Studying Culture

When studying culture, it is important that we understand the difference between observations and assumptions. When we observe something, we make note of exactly what we see. For instance, we may observe (or see) that there are ten people in a photograph in which two of them are sitting down. When we assume that they are sitting down for one reason or another, we are making an assumption; making assumptions can be okay at times, but they may also be misleading or incorrect. We discussed these concepts in class today as we began our exploration of culture.