Human Geography

1. Human Geography Facets of Culture

2. Culture • Language • Religion • Cuisine • Economics • Politics • Demographics

3. Culture Culture also consists of a variety of customs that are generally tied to one of the main facets. But first, we must make some distinctions. We need to get technical and know the difference between what is a race, an ethnic group, a religion, and a nationality. That sounds easy enough, but it is surprising how many times these words are used interchangeably and incorrectly. Their meanings have become confused.

4. culture • Race– refers to someone’s genealogical makeup; who you are genetically. There are three primary races, and all other “races” are simply some mixture or combination of the three. • Caucasoid– These humans are generally light skinned and typically have large frames, a variety of hair colors usually of lighter shades, and more body hair than other humanoids. Their origin is probably central to southwest Asia. • Negroid– These humans are generally dark skinned and typically have slightly smaller bodies but may have longer arms and legs, usually black hair, large eyes and less body hair than Caucasoid. Their origin is apparently central to northeastern Africa. • Mongoloid– These humans are generally copper colored to yellowish and have small body frames, straight black hair, and little to no body hair. Their origin is central to eastern Asia.

5. culture • Ethnic Groups are more easily identified by their culture. An ethnic group is a group of people that generally share the same customs, beliefs, and language. They may share a culture that crosses political boundaries, and they may not necessarily be of the same race. • To make things more confusing, they may associate themselves with a political entity (a country) and even call themselves by that name. Examples: • Mexican American • African American • Irish American

6. Culture • Religion should be easier to distinguish, but it can be tricky. Strictly speaking, religion is the belief system adopted by an individual and/or a way of explaining the meaning or purpose of life. • Since it is a belief system to which an individual subscribes, it cuts across nations, political systems, language, and ethnicities, though ethnic groups generally tend to share a common belief. • But some religions are sometimes blurred with races and nationalities. For example, Jewsare often referred to as a race. What people SHOULD say is that they are Hebrew.

7. culture • Nationalityis the nation or country to which one is a citizen and/or where they were born. • Obviously, a nationality is more defined by political borders, and one can be of a certain nationality without being a certain religion or part of an ethnic group. • This becomes confusing when people identify more with their ethnicity or religion or race than they do with their nationality. This has been the cause of wars, as some ethnicities within nations try to join with like ethnicities of other nations and when an ethnic group or nation tries to conquer another. Extreme pride in one’s nation to the point of wanting to control others is called NATIONALISM.

8. culture The devotion to one’s group, whether it is a nation, an ethnic group, a race, or a religion can be very divisive among people. As a general rule, the very reason people believe the way they do is because they are convinced they are right; hence, religion can be a hot topic of debate. Likewise, people can have a great devotion to their country or to a group with which they identify. This is why many people do not like to engage in conversation about religion or politics. They know they are not likely to sway someone’s opinion but may offend them.

9. culture We also need to define some key words about culture. • Culture Hearth – the place of origin of a culture. For the United States, we may say that our culture hearth is England or western Europe, but even that culture has a hearth in ancient Greece. • Culture Diffusion – the spread of one culture to another place. U.S. culture is currently being diffused around the world as other countries embrace our music, dance, language, etc. • Culture Assimilation – the absorption of a culture into another. Sometimes by force or by choice the traits of a culture are forgotten or given up in favor of another. • Culture Shock – the, usually, temporary inability to accept part of a culture.

10. culture Culture assimilationand diffusionare both specifically mentioned on your STAAR/EOC for Social Studies. The test will expect you to understand that Native American culture was assimilated by American (U.S.) culture, largely due to the Dawes Severalty Act of 1877. The test will also ask you questions about identifying ways American culture has been influenced by other cultures and is being diffused to other cultures by television, radio, and the internet.

11. Let’s look at each of the facets of culture more closely. Language

12. Language There are hundreds of languages around the world. They are classified by their similarities and place of origin into families, groups, and sub groups. Englishis in the Indo-European family of languages and is in the Germanic group. As you might expect, many words in English and German are quite similar or are shared between the languages. Spanish is also an Indo-European language but in another group known as the Romance Languages. It is called Romance because these languages are derived from the language of the Roman Empire – Latin. They include Spanish, Italian, Romanian, French, and Portuguese. This is why a person who speaks fluent Spanish is very likely to understand many words in Portuguese or Italian.

14. Language • Research has shown that language is one of the most important facets to a culture. That may seem obvious at first, but what sociologists have found is that languages tend to help shape a way a person thinks. Therefore, languages can become almost a part of our brains. • This is why some people believe that the best way to assimilate another culture is to start with language. Native American culture was assimilated, in part, by forcing young Native Americans to go to school and learn English. • This may also explain why the older a person gets, the harder it seems for them to learn another language.

15. language There are also dialects of a language. A dialect is a slightly different version of a language in which some words may be different or pronounced differently. There are several dialects of English just in the United States. For example, if you were to travel around the U.S. and talk to people, you would find that there are several words in use to describe: Soda Soft Drink Pop Coke Tonic Soda-pop

16. language Take this survey to see other words that are pronounced differently or where other words are used to mean the same thing. This survey may also pinpoint where you live in the United States based upon your answers. http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2013/12/20/sunday-review/dialect-quiz-map.html

17. A look at another facet of Culture… Religion

18. religion Actually, religion can be hard to define. Possible definitions: • Religion is an explanation for the unexplainable • Religion is a set of beliefs about life • Religion is a belief in a god or gods • Religion is a set of beliefs and practices for worshipping a god Or religion could be defined as a combination of one or more of these things. And at what point does a religion become a cult? A cult is usually defined as a religious devotion to a particular person or object or sometimes as a religion that seems misguided or sinister.

19. religion • There are thousands of religions around the world that espouse a wide variety of beliefs. • Most religions have some sort of code of morality or right vs. wrong. Something that is considered wrong, immoral, or sinful can be referred to as taboo. • Even though taboos can change from religion to religion, there are some things that are considered “universal” taboos. • Murder, especially of one’s own family or group • Rape • Incest

20. religion A few key definitions concerning religion are… • God– A supreme and/or omniscient being and/or creator • Monotheism– A belief in only one god • Polytheism– A belief in multiple gods • Theocracy– A government or rule by religion or religious leaders. • Places of worship: Christian = Church, Jewish = Synagogue, Muslim = Mosque, Buddhist = Temple

23. Religionin the U.S. Christiancatholic Christianprotestant In the southern states, Baptists and Methodists are predominant. Immigrants from England and Germany tended to settle in the south and central U.S. Generally more likely to follow only the Bible and not a Catholic Bible and, for the most part, have no hierarchy • By population, this is the largest sect of Christianity in the U.S. • This is largely due to immigration patterns in U.S. history: many immigrants came from Ireland, Italy, and Mexico • Follow the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and look to the Pope as a religious leader • Church hierarchy

24. Monotheistic religions Orthodox & Progressive Catholic, Eastern, Protestant Shiite, Sunnite

25. A look at a facet affected by physical geography Cuisine

26. cuisine • Cuisineis the type of food generally identified with a culture or group. • The food a group of people eats has traditionally been determined by what food is available in a given area. • This facet is gradually changing as improvements in transportation have resulted in global markets. • Foods being shared around the world is a prime example of the ways cultures are diffused.

27. cuisine A look at the Native American ways of life describes well how cuisine is a geographically regional facet of culture. • Eskimos / Inuit – eat a diet almost entirely of fish, seals, and whale meat. • Northwest Indians – eat small game and fish • Southwest Indians – eat small animals and occasionally farm beans and squash • Plains Indians – eat North American bison • Eastern Indians – eat game animals and sometimes farm corn and squash

28. cuisine • American cuisine is based upon a mixture of Scottish, English, Irish, and French food but also has German and Italian influences. • American cuisine is diffused throughout the world by such large corporations as Coca-Colaand McDonald’s. • Markets in the U.S. now carry a wide variety of “’ethnic” foods, and American cuisine is expanding. • Food and the preservation of food was one of the driving forces behind the expansion of Europe in the late 1400’s.

29. cuisine Many regions and cultures still retain their traditional cuisines and are noted for their styles or flavors of food. Examples: • British food is often bland, fatty, and contains animal organs • German food is often rich in meats and potatoes • Indian food is often very spicy • Chinese food is characterized by fast cooking and usually has rice

30. How people acquire needs and wants is part of culture… economics

31. economics • Economicsis the study of HOW people get what they need and want. • A need is something you have to have in order to survive • A want is something you would like to have to improve your life • A scarcity is a condition in which there is not enough of a given product (good or service) to go around • A shortage is a condition in which an item is simply not available at a given price

32. economics • A consumeris any person or group or company that buys and uses a good or service • A produceris any person or group or company the makes and sells a good or service • The means of production is the instrument by which a good or service is produced (a factory or a farm) To produce, one must have three things: • Land (and its resources which can be scarce) • Labor(people and their ability to work) • Capital(things used to produce other things)

33. economics For geography, we will learn about four economic systems but really concentrate on just three. • TraditionalEconomies • Demand Economies or Free Market Economies • CommandEconomies • MixedEconomies

34. economics TraditionalEconomies These are economies of the past and/or of regions of the world that are generally undeveloped. They often exchange goods and services without money. This is known as a barter system. These economies are usually stagnant, meaning that they stand still or do not develop over time. People in these kinds of systems hang on to traditional ways of producing and consuming. They are generally marked by a low standard of living.

35. economics A demand or Free Market system is also known as Free Enterprise or Capitalism. It is called a “demand” system because the demands of the individual consumers is what drives the economy. People in this system have FREEDOM(hence, Free Market or Free Enterprise) to choose what they want to buy and consume. Producers wanting to make a PROFITwill produce what the consumer demands. This system is characterized by the highest standard of living and a variety of quality goods and services.

36. economics For your STAAR/EOC in social studies, you will need to know the characteristics of a Free Market Economy. This can be achieved easier by understanding a few key words: • Entrepreneur– A person who freely takes risks to produce a good or service in order to make a profit • Profit / Profit Motive – The excess money of selling a good or service after its cost of production has been paid / the desire to make a profit • Competition– the lowering of price and increasing of quality of a good or service in order to sell one’s product

37. economics A commandeconomy is one in which the decisions of what to consume or produce are made by the government. Producers produce what they are commanded to produce (hence a “command” economy), and consumers have no choice in what they consume because nothing else is legally available. Not only is there no freedom among producers and consumers, there is also no profit motive and no competition. Without profit motive or competition, there are no entrepreneurs and no innovative ideas; therefore, the quality of goods and services is lower, along with the standard of living.

38. economics A mixedeconomy is one that has elements of both a demand economy (Capitalism) and a command economy (Communism). In a mixed economy, there are businesses owned by entrepreneurs who make their own choices about what to produce, but the government controls certain key industries. As might be expected, part of the economy is very efficient and part of the economy is not. Government will usually take charge in areas where competition is less likely to result in profits – education, for example.

39. economics The United States is really a mixed economy but displays more characteristics of a Free Enterprise system, though that is changing.

40. economics The STANDARD OF LIVING mentioned in our discussion of economics is based upon several things that are considered important in a modern, industrialized society. • Life Expectancy • Literacy Rate • Access to things that make life easier • Access to food and shelter

41. Very closely tied to economic systems are… Politics

42. politics • Politicsmay be defined as the activities that relate to influencing the actions and policies of government or getting and keeping power in a government. • Obviously, it becomes much more complicated than that. • How a group of people chooses to conduct government is an important part of culture. It also says something about a group’s attitude towards itself. • If people are basically good, they do not need control • If people are basically bad, they must be controlled

43. politics Defining terms for political systems is important. • Autocracy– a rule by a person or group with total power This can also be called totalitarianism. • Monarchy – rule by a family • Oligarchy / Aristocracy– rule by a group of elite or wealthy • Democracy– a rule by all the people in a group • Theocracy– a rule by religious leaders in a group The only one of these that offers any degree of individual freedom is democracy. The others are very controlling. But democracy does not exist in the modern world.

44. politics What exists for most countries is a compromise of control. In the United States, we have a democraticrepublic. A republicis a form of government in which the people select their leaders. Other countries have parliamentary or constitutional monarchies so that there is not an autocratic form of government. A constitutionis the written law of how to set up and run a government. This dates back to the Code of Hammurabi where laws were written and reviewed, but the oldest working constitution in the world is that of the United States.

45. politics It is important to understand that not all constitutions offer the freedom that is enjoyed in the United States, and not all republics are places of individual liberties. In China, for example, people can vote; therefore, China calls itself a republic. But the reality is that people are forced to vote for only the individuals that are pre-approved by the government. The U.S. Constitution offers freedoms because of its Bill of Rights, the first 10 Amendments (additions or changes) to the Constitution. There are only 27 Amendments to our 227 year-old constitution.

46. politics People identify with a political “right” and “left.” This comes from the days of the French Revolution and turmoil when there was a wide variety of political thought in the country. At a legislative table, the more conservative thinkers sat to the right, and the more liberal thinkers sat to the left. In the United States, there are basically two political parties that have control. Democrats are generally considered more LEFT thinking, and Republicans are considered more RIGHT thinking. Remember that the political “right” does not mean that opposite thinking is wrong but “left.”

47. politics Likewise, you should remember that our political parties have names that do not necessarily mean anything. To be a “Democrat” does NOT mean that you want or support democracy and that your opposition does not like democracy. And to be a “Republican” does NOT mean that you want or support the republic any more than a Democrat. They are just names.

49. politics

50. politics Politics and economics are closely tied together. Communism is both an economic system and a political system just as democracy and free enterprise go hand-in-hand. It is important to know that there are varying degrees of government control. A democratic republic has little control and individual freedom as well as private ownership of property A socialist government has more control and slightly less freedom for individuals while private ownership of property is limited. A communist government has total control and there are no individual freedoms and no private ownership of property