Culture
How is culture expressed?
Culture is expressed in different forms such as sound-making, chanting, song, and dance. It manifests in every aspect of human life, through the making of food and medicine, the construction of clothing, practices of childbirth and child-raising, and customs of aging and dying. Every facet of human existence — human BE-ING—is shaped by culture, and, in turn, expresses culture.
What did the circulation of books make possible?
The circulation of books didn’t just spread of information, they mobilized new ways of thinking about the world.
What can you tell me about the printing of books in common languages?
Printing books in common languages meant that books had to be translated, first from Latin, and then from one language to another. The translation process involved making decisions about vocabulary, spelling, and punctuation.
Who were explicitly prohibited from being educated for most of the history of the United States?
African-Americans, enslaved throughout the territories of the United States, were explicitly prohibited from being educated through formal laws enacted by state governments.
What do emojis retrieve?
Emojis enable people to communicate a story, a joke, a comment, without having to share a common language. The use of emojis harkens back to the creation of pictograms as an aid for storytelling. In response to McLuhan’s question then, we could say that emojis retrieve pictograms.
When writing came into existence? (this is not about the year but what happened in the society, how was writing possible?
Writing doesn’t come into existence until people agree to use specific symbols to convey specific meanings.
Did Shakespeare care about the printing of his plays? Why?
Shakespeare, like many playwrights of his day, didn’t care to have his plays printed for distribution. To stage a performance of his plays, he would have created a single official book that contained directions for actors and instructions about props. His actors would have used written notes, created by Shakespeare or themselves, to understand their role in the story and cue their lines.
For most of the history of the United States, who were not expected to be literate?
For most of the history of the United States, women and people of color were not expected to be literate. For women, this low expectation was tied to a sexist belief in their intellectual inferiority. They were taught to read the Bible, but not encouraged to learn to write.
As books became more plentiful, cheaper, and easier to produce, who became also influencers and educators of people?
No longer were the priests and monks the only ones who could influence and educate the common people. So too could the philosopher, the scientist, and the playwright.
According to the example of Gutenberg’s press, what did that technology reverse into when pushed to its limits?
he Gutenberg press eventually reversed the value of the book from something highly prized to a disposable commodity.
What is culture?
For Geertz, “culture is the collection of stories and myths we tell ourselves to make sense of ourselves in the world.”
“Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.” E.B. Tylor in a book published in 1871
Were Gutenberg's Bibles ready after printing? What was still needed?
The pages of Gutenberg’s Bibles were meant to be illustrated after the printing. By all accounts, the quality of the illustrated art was greatly inferior to the Illuminated Manuscripts produced by a monk’s hand. But the speed of production and the quantity of books printed outweighed the consideration of the quality of illustration.
Religious and governmental institutions preserve culture through doctrine and law. Schools and universities preserve culture through practices of socialization and enculturation. Other institutions, such as libraries and museums preserve culture through the collection of books, art, and artifacts.
What does the term "literacy" mean?
The term “literacy” simply means to be “competent in a specific area.”
How do we learn the meaning of an emoji?
open answer
How do we learn culture?
Culture is expressed in different forms such as sound making, chanting, song, and dance. It manifests in every aspect of human life, through the making of food and medicine, the construction of clothing, practices of childbirth and child-raising, and customs of aging and dying. Every facet of human existence — human BE-ING—is shaped by culture, and, in turn, expresses culture.
What is the First Information Revolution?
The proliferation of printed books in the decades following the introduction of Gutenberg’s printing press is often referred to as the “First Information Revolution.”
What were the implications of people learning to read the Bible and the meaning of the text becoming more intimate?
Forgoing the dogmatic instruction of a priest or religious teacher, the word of God was in people’s hands. This was a dangerous development in the eyes of the Catholic Church, because it threatened the Church’s authority as the mediator between people and God.
In 1916, the U.S. Congress passed an Immigration Act (also known as the Literacy Act) that aimed to restrict immigration by...
In 1916, the U.S. Congress passed an Immigration Act (also known as the Literacy Act) that aimed to restrict immigration by imposing literacy tests on people from other countries seeking asylum in the U.S.The act defined literacy as the ability to read 30-40 words in one’s native language. Although a seemingly simple requirement, many immigrants could not, in fact, read at all.
What is the relationship between literacy and power in the book?
Open
What was the first book printed on Gutenberg's press?
The first book printed on Gutenberg’s press was the Latin Bible. That version of the bible has approximately 800,000 words. Gutenberg’s copy includes 1200 pages, with approximately 600 words per page. These estimates suggest that the press was 10-25% faster than a monk would have been in reproducing a copy of that Bible.
The printing process was particularly well suited for the duplication of technical drawings, tables, and diagrams.
What were the implications of this?
These materials were challenging to copy by hand due to the drawing and charting skills required by the subject matter. The printing and publication of papers with mathematical proofs and observations of natural phenomena expanded the circulation of scientific ideas.
What is the cultural importance of libraries?
The cultural importance of libraries is beyond measure. As keepers of culture, libraries, and the people with expertise in library science, rare book curation, document conservation, and archiving, who manage and oversee collections of books and artifacts perform an important role in ensuring future access to stores of cultural knowledge and cultural heritage.
Mention some examples of the violations of the anti-literacy laws
Referred to as “anti-literacy laws,” people were forbidden to teach reading and writing to enslaved people. Violations were punishable by fines and imprisonment. Under conditions of enslavement, clandestine efforts to learn to read and write could mean death for an enslaved person.
Why does module 3 refer to the book as an emergent technology?
open