This essay examines the meaning of culture and provides several possible titles and topics that may be used as starting points for developing a paper on culture. It discusses the definition of culture, how culture is developed, and how cultures change. It shows how cultural identity and cultural differences are formed and how culture diversity is a fact of life. It also explains why in spite of diverse cultures commonly existing in one group there is usually a dominant culture that comes to the fore and is promoted by the leaders of the group. The essay closes with recommendations for other ways in which a paper on culture can be written. Culture is the heart and soul of a society, group or organization: it is the manifestation of what a particular set of people thinks, feels, believes in, and holds as ideal. It is the communication of what a people view as good and bad, right and wrong. Throughout history, various cultures have come into existence, shaped by politics, religion, philosophy, technology, and myriad other factors that influence people and perspectives.

Cultures can be creative. They can also be self-destructive. For instance, some businesses have exhibited a dangerous workplace culture that ultimately brought the company to its knees. Case in point is the now notorious object lesson that was Enron: a company whose leaders fostered a culture of hubris and get-rich-quick scheming that inevitably led to the corporation’s spectacular blow-up (Mclean & Elkind, 2004). This essay will define culture, discuss culture identity, culture diversity, cultural differences, and explain why culture is important.

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Titles

Cultivating a Good Culture
Culture Wars: The Battle for the Mind, Heart and Soul in the 21st Century
Where Do We Go From Here? The Crisis of Multiculturalism
Cultural Values: Identifying What Matters Most to Most People
Culture and Tradition: At the Crossroads

Topics

Modern culture, medieval culture, and ancient culture: A comparison
Aspects of Western culture that reveal a conflict at the heart of society
Why culture is vital and why what is vital has to be better understood
How to cope with competing cultures
Where does culture come from?
Why art, politics, religion, economics and labor are all manifestations of culture

Outline

I.  Introduction

a.  Brief definition of culture

b.  Brief overview of how cultures have developed to bring us to the present day

c.  Thesis: As culture is the expression of what is in men’s hearts, minds and souls, taking the measure of a given culture at any point in time will allow show the health of the hearts, minds and souls of those who effect that culture.

II.  What is Culture?

a.  Culture shows the heart, mind and soul

b.  Culture changes over time because life is not static

III.  Culture Identity

a.  That which defines the group

b.  Can be more than one factor

c.  Factors can be complementary

d.  Factors can be contradictory

IV.  Culture Diversity

a.  Diversity is a fact of reality

b.  Diversity of culture is celebrated in the modern era

c.  However, multiculturalism is not an ideal that has been historically pursued

d.  In most societies or organizations, there is one dominant culture that people are expected to conform to

V.  Cultural Differences

a.  How cultures vary

b.  Why it is important to understand cultural differences

VI.  Why is Culture Important?

a.  It shows the inner life of the group

b.  It provides motivation for the group

c.  It leads to mindfulness

VII.  Conclusion

Essay Hook

When you think of music, what you eat throughout the week, where you work, how you work, what you worship, what you value, how you talk, how you think, how you act, what you do—you are meditating to some degree on your culture.

Introduction

Culture is the sum of all parts of a society, group or organization. It is the complex arrangement of beliefs, values, ethics, communications, and actions of a people, group, organization or society. Cultures have changed throughout time because of various influences—money, power, sex, philosophy, ideas, tools, revelation: all of these factors have played a part in shaping cultures in history. Whether one is looking at the culture of China in 1000 AD or the culture of Athens during the Peloponnesian Wars, one can gauge the mindset of the people by examining how the groups within these places responded to these variables. To understand humankind at any one point... Culture is collective. It is that which emanates from society, from people coming together as one. But just as every individual is unique, with his or her own personal thoughts and feelings, every culture is bound to have its internal conflicts, tensions, and issues, especially as more and more different people join the group or interact with the group. Life is not static but is full of transitions and changes. Perspectives alter, thoughts transform. Depending on how the group deals with these issues will determine whether the culture thrives, changes, or dies.

Culture Identity

Culture identity is that which gives definition to a group and to the individual members of that group.  Culture identity also indicates the foremost variable or factor that an individual or group views as being most important in defining who the person is or what the group is all about.  For instance, a Catholic might identify his or her Catholicism as the basis of his or her culture identity.  An American might view his nationality as the most important aspect of who and what he is.  A Jew might view being a Jew as the main factor in determining his culture identity.  A hardened criminal might view the underworld as the biggest attribute of hic culture identity.

Oftentimes there is not just one thing or factor that determines one’s culture identity.  In many cases there are complementary factors that serve to make up one’s culture identity—for example, a Hispanic American will identify as both Hispanic and American, embracing the different aspects of these two cultures and living them out practically in life.  In some cases even conflicting factors that shape one’s culture identity can be seen.  For example, an organization might embrace a culture of sustainability while simultaneously running an empire that lays waste to the environment, oppresses workers, and does untold damage economically, socially and politically to the places where it does business.  The company will identify as being both responsible in terms of its commitment to sustainable activity and yet it will also identify as being successful in terms of getting access to the cheapest labor and producing the greatest amount of products in regions where environmental laws are most lax. 

Conflicts inherent in a culture identity can create problems, however.  A conflicted culture identity will typically lead on to reassess one’s main values or align one’s behavior according to these values.  If alignment is not achieved, the situation will worsen.  In such cases, the contradiction will become more apparent over time and will inevitably lead to a crisis—at which point the organization will either have to address its culture issues or collapse under the weight of its own internal conflict.

Culture Diversity

In any one group, organization or society there may be many different people of various backgrounds and cultures working together under one roof or in one community.  While an organization tends to promote a single culture within that it expects all of its workers to conform to, in society multiculturalism tends to be promoted in the modern era.  That means that cultural diversity is celebrated:  many cultures are taught in school and respect for all people of all cultures is taught to young students.  At least, that is the idea in theory.  The reality shows that multiculturalism makes it difficult for uniformity of ideals to be embraced across the board, whether one is talking about an organization or a community or a nation.  In general terms, different cultures may share similar ideals, such as freedom, human rights, and so on; but in terms of how these ideals are pursued or possessed, a great deal of difference will be manifest from one culture to another  based on the cultural background and history of the people concerned.  The more diverse an organization, community, nation or world is, the more likely there is to be conflict related to perspective, communication, expression, belief, comprehension, attitudes, ideals, and interactions.  This is one reason that understanding is so important in a diverse setting:  the more culturally intelligent one is, the more likely one will be able to bring people together and help them to collaborate and align them under one common goal or vision that they can all…