We will watch a bit of the movie "God Grew Tired of Us." Anyway, in the movie we see numerous cultural differences. Here is a website dedicated to the Lost Boys of Sudan in Chicago.
To speak about culture in a more measured way, think in terms of the way sociologists might break down culture. Culture is made up of material culture as well as the nonmaterial: gestures, language, norms, values. Did you see aspects of these cultural components in the movie? Have you ever met anyone from a different country? Did you notice or discuss any cultural differences? What component of culture (from the terms above) did those differences fall under? What are your overall reactions to what you watched?
Monday, September 30, 2013
We will be watching A Bronx Tale as a sort of case study for our first unit. A Bronx Tale is based on a true story. Watch movie here.
Day 1 questions
1. Where and when does the story take place?
2. Describe the Anello family: Lorenzo, Rosina, and their son Calogero.
3. Describe Sonny and his friends.
4. After the shooting, what should Calogero have done? Why?
5. If you had been Lorenzo, would you have taken the $150/week from Sonny? Why or why not?
6. How did Sonny influence Calogero?
7. How did Lorenzo react to Sonny�s influence on �C�?
Day 2 questions
1. Describe C�s friends.
2. List two pieces of advice Sonny gives C. How does this differ from Lorenzo�s advice?
3. Describe C as a young man.
4. Describe Jane and her relationship with C.
5. How did C react when his friends attacked the young black men?
6. Describe Sonny�s �door test.�
7. What prevented Jane from having her first date with C?
Day 3 questions
1. What happened to C�s friends? What happened to Sonny?
2. What were the movie�s main themes? Rate the movie on a 1 to 10 scale.
The racism throughout the film is obvious. What is often taken for granted is where the racism comes from. Where does the racism come from? It seems like we never fully understand racism amongst/between other cultural groups until we are thrust into another culture or we move away from our society and learn it somewhere else. In this movie we see racism between Italians and African Americans. You are probably not surprised that racism exists between all cultures. But as I was writing this I thought of the question: Is racism culturally universal or a Western Idea? Where did it come from? When did it start? Is it everywhere?
So I decided to research some thoughts from Sociologists on this. I came across an article titled "Is Racism a Western Idea." Dinesh D'Souza is the author of this article. In the article he makes the statement "racism is a uniquely white pathology which can be traced to the beginnings of Western civilization." By the end of the article he has come to the conclusion that because there was a beginning, there can be an end to racism. Unfortunately (as of 2020) I can't access this article without paying for a subscription but another link I found shows similar research and conclusions. Click here to see it.Western States:
I read another article titled "How Racist are We?" Here is the link. In the article William Thomas, the author, talks about how racism has transformed into cultural groups-or at least the idea has. He talks of white culture groups and black culture groups and now the fast growing Latino culture group.
And lastly, I read an article that deals with racism from a psychologist point of view. The name of the article was "Cultural Bias for Racism." Here is the link. The article says "Literature, movies, TV, radio and the Internet all contribute to the problem by exhibiting the same stereotypes that others work so hard to snuff out." What they did was had subjects take a "free association" test. The subject hears a word and then quickly says the first thing that comes to their mind. Psychologists say that because of what people read and hear in American culture, their responses can be prejudice. (read it to find out more)
So I am interested in what you think after reading and researching this topic. Is racism culturally universal or a Western civilization concept? Is it a byproduct of media and western culture. Where did it come from? When did it start? Is it everywhere?
IT'S ALL A GAME-OR SORT OF BARNGA BLOG
BARNGA-Reflect on the card game we played in class.
If you could describe the game in one word, what would it be?
What did you expect at the beginning of the game?
When did you realize that something was wrong?
How did you deal with it?
How did not being able to speak contribute to what you were feeling?
Is my title above appropriate for the game of "culture." Why or why not?
Is a universal language and set of customs necessary for world peace and harmony?
What can a simple card game teach us about our culture?
Wednesday, September 25, 2013
This past week, 24-year-old Nina Davuluri was crowned the first ever Indian American Miss America. Born in Syracuse, New York (but also having lived in Oklahoma and Michigan), Davuluri competed in the pageant as Miss New York. After winning the crown, a barrage of racist tweets called Davuluri a terrorist and questioned her "American-ness." This video highlights, through a comedic sense, an all but common question many Latinos, Hispanics, Asians, and people from other cultures may experience throughout their lifetime.
And below you have a scene from Seinfeld involving symbolic interaction. At the end of the film Seinfeld's girlfriend brings up the phrase "Indian giver." Click here to learn more about the phrase. So here you have an example of a stereotype that is offensive but because it has been passed on for generations, people today have no idea how it actually was passed down.
and "100 percent American"-handout or on my webpage. Read the two articles above. Summarize each article in 100 words each (200 for both articles) and then answer: Can there be a true American culture? Why? (about 100 words) If so-how? (Guideline on how long?) ( 300 words should be enough for all 3 parts)
In Class Videos:
Law and Social Control (1949)
Answer the following questions:
1. Who has the power to determine what is a norm?
2. How do laws help to perpetuate those norms?
3. What part of society helps to enforce the norms?
4. What is the role of laws?
Breaking Social Norms and Folkways
1. What is a folkway?
2. What is the role of folkways?
3. What is the consequence as a result of breaking a folkway?
4. Why do folkways exist in our society?
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
So a ship sunk and some people survived. Great! The only problem is over 20 people were saved and the life boat can only hold 9 before it sinks. So what nine do you save? How did the decisions made in class on who to throw overboard relate to what we value in America. Would other cultures have made the same decisions? How are values established? Who establishes values? This is your next blog (5) along with anything else you learned this week. You will also comment on 2 classmates blogs
The activity helps to understand the different levels (macrosociology and microsociology) that sociologists study and the Social Construction of Reality. On the macro level, sociologists look for the large-scale groups that people are a part of. For example, students in our class are Americans, teenagers, high-schoolers, mostly from a rural, small-town middle class part of South Dakota. All of these groups have an effect on an individual, so that even when you as an individual makes choices alone, you are still being influenced by these groups.
On the microsociological level, sociologists study how groups interact in face-to-face conversation. That is who makes eye contact, how loud people speak, where they sit, who is the leader etc...So each class that does this activity is different based on how the group interacts. This activity is a metaphor for any group that you are a part of; all of the groups that shape you are governed by both macrosociological forces and micrsociological forces.
If we examined these two levels in high school, there are certain macrosociological values that one would expect to find no matter where the school is located: grades, learning, homework, rules etc... So as you move from one class to the next, you will see these macrosociological values present. On the other hand, every class is different because of the microsociological dynamics present in that class: some teachers are more casual, some teachers use rows vs. a horseshoe shape, some classes have a few loud boisterous individuals and other classes might be mostly girls or mostly guys etc...
Can you see these two levels at play in your own life? Perhaps in your family, your classes or with a group of friends, or at your job?Think about that lifeboat activity and how it is a metaphor for any of the groups that you are a part of. There are macro forces like culture and social class that affect your group but there are also micro forces at play too such as the dynamic of how the group interacts.
Your assignment is to take what you learned in the lifeboat activity and apply it to your own life in terms of macrosociological and microsociological forces. I think 100 words for each or 200 words overall will be enough to get the job done.
The video below may help you understand a little bit better.
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Cultural Differences
We will watch a bit of the movie "God Grew Tired of Us." Anyway, in the movie we see numerous cultural differences. Here is a website dedicated to the Lost Boys of Sudan in Chicago.
To speak about culture in a more measured way, think in terms of the way sociologists might break down culture. Culture is made up of material culture as well as the nonmaterial: gestures, language, norms, values. Did you see aspects of these cultural components in the movie? Have you ever met anyone from a different country? Did you notice or discuss any cultural differences? What component of culture (from the terms above) did those differences fall under?
What is aTaboo?-
A taboo is commonly defined as something that is forbidden by a specific society. There are many taboo topics in America that are not normally discussed. For example, a bride who is noticeably pregnant on her wedding day was historically considered a taboo topic that was quietly whispered about but not officially acknowledged.
American taboos are numerous, and many of them involve the American flag and American soldiers! One of the biggest American taboos is the taboo of never letting the American flag touch the ground. If it does, then it must be properly disposed of, and there are specific instructions as to how to dispose of it. American soldiers are also to be highly respected for what they do in this country. Never, ever disrespect a soldier!
This port-a-potty was the creation of an artist in Switzerland. It is a good example of how taboos affect us (and how culture affects us) Would you be able to use a toilet if it looked like everyone could see you, even though you knew they could not?
How did the chicken Cross the road? Watch these videos of how to cross the road in foreign countries. Would you be worried?
When traveling to different cultures, 'how' the chicken crossed the road seems to be more relevant than 'why'. This knowledge of how to cross the street is an important norm, what sociologists call a more. Mores are important to the order of a society. If you violate them, it will cause a disruption in the social setting. Other norms that are less important are called folkways. Folkways are not crucial to the order of society and if you were to violate a folkway people would not necessarily judge you. The more of how to cross a street can be found in lots of videos on youtube. Watch this video from India. Note how the person crossing the street is aware of the norms of traffic and so the pedestrian successfully crosses without getting hit. It is worth noting that these mores, although very important to the society, are not necessarily laws. Similar to the ideas of time being a social construct, they are just the way that people operate and even though they are not written into laws, they are important to the function of society. Watch this video of an intersection in India and think about who has the right of way? There may not be a law about it, but those drivers know what they are doing, but would an American? Something else that you might want to blog about is google another culture where you would like to travel. Findout what unique norms exist in their culture. Here is a link to cultural etiquette around the world.
Norms vary around the world. One example of this is the norms centered around time. How do people from different cultures think about time differently? What do they consider late or early? These are norms. This article helps us see how time is socially constructed. It is important to recognize these norms in cross-cultural communication. If we fail to acknowledge these differences we run the risk of offending someone or worse, a whole culture of people. This video is set to music for comic effect, but it is funny because in America, the norm is that men do not hold hands or kiss in public. However, this is expected in many Middle Eastern cultures. In order to show solidarity The President must hold the hand of the King of Saudi Arabia.
We have been examining the components of culture. The non-material aspects of culture are often the most important but we are often unaware of them. One type of non-material culture is symbolic culture, or gestures and language. Here is a link to a list of some single hand gestures from around the world.
When understanding culture, sociologists examine material culture (things) and non-material culture (gestures, language, norms, values). Material culture often reflects non-material culture. An example of this might be to analyze a Japanese toilet. At first, the experience can be a culture shock as the traditional Japanese toilet is very different from ours. As we examine this toilet as well as other cultural components we must remember to be culturally relative. In other words, try not to be ethnocentric, but in stead understand each culture from its own perspective. In the case of the Japanese toilet, not only does it look and function differently from ours, but it also represents fundamentally different non-material culture. The Japanese are very germ conscious and they try hard not to spread germs. They also do not have a lot of furniture - they do not sit on furniture in their houses, why would they in a bathroom? And finally, they are used to sitting and squatting in positions difficult for westerners.
When we are exposed to other cultures and we see such different rules, we are sometimes in shock of how different the other culture is (culture shock). If this shock results in our judging a culture based on the rules we have learned that is called ethnocentrism. Instead, sociologists try to use cultural relativity when examining a culture.For example, it is normal for Danish parents to leave their babies in a buggy while they eat inside a restaurant. American culture does not accept this. Could you imagine leaving your baby outside a New York restaurant? But this is very accepted in many Scandanavian cultures. So when a Danish mom left her child outside in a baby buggy for over an hour while she ate dinner in a restaurant, it created quite a stir among New Yorkers Could sociology have helped all of the participants to be more understanding of each other? Have you ever been to a foreign culture and experienced culture shock? One metaphor for culture that Sociologists use is a fishbowl. All of the stuff in the fishbowl is material culture. But what you can't see (the water) is just as important (if not more so): the ph value of the water, the temperature, whether it is salty or not, etc... This is called nonmaterial culture. Additionally, the fish has never known life out of water just like we have been surrounded by culture from the moment we are born. And lastly, the fish must look through the water to see the world just as we always look through our culture to understand the world. We are limited and shaped by our cultural experiences. If the water in the bowl is blue then the whole world looks blue to the fish.
Culture
Watch this short video. Understand how behaviors that would be considered norms for American culture would be deemed taboo in others or vice-versa for each of the10 examples.
Here is a website dedicated to the Lost Boys of Sudan in Chicago.
