Amsco headings notes

Topic 3.1: Introduction to Culture

Culture: The learned beliefs, behaviors, customs, traditions, and material objects that characterize a particular group of people.
Visible Culture: Includes tangible elements like food, clothing, buildings, tools, and land use.
Invisible Culture: Includes beliefs, values, and practices that influence behavior (e.g., religious faith, norms).

Cultural Trait: A single aspect of culture (e.g., shaking hands as a greeting).
Cultural Complex: A combination of related traits that define a culture (e.g., automobiles in U.S. culture, symbolizing independence and freedom).

Culture is not inherited genetically but is learned and passed down through:

Culture Hearth: The place where a cultural trait originates.
- Examples:
  - Democracy → Ancient Greece (~500 BCE).
  - Rap Music → New York City (1970s).
  - Buddhism → Northern India (500s BCE).
Diffusion: The spread of cultural traits from the hearth to other areas.

Taboo: A prohibited behavior in a culture.
- Examples:
  - Eating pork is taboo in Islam and Judaism.
  - Marrying outside one's caste in traditional Hindu society.
Taboos can change over time (e.g., interracial marriage was once taboo in the U.S. but is now widely accepted).

Folk Culture
- Small, rural, and isolated communities.
- Resists change (e.g., Amish communities).
Indigenous Culture
- Practiced by native ethnic groups connected to a specific place (e.g., Navajo, Inuit).
Popular Culture
- Global, widespread, and often influenced by media and technology.
- Examples: McDonald's, K-pop, TikTok trends.

Topic 3.2: Cultural Landscapes

The visible imprint of human activity on the environment.
Includes buildings, roads, signs, fences, and architecture that reflect cultural identity.

Element	Location	Cultural Significance
Protected Wilderness Area	U.S. National Parks	Shows environmental conservation values.
Bilingual Signage	Quebec, Canada	Reflects French-Canadian identity.
Gender-Segregated Schools	Pakistan	Represents gender roles in education.
Skyscrapers	Shanghai, China	Reflects economic power and globalization.

The loss of uniqueness in the cultural landscape.
Example: Suburbs in Chicago and Los Angeles look nearly identical due to homogeneous architecture.

Formal Region: Defined by shared cultural traits (e.g., Latin America is mostly Spanish-speaking).
Functional Region: Centered around a node (e.g., New York City as a global finance hub).
Vernacular Region: Perceived by people (e.g., “The South” in the U.S.).

Religious sites reflect beliefs:
- Mecca (Islam) – Holiest city in Islam.
- Jerusalem – Sacred to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.
- Shinto Shrines in Japan – Nature worship.

Language and religion shape cultural landscapes through architecture, laws, and daily practices.
Ethnic Enclaves: Areas where people of a specific ethnicity cluster to maintain cultural identity (e.g., Chinatown in San Francisco).

Religious beliefs impact:
- Legal codes (e.g., Sharia law in Islamic nations).
- Dietary restrictions (e.g., kosher laws in Judaism).
- Business hours (e.g., Blue Laws in Christian areas).

Gender-segregated spaces exist in some cultures.
- Example: Women-only parks in Iran provide safety and privacy.

Relocation Diffusion
- People migrate and carry their culture with them.
- Example: Italian immigrants brought pizza to the U.S. in the 1800s.
Expansion Diffusion
- A cultural trait spreads outward without physical movement.
- Includes:
  - Contagious Diffusion – Rapid spread (e.g., viral TikTok trends).
  - Hierarchical Diffusion – Spreads from influential people/places (e.g., fashion trends from Paris to smaller cities).
  - Reverse Hierarchical Diffusion – Moves from lower to higher social status (e.g., tattoos moving from sailors to mainstream society).
  - Stimulus Diffusion – Modified adoption (e.g., McDonald's in India serving veggie burgers instead of beef).

1918 Flu Pandemic: Spread through returning soldiers from WWI, killing 50 million people worldwide.
COVID-19 (2020): Spread rapidly due to globalization.

Social Media: Major driver of cultural diffusion (e.g., K-pop spreading worldwide through YouTube).
Fast-Food Chains: McDonald's exists in over 100 countries, often adapting to local cultures.