Culture Web Lecture Discussion Board

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Culture Web Lecture Discussion Board

Clarifying terms & Please answer any SEVEN of the following ten prompts:

  1. How do we learn/acquire culture?
  2. What’s the difference between ASSIMILATION and ACCULTURATION?
  3. What’s the difference between RACE and ETHNICITY?
  4. From our readings, we have a working definition of CULTURE, so we know what it means. But what is the function or purpose of culture in society?
  5. Does culture mean something different to us as individuals? Explain.
  6. What is CULTURAL RELATIVISM & why is it an important practice?
  7. What is ETHNOCENTRISM & why is it problematic?
  8. Think about the “What is Culture – web lecture” PDF that you viewed. It had a few examples of how culture & being from a minority/microculture could affect people in various ways, such as the difference in the IQ tests for American vs Aboriginal cultures & the video clip from the 1970s TV series, Good Times. Had you ever considered how much of an impact culture can have on our daily lives? What other experiences or issues might culture shape in this manner?
  9. How is our idea of “normal” related to culture?
  10. In Tatum’s “The Complexity of Identity,” she says that “most of us will find that we are both dominant and targeted at the same time. But it is the targeted identities that hold our attention and the dominant identities that often go unexamined” (11). Why is this? Should we spend more time understanding how we fit into the dominant categories? Why/why not?

Personal identity – Please answer ONE of the following two prompts:

  • What are some subcultures that you fit into (look at the slide in “What is Culture – 2018” for examples)? What might be some of the practices of these subcultures that might seem strange to those outside of the subculture? Think about how Sedaris explores the view of Easter from a different view, for example.
  • Think about your introductory posts & how you learned certain values & behaviors from your family/friends – how are these informed by your culture?

Readings – select one of the pieces & answer the three prompts given for it (meaning you will only respond to EITHER “A Single, Lucid Moment” or the “Nacirema” piece, not both):

“A Single, Lucid Moment” questions:

  1. Where can you find examples of ethnocentric views of the missionaries towards the Maimafu? How do their description & views of the Maimafu affect our views of them?
  2. In some cultures, like the Maimafu, people believe the group is responsible for the well-being of each and every individual; in other cultures, people believe that individuals are primarily responsible for themselves. Is one way better than the other? Why or why not?
  3. Do you think this is an either/or situation? Or is it possible to achieve a balance between the two beliefs? If so, how might this balance be accomplished? If not, why not?

“Nacirema” Questions:

  1. How does Miner use our own sense of ethnocentrism to dupe us?
  2. What is the purpose of presenting our own culture in such a way? How does this help us to be less ethnocentric and more relativist?
  1. What is the meaning of the ending quote from Malinowski?

Worldview & Values – Everyone answer this prompt:

  1. Go back & look at the paragraph you wrote about your values & worldview, then compare it to the results of the Worldview Quiz you took. Here, please explain whether your view matched the quiz results or how they compared, whether you agree, etc.

As the final part of this discussion board, I want you to respond to two classmates with responses of 75 words or more. Your responses should use at least one of the following patterns & may address any aspect of their discussion board posts:

  • Affirmations (i.e. “I really like that,” “I wouldn’t have thought of that,” “That helps me see the text in a new way,” etc.)
  • Elaborations (i.e. “You know what that makes me think of is . . .” “Another thing that goes along with that is . . .” “This additional passage also ties into that . . .” etc.)
  • Connections (i.e. “We noticed that too,” “That connects to something our group was asking,” “We came at something similar from a little different angle,” etc.)
  • Questions (i.e. “Why do you think ___?” “Can you say more about ___?” “How is that related to ___?” “Did your group consider ___?” etc.)
  • Divergences (“I see your point, but . . .” “A different perspective on that is . . .” “A passage in the text that might contradict that is . . .” etc.)