What is Culture?
Dozens of
definitions have been written for the word “culture.” Four definitions of
culture are included in Preparing to
Study Abroad: Learning to Cross Cultures. Here are two:
“Culture refers to values, beliefs, attitudes, preferences, customs, learning styles, communication styles, history/historical interpretations, achievements/accomplishments, technology, the arts, literature, etc. – the sum total of what a particular group of people has created together, share, and transmit.” [Paige R.M. (2006). Culture definition. In Paige R.M., Cohen, A.D., Kappler, B., Chi, J. and Lassegard, J., Maximizing study abroad: A students' guide to strategies for language and culture learning and use. (2nd ed., p. 43). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA). More information about this CARLA publication can be found at: www.carla.umn.edu/maxsa/guides.html. Used with permission.]
“[Culture is] an integrated system of learned behavior patterns that are characteristic of members of any given society. Culture refers to the total way of life of particular groups of people. It includes everything that group of people thinks, says, does and makes – its systems of attitudes and feelings. Culture is learned and transmitted from generation to generation.” [L. Robert Kohls, Survival Kit for Overseas Living. 4th ed. Nicholas Brealey, 2001, p. 25. More information can be found at http://nicholasbrealey.com/boston/survival-kit-for-overseas-living-1.html]
Cultural habits, patterns and values are expressed every day, every minute, in virtually everything we do. When interacting with people from different cultures, we might notice cultural manifestations in such things as:
The list goes on and on. The key is to begin noticing patterns and attending to both differences and similarities. You, too, can prepare for effective cross-cultural interaction when you travel abroad. Check out some reasons why you should prepare.
“Culture refers to values, beliefs, attitudes, preferences, customs, learning styles, communication styles, history/historical interpretations, achievements/accomplishments, technology, the arts, literature, etc. – the sum total of what a particular group of people has created together, share, and transmit.” [Paige R.M. (2006). Culture definition. In Paige R.M., Cohen, A.D., Kappler, B., Chi, J. and Lassegard, J., Maximizing study abroad: A students' guide to strategies for language and culture learning and use. (2nd ed., p. 43). Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA). More information about this CARLA publication can be found at: www.carla.umn.edu/maxsa/guides.html. Used with permission.]
“[Culture is] an integrated system of learned behavior patterns that are characteristic of members of any given society. Culture refers to the total way of life of particular groups of people. It includes everything that group of people thinks, says, does and makes – its systems of attitudes and feelings. Culture is learned and transmitted from generation to generation.” [L. Robert Kohls, Survival Kit for Overseas Living. 4th ed. Nicholas Brealey, 2001, p. 25. More information can be found at http://nicholasbrealey.com/boston/survival-kit-for-overseas-living-1.html]
Cultural habits, patterns and values are expressed every day, every minute, in virtually everything we do. When interacting with people from different cultures, we might notice cultural manifestations in such things as:
- How people talk -- their dialect as well as common phrases and slang
- How they communicate, including body language and non-verbal communication
- What they think and feel about the environment and our world
- How they interact with others, including those from different socio-economic groups and with the opposite gender
- How they eat and prepare food
- How they walk, dress, and act in both public and private settings
The list goes on and on. The key is to begin noticing patterns and attending to both differences and similarities. You, too, can prepare for effective cross-cultural interaction when you travel abroad. Check out some reasons why you should prepare.