World Cultures Toolkit 1 16

Unit I: World Cultures Toolkit

World Cultures 9

World Cultures Toolkit 2

Toolkit Objectives (do not record!)

You will be able to identify and describe the various aspects which comprise and affect a group’s culture

You will be able to evaluate data from a variety of sources to analyze a country

You will be able to compare U.S. culture with those of other countries around the world


Sections of the Toolkit (do not record)

In each section, you will gain an overview of the following areas:GeographyCultureFaith Belief SystemsEconomic Systems Political Systems


Geography

Essential QuestionsHow do we use geographic tools? How does where we live influence

how we live?How do place and region affect

population characteristics?


Definition*

Geography – studies where people, places, and things are located and how they are related


Is this statement true? (DNR)

“People affect geography and geography

affects people”


Mapping Basics*

Hemisphere Equator, Prime Meridian Continent Country/State –occupies a specific territory and has

full control of its affairs


Types of Maps*

Political Map

A country's territories, boundaries, and cities

Physical Map

Physical features – ex. elevation, mountain ranges (also known as a relief map)


Types of Maps

Which is which?What country is shown on the physical map?What area or region of the world is shown on the political map?


Types of Maps (cont.)*

Thematic Map - represents a place based on a certain theme (population, climate, etc.)


“Where am I?!”*Location – position on Earth’s surface Absolute Location (“GPS” Coordinates)

Latitude – measures N/S of equatorLongitude – measures E/W of Prime Meridian

• Example: New Hope is located at coordinates 40°N , 74°W

Relative Location• Example: “New Hope is near the east coast of the US”

Scale:


“Where am I?!” (cont)


Climate*Climate –average weather of a place or region

How does a country’s climate affect the ways people live?


Population*

Population distribution – average number of people living in an area

“Dense vs. Sparse” New Jersey – 1,134.4 people per square mile Alaska – 1.1 people per square mile

What determines where people live? Habitable lands – can land support food for people? Push/Pull Factors

Push: force people to leave their homeland and migrate. Ex. disasters, war, persecution

Pull: draw or attract people to another location. Ex. climate, job opportunities


Population Distribution Thematic Map


“Can we live here?”*

Humans change the environment or adapt to it to make it habitable.

Change Clear land for arable, or farmable, land Build infrastructure (ex. canals, bridges, dams, highways) Irrigation

Adapt Eskimo igloos Siesta



Culture*


Culture*

Culture: Knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors shared and passed on by members of a group.

Society - group that shares a region/sense of identity Ethnic group - shares common and distinctive racial,

national, linguistic, or cultural heritage A race - humans distinguished from others by genetically

transmitted physical characteristics


How can we “see” culture?*


How do people learn about their culture?*

FamilyNuclear - Extended -

Education Media Religion Language Others? (no need to record)


How does culture spread or change?*

Diffusion – movement of customs/ideas from one place to another

Assimilation –adopting customs/attitudes of a dominant culture (occurs in a multicultural society like ours)

Imperialism – control by one country of another country or region (ex. Tibet)

Westernization – adoption of western culture in other regions



Cultural Relativism*

Cultural relativism Customs/beliefs/actions of people always make

the “best sense” in the context of their own cultureEx: Letting cows wander the streets in India

may not make sense to us, but it makes perfect sense to those living in India.


A Word of Caution…*

What happens when cultural relativism is ignored? Ethnocentrism – judging other cultures by standards

of one’s own (unfair) Stereotype –often negative description of an

individual based on group membership Racism – belief that one racial group is superior to

another Genocide – deliberate elimination of a different

social group


Quick Write: In three to four sentences, explain your reasoning behind the following statement:

How can it be argued that understanding cultural relativism is important when studying different cultures?


Belief Systems*


Belief System Tools

What is a belief system? Why is a belief system important? What are the world’s major belief systems? What do you know about each of the

world’s belief systems?


Belief System Tools (cont.)*Belief systems - often referred to as religions - are based

entirely on faithUsed to answer basic questions about the meaning/purpose

of lifeReligious Concepts Monotheism – belief in one god Polytheism – belief in many gods Animism (aka traditional) – belief in divine forces in

nature Atheism – belief that there is no god


Belief System Tools (cont.) *

Religion # of Followers Present areas

Christianity (M)

@2.1 billion (largest in world)

Americas, Europe

Islam (M) @1.5 billion (second largest in world – fastest growing)

Middle East and Asia (Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh)

Hinduism (P) @900 million India, South Asia

Buddhism @500 million East Asia

Judaism (M) @14 million United States, Israel In addition, many people follow other regional religions


Belief System Tools (cont.)


Economics*


Economics *

What is economics? Balancing unlimited wants and needs with

limited resources The production, distribution, and consumption of

goods and services


Economic Systems (HW) * All economic systems must answer three questions:

Four types of economic systems (What are they and what are the characteristics of each?):


Economic Systems (HW)* All economic systems must answer three questions:

What should we produce? How should we produce it? For whom shall we produce?

Four types of economic systems: Traditional – people produce most of what they need to

survive; hunting, gathering, farming Market – business and industries produce and sell goods for

money; based on supply and demand; capitalism Command – government controls, or “commands,” quantities

and types of goods to be produced; communism/socialism Mixed – individuals make some economic decisions and

government makes others• today, most countries are mixed


Standard of Living Tools*How can you tell a country’s standard of living? GDP Per Capita – value of all goods/services produced in a nation

per year divided by the number of people living in it. Population Below the Poverty Line – % of impoverished people Unemployment Rate - % of people that want a job but can’t find one Life Expectancy – how long a person, born today, can expect to live Literacy Rate - % of people that can read - 6th grade level Infant Mortality Rate – # of babies that die within the first year of

life (written as x/1000) Population Growth Rate - how fast population is growing. Under

1% is considered good – over 1% is considered too fast Age Structure – % of population that falls within age ranges (young,

old)


GDP per Capita


Life Expectancy Around the World


The World Economy*Increasingly, countries are interdependent; they depend on

one another for goods, resources, and knowledge Exports –sent to markets outside a country Imports –brought into a country Natural resources –earth materials that have economic

value (ex. ?) Embargo – ban on trade

What nations does the U.S. rely on for imports? Exports?


Levels of Economic Development*

Industrialized nation - most people have a high standard of living/access to many goods and services

Market economies Manufacturing /service industries Infrastructure, or the basic support systems needed to

keep an economy going, is sophisticated Power, communications, transportation, water,

sanitation, education


Levels of Economic Development (cont.)*

Developing Nation –most people have a low standard of living/few goods and services

Typically, a traditional or command economy Agriculture plays a major role Infrastructure is weak Most in Central/South America, Africa, and Asia


Political Systems*


Political System Tools

What is a political system? Why is a political system important? What are the world’s major political

systems? What do you know about each of the

world’s political systems?


Political Systems*Satisfies a group’s basic needs maintains order/provides protection


Political System Tools (cont.)*Varies in level of power sharing… Democracy – people have supreme power Dictatorship –leader holds power by force. Ex: North Korea, Cuba Monarchy –leaders inherit power, usually through family ties.

Constitutional monarchy – power shared with a legislative branch (UK, Japan)

Absolute monarchy – power controlled by the monarch (Saudi Arabia)

Oligarchy –small elite has ruling power Ex: China, USSR Theocracy –government based on religious law. Ex: Iran, Saudi

Arabia Communism –government holds all political and economic power

in the name of the people. Ex: China, Cuba


World Political Systems

Blue – Presidential Republic YellowYellow – Semi-Presidential Republic (Pres. & PM share power)Red – Constitutional Monarchy/Parliamentary Purple – Absolute Monarchy

Brown – Single-Party or Military (Dictatorship or Oligarchy)


Quick Write – So why do we need to teach and learn about World Cultures? You tell me!

Technology

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