Getting to know the nine fundamental course concepts

of Society and Culture.

None of the fundamental course concepts can be studied in isolation. Their interactive nature
is fundamental to Society and Culture the course. Assessment tasks and the PIP in Year 12
rely heavily on the analysing and reporting of the relationships between combinations of these
fundamental concepts.
Persons: Every person is a unique individual, but each develops in a social setting in which
they are influenced by, and interact with, other persons. The process of communication is one
of these fundamental interactions.
Society: society is made up of people, groups, networks, institutions, organisations and
systems. These aspects of society may include local, national and international patterns of
relationships. People belong to informal and formal groups, and within and between these
groups there are patterns of interactions.
Culture: refers to the knowledge, ways of thinking, feeling and behaving that give each
society its coherence and its distinctive way of life. Culture is demonstrated by the beliefs,
customs, values, laws, arts, technology and artefacts people generate and use as they interpret
meaning from their world and solve present and future problems.
Culture is the beliefs, behaviour, language, customs, ceremonies and the entire way of life of
a particular time, group or sub culture of people.
Culture is the sum total of ways of living built up by a group of human beings and transmitted
from generation to generation. The ever changing patterns of learned behaviour and the
products of this behaviour (attitudes, values, knowledge and material objects), which are
shared by members of a society, IS CULTURE.
Culture is a dynamic, creative and continuous process, which includes behaviours, values and
information learned and shared by people that guides them in their struggle for survival and
development and gives meaning to their lives.
Culture is the way of life which the ruling people want people to conform to. Culture
regulates our lives. Learning ones culture enables humans to survive.
Environment: Every society is located in a particular physical setting. The attitudes and
values people have in regard to their environment greatly affect interactions between the
person, society, culture and environment. Environments present societies with both
opportunities and restraints. As well as the physical environment, the social environment
(People and the way they organise themselves) is also influential. Social environments
provide attitudes, values, beliefs and mores. Thus environment can be studied as the physical
and the psychological.
Time: Every person, society and environment is located in time and is changing through time.
Our perceptions of time as past, present and future are also important for social enquiry and
action. These perceptions draw on past events that influence our present. They need not,
however, determine our future. We can perceive a range of possible futures that can assist our
decision-making. The basis to the Society and Culture course is the knowledge gained of
societies through time. We therefore refer to this study as continuity and change. All
cultures and societies experience continuity and change to their structure. Specifically,
continuity refers to the persistence of cultural elements such as family and work in society.
Whereas change, refers to the alterations or modifications in the patterns of culture, social
structure and behaviour within society over a period of time.

Gender: is a term to describe the socially constructed differences between men and women,
referring not only to individual identity and personality, but also at the symbolic level, to
cultural ideals and stereotypes of masculinity and femininity and, at the structural level, to the
sexual division of labour in institutions and organisations. Gender simply refers to values
society places on being male or female. It doesnt refer to facts.
Technology: is a branch of knowledge that deals with science and engineering, or its practice,
as applied to industry. Technology refers to the tools used for producing materials for society
and is a term used frequently today. Technology has been developed by man for mans use and
has been at the catalyst for change in society.
Power: the capacity to influence others to a point of view or action to which they would not
normally accede. Power cannot be exercised in isolation. Power involves the ability to
persuade or influence people. In the micro world and macro world power can be accessed and
used by individuals.
Authority: a concept frequently linked to power, involving the right to determine, adjudicate
or otherwise settle issues and disputes in society. Authority is really the legitimate exercise of
power. In the micro world, your parents often make decision for you. School also exercise a
degree of authority that is accepted by students. In the macro world, politicians also exercise
authority through the election process.