Name Bushra Naseer

Roll no Bfs1701492

Subject School, Community and Teacher

Semester 6th

Section “A”

Session Morning

Program B. ED hons

Submitted to DR. Muqadass Butt

Describe these four components of culture. Relate each component to your
own culture through examples.
Culture:
 Culture combines many elements to create a unique way of living for different people.
 Cultures are rules and laws which are passed from one generation to the next
generation.
 Culture is a huge topic of study for sociologists. Culture exists anywhere humans exist,
and no two cultures are exactly the same.
 Culture consists of all learned, normative behavior patterns – that is all shared ways or
patterns of thinking and feeling as well as doing.
 According to J.P. Lederach, “Culture is the shared knowledge and schemes created by a
set of people for perceiving, interpreting, expressing, and responding to the social
realities around them”.
 According to G. Hofstede, “Culture is the collective programming of the mind which
distinguishes the members of one category of people from another.”
 1. Symbols:
Humans, consciously and subconsciously, are always striving to make sense of their surrounding
world. Symbols such as gestures, signs, objects, signals, and words help people understand that
world. They provide clues to understanding experiences by conveying recognizable meanings
that are shared by societies. Every culture is filled with symbols, of things that stand for
something else and that often suggests various reactions and emotions. Some symbols are
actually types of nonverbal communication, while other symbols are in fact material objects.
Importance of Symbols may differ for different people, belonging to a different culture. For
example sign of cross means nothing for Hindus but for Christians, this is a symbol of Lord
Christ.
The world is filled with symbols. Sports uniforms, company logos, and traffic signs are symbols.
In some cultures, a gold ring is a symbol of marriage. Some symbols are highly functional; stop
signs, for instance, provide useful instruction. As physical objects, they belong to material
culture, but because they function as symbols, they also convey nonmaterial cultural meanings.
Some symbols are valuable only in what they represent. Trophies, blue ribbons, or gold medals,
for example, serve no other purpose than to represent accomplishments. But many objects
have both material and nonmaterial symbolic value.

Example:
Islam Symbols:
Islam is a religion that began in Arabia and was revealed to humanity by the Prophet
Muhammad. There are no official religious Islam symbols, but several symbols have a special
place in Islam. The star and crescent is the best-known symbol used to represent Islam. The
symbol is not Muslim in origin, it was a polytheistic icon adopted during the spread of Islam,
and its use today is sometimes controversial in the Muslim world. The crescent and star are
often said to be Islamic symbols, but historians say that they were the insignia of the Ottoman
Empire, not of Islam as a whole.
 2. Language:
The second element present in every culture is a language. Every culture has a particular
language which is passed by the person belongs to that particular culture to the next
generation and the following generation also has to learn the language. The language can be
defined, in a very precise manner, and can be compared, in the best way, with a vehicle.
Language is a medium or an instrument which is used to express one’s view and to keep
forward one’s opinion.
Language is a system of words and symbols used to communicate with other people. Language
is a key symbol of any culture. Humans have a capacity for language that no other animal
species has, and children learn the language of their society just as they learn other aspects of
their culture. “Language is a system of vocal symbols by means of a social group co-operation.”
(Lyons, 1991, p. 5)

The importance of language to the development of human civilization and its cultural face can
be laid emphasis to the fact that “language is purely human and non-instinctive methods of
communicating ideas, emotions and desires by means of voluntary produced symbols.”

Example:
Urdu is widely spoken and understood throughout Pakistan. Urdu in Pakistan is mostly learned
as a second or a third language since only 7-8% of Pakistan's population speaks Urdu as their
native language. Urdu language unites us. It has become a symbol of harmony and peace
among Pakistani people. On the other hand being a Muslim our language is Arabic. The holy
Quran was send in this language and Allah chose this language so being a Muslim Arabic
language unites all the Muslims in the world. Moreover a Muslim learns this language to
understand the message of Allah Almighty.

3. Values:
Values are another important element of culture and involve judgments of what is good or bad
and desirable or undesirable. A culture’s values shape its norms. Values are a culture’s standard
for discerning what is good and just in society. Values are deeply embedded and critical for
transmitting and teaching a culture’s beliefs. Beliefs are the tenets or convictions that people
hold to be true. Individuals in a society have specific beliefs, but they also share collective
values.
Anything or any material when collects importance in our daily life it starts having value. Value
of some materials, sometimes, are received and taught by parents to their children. Some
values are explained by society, in this way value of a particular society gets accumulated and
move forward from generations to generations. Values determine how individuals will probably
respond in any given circumstances.
Example:
ISLAMIC VALUES
Islam provides clear guidance to its followers on how people should conduct themselves in their
daily lives. A Muslim is advised in the Quran to use the best of manners when interacting with
others. The root of the word Islam is “peace,” and Muslims are to be peaceful in word and
deed, treat people with kindness and mercy, and be tolerant and fair. Hypocrisy is considered
to be one of the greatest of sins. Muslims embrace diversity and strive to “walk upon the earth
in humility” (Quran 25:63). BACK.
Islam is a complete code of life. The Quran is a source of direction and life. Both the Quran and
the hadith often instruct Muslims to adopt a morally upright character. Showing kindness to
people and charity to the poor and the helpless are the most emphasized moral virtues in the
Quran. In particular, helping people in their time of need, forgiving others' offenses, respecting
parents and elders, fulfilling promises, being kind to people and to animals, being patient in
adversity, maintaining justice, being honest, and controlling one's anger appear as major virtues
in the Islamic concept of morality.

4. Technology:
There has always been a connection between technology and culture. From the first use of
stone tools to the development of handheld Personal Digital Assistants (PDA), technology has
influenced human culture just as much as culture has sparked advancements in technology. It
is a complex relationship that forms a figurative circle of influence. There is no real starting or
end points within the circle both technology and culture continues to influence each other as
they develop and change over time. In the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, technology and
culture have significantly influenced one another. As cultures change so does the technology
they develop.
Developments in manufacturing, communications and engineering, cultures have been re-
shaped around the world by freeing people from small family farms by choice or by force,
dispersing information and changing the landscape. These technological developments have
changed the cultures positively but negatively as well. Cultures in turn drive technological
development.
As people began to buy more goods than they made by hand, they were able to devote time to
their personal interests this lead to the development of leisure activities. Technology changes
agricultural techniques, it also changes the environment and thus the cultures of the people
affected. Governments build sophisticated dams in order to produce hydro-electricity and
provide water for irrigation.
“Anthropologists have noted that culture consists of all learned beliefs and behaviors, the rules
by which we order our lives, and the meanings that human beings construct to interpret their
universes and their place in them” (Robbins, 2008).

Example:
Islam is supportive of scientific research that brings benefit to humankind, but knowledge of
science and technology that is predominantly harmful is discouraged. The Islamic view of
technology and science is, thus, geared towards the purposes they advance.
If science and technology can be used to facilitate better methods of truth discovery while
involving no violation of the Islamic principles, there is no question over their acceptance.
Muslim scholars have developed a spectrum of viewpoints on science within the context of
Islam. The Quran and Islam allows for much interpretation when it comes to science. Scientists
of medieval Muslim civilization (e.g. Ibn al-Haytham) contributed to the new discoveries of
science. From the eighth to fifteenth century, Muslim mathematicians and astronomers
furthered the development of almost all areas of mathematics. At the same time, concerns
have been raised about the lack of scientific literacy in parts of the modern Muslim world. Thus
Islam is a peaceful religion and it has given importance to technology to help the mankind.
References:
 https://study.com/academy/lesson/elements-of-culture-definitions-and-ideal-real-
culture.html#:~:text=Culture%20combines%20many%20elements%20to,differentiate
%20between%20folkwa
 https://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/sociology-brief-edition-v1.1/s05-02-the-
elements-of-culture.html
 https://courses.lumenlearning.com/sociology/chapter/elements-of-culture/
 https://www.sociologygroup.com/elements-of-culture-basic-elements-of-culture/
 https://www.iedunote.com/culture
 http://religious-symbols.net/islam-symbols.html
 https://www.slideshare.net/kutawato/islamic-values
 https://nuglobalstudies.wordpress.com/global-studies/gls_499-2/
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_attitudes_towards_science