Defining Culture

WRITE ESSAY 1

DEFINING CULTURE

THE BACKGROUND
At this point in the course, you’ve read short stories and essays involving different
cultures. Often they focus on the foods of a particular culture, or on social practices
and manners. For example, what is deemed polite behavior. But culture is far more.
To write this essay, you will need to know what else is included in the word “culture.”

DO RESEARCH
And learn whether culture is primarily material, like food, or immaterial, like manners.
What other “ingredients” make up culture? Is there a “high culture and a “low”
culture? How similar or dissimilar are cultures of different nations, or different ethnic
groups? Is culture inherited at birth, or learned later?

LOCATE
at least 5 credible sources about culture. Credible sources are sources we can believe
because written by experts. The best search engine to locate credible sources is on
the LAVC Library’s home page. It is called OneSearch. However, you may also use
Google or other search engines.

CREATE AN MLA CITATION
for each source located. Takes notes (for use later) on the main points of each source.

WRITE ESSAY 1
to explore what we mean by “culture.” The essay must be at least 3 pages long, plus

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