Objective+culture

Text adapted from:

Intercultural Resources Collaborative. (n.d.). //Understanding culture as concept//. Retrieved February 21, 2012, from IRC: @http://www.irc-international.com/content/understanding-culture-concept

** Objective Culture (Culture with a big C) **
Every culture must create a system of shared knowledge if it is to survive as a group and encourage efficient communication among its members. These shared patterns of information are both objective and subjective (obvious and hidden). The sharing of these patterns encourages communication and helps members to function more efficiently together. (Jaime S. Wurzel, Towards Multiculturalism, IRC 2004)

//“Today we are going to the RAK Museum.” said the teacher in the bright sheyla. //

//“Oh, an afternoon of culture,” responded the student, piercingly staring into her eyes, hoping she would change her mind. //

When people think about doing something cultural, they think about history, art, literature, drama, classical music, or dance. In other words they plan to participate in one of the institutions of culture-behavior that has become fixed into a particular form. I refer to this aspect of culture as “culture with a capital “c.” (Milton J. Bennett, Basic Concepts of Intercultural Communication, Intercultural Press, 1998) Objective culture is what human beings make, and what they consciously pass down from generation to generation. It ranges from formal systems of information, music and art, to less complex objects, such as what people wear. By the same token, the content or solution produced by a group of members attempting to solve a problem is also part of objective culture or “big c”. Big c or objective culture is formally learned and it is consciously shared. It emphasizes the information produced by institutions to functionally organize their societies. The study of this information makes up the curriculum in most schools and universities. Examples of big c information are: economic, political, linguistic, historical, geographical systems. A person may be very knowledgeable about a particular group, but unable to communicate with its members. When people study the geography or history of a particular culture they are learning objective or big c culture.