Actual Exam Flashcards
(197 cards)
What is culture?
Culture focuses more deeply on beliefs, traditions, and inter-generational learning.
- The agreed definition of culture is “culture is the full range of learned human behaviour patterns”.
- The term was first used by Edward B. Tylor in his book in 1971. He said that culture is “that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.”
- Culture is a powerful but fragile because it is constantly changing and easily lost because it exists only in our minds. Our written languages, governments, buildings and other man-made things are merely the products of culture - they are not culture in themselves.
What are the three layers or levels of culture?
- Your specific society (shared language, societal traditions etc.)
- Subculture - In diverse societies in which people have come from many different parts of the world, they often retain much of their original cultural traditions. As a result, they are likely to be part of an identifiable subculture in their new society. An example pf a nearly vanished subculture in Canada is Irish and German subcultures.
- Cultural Universals -These are learned behaviour patterns that are shared by all of humanity collectively, no matter where people live in the world. For example, communicating with a verbal language consisting of a limited set of sounds and grammatical rules for constructing sentences or using age and gender to classify people
How does this quote by Wade Davis: “The world in which you were born is just one model of reality. Other cultures are not failed attempts at being you; they are unique manifestations of the human spirit” contradict the concept of competing cultures?
Culture is a construct, or a creation. They are different ways of knowing and being, not inherently better or worse than one another.
What is ethnocentrism?
It is the belief in the inherent superiority of one’s own ethnic group or culture. 2. A tendency to view alien groups or cultures from the perspective of one’s own.
What is the ethnosphere?
Ethnosphere: All that we are and all that we can be. The imaginings and contributions of all of humanity to our planet.
What shocking numbers which pertain to languages and affect the world’s ethnosphere?
Fifty years ago, there were 6000 languages. Now there are only 3000.
What does Wade Davis say the 20th century will be known for?
The 20th century will be known as the era during which we stood by and watched the massive destruction of both biological and cultural diversity on the planet.
What is the “problem”? Not change or technology. It is a problem of ________.
Power
Genocide is universally reviled, but ethnocide is celebrated as a “_________.” How does the concept of ethnocentrism fit in here?
Ethnocide is celebrated as a “development strategy.”
If one culture considers itself superior to other cultures, and the people of that culture possess more power, they will erase other, less “worthwhile” cultures and see it as “no big deal” since they are better anyway.
What is a norm?
A standard model, or pattern regarded as typical: the current middle-class norm of two children per family.
What is a big idea?
Big idea: a word or major topic that is well defined, or has several examples provided to ensure the reader understands the key concept associated with it.
What are some of the big ideas in Bell Hook’s book?
- Sexual liberation
- Chores around the house
- Genuine respect for one another
- Her beliefs align with those in the “conflict theory”
What is structural functionalism?
- the theory which states that society is a system that has many parts that function together.
- Cultural norms help a society function more smoothly and cultural values help people make choices about things such as how long to stay in school, when to get married, who to marry, etc.
- Structural functionalists see crime as inevitable and therefore the function of police is to take care of this part of society.
- Another way to see this theory is as a body. The body is the society and all the organs, limbs, and so on, are the structures that work together to ensure the body operates properly.
How do structural functionalists view the institution of marriage?
It is important to keep society running smoothly. Monogamous partnerships produce children who “belong” to a family unit. These partnerships allow the children to be cared for. Structural functionalists see the family as the most appropriate structure to care for children and organize society.
What is the conflict theory?
- The theory which states that society is operating as a series of conflicts, mostly between classes (wealthy and poor).
- It rejects the current norms, unlike the structural functionalists who see society as a system whose parts work well together.
- Conflict theorists view society as unequal, and requiring change to move toward equality. This perspective emphasizes a critique of capitalism (market- and money-driven economies) and patriarchal – male dominated – societies, both of which are norms in modern western society. In extreme cases, conflict theory proposes the overthrowing of society to create new norms.
How would a conflict theorist view the institution of marriage?
In today’s world, marriage is based on domination and control. Women are the property of men. Women are used for child-bearing. Society needs to change its definition of marriage, or get rid of it entirely, in order for society to function in a healthier way.
What is symbolic interactionism?
- The theory which states that both of the above theoretical perspectives are too broad because they leave out the individual’s perspective.
- This theory argues that people interpret symbols in society in their own personal ways.
- It is important to understand how individuals perceive and make sense of the world around them according to their unique character traits and experiences.
- An example of that notion could be how one person may view a wooden spoon as a kitchen tool and how another may associate it with a beating from childhood. Individuals interact with symbols and attach their own meaning to them.
What is cultural materialism?
Its an anthropological school of thought
-States that the best way to understand human culture is to examine material conditions – climate, food supply, geography, etc.
Who is Edward Said?
- A Palestinian-American who is the thinker behind the theory of Orientalism – the demonization of Islam in the news and popular culture as fanatical, extreme, and violent
- The way in which Arabs are portrayed is dangerous and it is a distortion. Arabs are portrayed as different from westerners and threatening.
- This demonization dehumanizes Arabs
What is the longest-running military occupation of the 20th century?
Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip territories is the longest running military occupation of the 20th century.
What is propaganda?
information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote a political cause or point of view
What is statistics?
Statistic: the mathematics of the collection, organization, and interpretation of numerical data, especially the analysis of population characteristics by inference from sampling
Amongst the G8 countries, how does Canada rank on immigration?
- Among the G8 countries, Canada had the highest proportion of foreign-born population (20.6%), followed by Germany (13.0% in 2010) and the United States (12.9% in 2010).
- Outside the G8 nations, Canada’s proportion of foreign-born was lower than that of Australia (26.8% in 2010), one of the major immigrant-receiving countries
- There was a 0.8% increase of foreign-born individuals in Canada from 2006 to 2011.
What is ethnic origin?
- It another aspect of the nation’s ethno cultural diversity. Ethnic origin refers to the ethnic or cultural origins of the respondent’s ancestors.
- The ethnic origin most often reported was Canadian, cited by about 10,563,800 people, either alone or with other origins
- More than 200 ethnic origins have been reported