What is Culture?

     I really enjoyed reading Morgan's articles on culture. Many of the perspectives and ideas integrated into the articles resonated with me as I reflected and formed my own definition of culture. As Morgan stated, the challenge is finding a simple approach to the depth and complexity of culture. Culture is ubiquitous; it is absolutely everywhere. However, I agree with Morgan in saying that it is often hard to pinpoint the exact culture in a certain area. After living and traveling in Europe for five months, I was able to observe multiple cultures. By immersing myself in the culture (eating the food, speaking the language when possible, and learning about beliefs and values), I feel I was able to more clearly identify the culture, but not completely. That is the art of culture- something that may seem tangible through artifacts and people, but has many different levels to explore.
     The difference between language and culture exists, but is not always prominent. Morgan states that language is an integral part of the five dimensions of culture (products, practices, persons, perspecitves, and communities). An example I really liked from the article was the idea of a bumper sticker. This seems like a normal thing to have on one's car in the United States, but outsiders may not think so. The message, "I is a college student" may not be understood by other countries and cultures. In fact, the grammatical error may not even be caught. The humor can go above levels of comprehension. This is just one example of how the culture (of the United States) is represented through language on a bumper sticker. The United States finds a college education humorous in this situation.
     In conclusion, after joining my personal opinion and idea about culture with the ideas I found pertinent from the articles, I feel confident with my definition of culture. To me, culture is the expression, both implicit and explicit, that facilitates one's sense of identity and how this identity is then protrayed in every day life. I believe that the context in which a culture is taught is important. One must examine the audience and learners and decide how they will best learn. Perhaps the best strategy is to teach culture in the language to which it pertains. However, perhaps not. This is the concept of culture that I have attained, but it is always up for modifications!