to their new location.