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Lecture 1. Defining culture
Lecture 1. Defining culture
The word “culture” comes from the Latin colere meaning to “cultivate, tend”. The Ancient Roman orator Cicero introduced the concept of cultura animi, an agricultural metaphor for the development of a philosophical soul. He refers by it to the way in which humans overcome barbarism and become fully citizenry.

We are all natives of a culture or another. Culture is a combination of human knowledge, convictions and social norms that we adopt and later pass on to the future generations. Culture is a key socializing factor that regulates various spheres of human interaction, from everyday communication to the functioning of the global economy. That is why we will examine its various roles in the next lecture.

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