What Does It Take To Be Cultured?

[TASmith]

Some of you may remember me as ArtEdGradStudent. Well I graduated last may, so I figured I should change the name. My family and I moved to Slovakia, and I'm currently teaching ELL. It seems English is more popular than art here, although I am looking for some art jobs for next year. We'll see. Possibly, art in English could be a hit at some local schools.

So, I guess I'm really asking what your favorite art, literature, films, and music are, but try and approach the question in an educational light. What would someone need to know, see, and read in order to be cultured - to really know and understand the world, its history, and the most important contributions/insights that art has made. It's a tough question, and I hope to get some really good answers.

[Qitsune]

What Does It Take To Be Cultured?
Bacteria

No seriously, I think it takes interest. No matter how much culture you want to cram into someone, if they are not interested it's not going to work. But I think seeing what was important (music, art, litterature) in and era and why or what is important in an area of the world if the best way to go. You link movements with the events that made them what they are so you get a cohesive whole. It's esier to remember links between objects than just stand alone facts.

[•Lindsay•]

If you know certain things but you don't appreciate them, you're not cultured. A cultured person can come up with a list of good books to read by themselves.

edit: I sound redundant now because that person posted before me.

[Elwell]

No seriously, I think it takes interest. No matter how much culture you want to cram into someone, if they are not interested it's not going to work..
Dorothy Parker, when asked for a sentence using the word horticulture:
"You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think."

[Ilaekae]

Based on what I've seen so far, to achieve any level and meaning of culture, I'm pretty sure we would all have to change species.

[sve]

I think the most important thing is a having a high possibility to encounter information, an ability to look it up or experience.
Later on when a person accumulated a certain life experience and developed as mature personality (it might happen very early on) he/she will have his/her own associations and visions and emotion connecting him to certain pieces of art, literature or music.

But the most important is be exposed to all kind of visual and spiritual and philosophical information. Understanding will come later

[Naomi Ningishzidda]

Based on what I've seen so far, to achieve any level and meaning of culture, I'm pretty sure we would all have to change species.

did someone say transhumanism?

[Whyatt Thrash]

A lifetime of pilgrimage, observation, introspection and meditation?? :shrug:

[Emerald_Mara85]

Hmmm,

"What Does It Take To Be Cultured?"

From where I am,
We, Malaysians are from 3 races and it is absolutely important that we intergrate with each other or we would bitterly repeat the 13th May 1969 incident (racial riots).

Malaysia is often described as a country of racial harmony. However if you scratch the surface...its the opposite.
As kids we play with another but as we grow up, we become aware of Malay special rights and most non-Malays became bitter and ignorant over exchanging cultures.

I suppose that for me...
We should not let racism or politics, get the best of us,
And instead get to know one another even though we are of different cultures, we all have feelings like love, sadness and happiness.

[kev ferrara]

I think what you are referring to is the sort of european model of cultured-ness which the US also has to some degree...

I'll give you some of the clichéd version of this kind of definition and you can take from it what you will...

An appreciation of the art and history of antiquity... Ancient Sumer, Egypt, Persian, Greek and Roman art. This would include some Aristotle on Art, and some historical perspective on the era from Thucydides or somebody.

The various Chinese dynasties dating back as far as you can go, Ming Vases, temples, Japanese screens, dragon and tiger sculptures... know that they were sailing the open seas way before the west...

Hindu sculpture and temples..

Boy, I just realized this is going to turn out to be one heck of a long post if I"m going to continue like this...

There was a book called "An Incomplete Education" which was like the cliff notes of being fake cultured intellectual type. Unfortunately it was written by fake cultured intellectual types to it really doesn't help if you're serious about becomes learned.

If I were you I'd pick up the biggest "HIstory of Art" I could find and reading it cover to cover.

Pay special attention how History relates to Art History.

Being cultured means a lot of things to a lot of different people. Part of being cultured is realizing that.

[smugbug]

Curiosity is a good start. A joy to learn (and for living) is another thing that's helpful.

[nemomarlin]

an interest and study of art, philosophy and history.

[Chris Bennett]

You link movements with the events that made them what they are so you get a cohesive whole. It's esier to remember links between objects than just stand alone facts.

That's a very good and important point Qitsune. A working definition of a snob is someone who retains facts but has utterly no interest in how they relate to each other - thus they have no sense of metaphor; resulting in merely a knowledge of art as opposed to understanding by way of appreciation. Someone who knows nothing of 'Art' yet can see connections between things, thereby metaphor, is far more 'cultured' than the uncivilised snob. In this regard the person at the dinner party table trying to impress everyone with their tickets to the box at the oprea is a savage compared to the illiterate peasant who can see the table as a magic carpet with four struts dangling from each corner.

[steve kim]

there's a whole school of thought that puts cultural literacy on a pedestal. e.d. hirsch's books on the subject for example, where he even goes to the trouble of listing that which 'every american needs to know'

i personally don't buy into it at all.

[serhc]

You're cultured if cultured people think you're cultured. It's a self replenishing cycle.

[alesoun]

An appreciation of other people's point of view, and the sensitivity to know when to keep quiet (I'll get my coat...)

[Ilaekae]

Not pissing in the kitchen sink until AFTER the dishes are washed.

(compliments of my late father)

[alesoun]

Not pissing in the kitchen sink until AFTER the dishes are washed.

(compliments of my late father)


Your dad was a very wise man!

[Seedling]

For every “cultured” person who has their list of required knowledge, there is another equally interesting “cultured” person who has their own list. Therefore I consider the most cultured person to be one who always considers their own list to be incomplete and who is willing to look for new additions outside of their areas of experience, and who is willing to admit that any one element of their list is, by itself, unimportant.

Welcome back, TAS! Congrats on graduating, and good luck with your job-hunt.

[LeBlah]

The ability to think.

[Jasonwclark]

I sense another etymology coming... :)

Culture: 1440, "the tilling of land," from L. cultura, from pp. stem of colere "tend, guard, cultivate, till" (see cult). The figurative sense of "cultivation through education" is first attested 1510. Meaning "the intellectual side of civilization" is from 1805; that of "collective customs and achievements of a people" is from 1867. Culture shock first recorded 1940.

"For without culture or holiness, which are always the gift of a very few, a man may renounce wealth or any other external thing, but he cannot renounce hatred, envy, jealousy, revenge. Culture is the sanctity of the intellect." -William Butler Yeats

I still find the term a bit nebulous for my tastes, especially since it tends to get used as a catch-all phase... "my culture, your culture, American culture, cultural diversity, cultural geography etc." Its usage has become so ubiquitous, and the meaning so expanded in recent years, that its hard to know what people are really trying to say when they use it in a sentence. That's why I prefer the verb form, to the noun or adjective. A more direct question might be, "how should we seek to educate the young? Or what sorts of things do the young need to learn before we let them loose on the world?" Which is probably just as intractable in the long run, though I'm sure you'll find plenty of people willing to take a stab at it. I think the key to teaching (regardless of the age of your students) is to be as honest and candid with them as you can, while still retaining an aura of gravitas about you. This is important, because your time in the classroom is so limited, and there's a lot of information to convey.

What would someone need to know, see, and read in order to be cultured - to really know and understand the world, its history, and the most important contributions/insights that art has made

Don't waste time backtracking; start at the beginning and go from there. So much of what people have been saying for the past 200 years, refers to things that were said 2,000 ago, that you might as well privilege origins and spend some time with the big 3... The Jews, The Greeks, and The Romans. That gets you from Ancient Egypt (and the origins of literate civilization), through the Classics, and almost up to the Modern era (since so much of later European/American history can be traced back to the "cultural" legacy of Rome.) That’s a lot of information to cover in a relatively short period time, so if you can, try to make use of other teaching tools as well. For example, if you're discussing the middle ages, you might have them play a game like Medieval Total War, and watch a movie like The Lion in Winter. Then toss some famous artworks at them, spend a little time discussing the Church or 100 years war etc. Basically the best you can hope for is to make a good first impression, which then inspires them continue learning on their own time, because you'll never be able to cover it all as a 1 man show. You can do similar things for other periods, by watching movies, playing games, and looking at cool paintings... anything to hold their attention, and motivate discussions.

If I could recommend one contemporary book to check out, it would be Nicholas Ostler's Empires of the Word: A Language History of the World. (http://www.amazon.com/Empires-Word-Language-History-World/dp/0060935723/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196069372&sr=1-2) I'm not sure what age group you're working with, (whether it would be good for the students), but its a very interesting read and provides a strong generalists' overview of world history, by looking at the languages which dominated it. Given your interest in teaching English, I think you'll find it really useful as an instructor.

[TASmith]

cool, thanks for the book recommendation! I'll look it up.

[Naomi Ningishzidda]

The I Ching
The Tai Hsuan Ching
VOyage of the Beagle
The Dinosaur Heresies

Knowing at least one opera well...

Have some favorite painters, old masters

love history, have some favorite poets and poems

Know the "essence" ie "best of" the big empires around the world....etc...know about the big revolutions and social movements!

Stay up on the latest sciences

:)

culture is about good taste!

Even if you're a goth, know Baudelaire!

If you're a metal head, know who sacked rome! etc...

If you're a painter, know art history and so on....it needn't be hard at all...

Most of all....READ