Sign Up Now
Get instant access to over 1 million+ study documents
OR
Already registered? click here to login
By creating your account, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and student honor code.
¶ … American culture.
One of the most curious aspects of American culture to residents of other industrialized democracies is the American attitude towards freedom, as currently expressed in the healthcare debate. Americans have articulated a great deal of hostility about being 'forced' to buy health insurance, despite the fact that 1. National and state government-run programs already exist in the form of Medicare and Medicaid and 2. Healthcare is a necessity. Bankruptcies due to health-related issues are nonexistent in nations such as Great Britain and Canada, where participation in the national system of health insurance is mandatory, yet in America there is a tendency to view that 'what you get is what you deserve,' and those who fall behind in their healthcare bills are somehow exhibiting moral failings regarding their ability to budget or to find work that provides health insurance.
Given that self-employed businesspeople often lack health insurance, while the very poor do have some form of healthcare through Medicaid, such attitudes are contradictory as well as misguided. In America, however, there is a strong tradition of mistrusting government intervention of any kind, and a belief that the government that governs best, governs least. This has generated a great deal of animosity towards healthcare regulation, despite highly-publicized incidents of insurance companies treating patients poorly and denying needed care.
There are social and financial healthcare costs born by the entire population over the long-term that are rooted people not receiving care and Americans waiting until they are critically ill and must be treated in an intensive and expensive fashion. But these are not factored into the view that 'choosing' not to have healthcare is a 'right' and a freedom.
Q2. Define the different characteristics of etic vs. emic OR qualitative vs. quantitative research (choose one).
Simply put, 'etic' and 'emic' definitions relate to 'outsider' and 'insider' definitions of culture. "The etic perspective...relies upon the extrinsic concepts and categories that have meaning for scientific observers... The validation of etic knowledge thus becomes a matter of logical and empirical analysis -- in particular,...
Etic constructs arise from the disciplines of anthropology, sociology, and other intellectual perspectives of persons observing a particular culture and attempting to judge or analyze it in a way that is meaningful in the context of an academic discipline. In contrast, "emic constructs are accounts, descriptions, and analyses expressed in terms of the conceptual schemes and categories that are regarded as meaningful and appropriate by the members of the culture under study. An emic construct is correctly termed 'emic' if and only if it is in accord with the perceptions and understandings deemed appropriate by the insider's culture" (Lett 2012)
Q3. Describe what constitutes a belief system using the vocabulary you learned.
"Belief is motivation by reliance on an assigned version of reality or an assigned version of what might be imagined" (Belief systems and social perception structures, 2012, Leading Edge International Research Group). Belief systems are not rooted in empiricism; rather they are assumptions about the world that have been learned through a combination of anecdotal and cultural inputs. They are not substantiated with scientific evidence; instead they are rooted in a sense of truth that is based upon custom, folklore, and instinct.
Belief systems are cultural collections or 'treasure troves.' They may be formal, like a religious creed, or they may be informal. The beliefs may not be consistent in the sense that they do not obey formal logic, but they do have a rationale behind them that the individual articulating the belief system believes he or she can understand, instinctually and/or intellectual. The observance of the beliefs may not be fully realized in action, but the beliefs are ideals that members of the culture uphold and aspire to as 'correct.' Belief systems help members of a culture make a common meaning out of their world.
Q4. Describe what constitutes a ritual using the vocabulary you learned.
The word 'ritual' usually refers to an act, versus…
References
Belief systems and social perception structures. (2011). Leading Edge International Research
Group. Retrieved:
http://trufax.org/general/beliefsystems.html
The definition of ritual. (n.d). Anth 311. University of Waterloo. Retrieved:
http://anthropology.uwaterloo.ca/courses/Anth311/Ritual%20Defined.htm
http://faculty.irsc.edu/faculty/jlett/Article%20on%20Emics%20and%20Etics.htm
http://www.pbs.org/race/001_WhatIsRace/001_00-home.htm
Culture of Interest: Japan Theoretical foundations of cultural and cross-cultural analysis: Japan and America Japan: Mildly collectivist culture American culture American: An individualistic culture Similarities and differences in Japanese and U.S. culture Potential biases of researcher Appendix I- Hofstede four Dimensional Theory Edward Tylor (1832-1917) defines culture as a collection of customs, laws, morals, knowledge, and symbols displayed by a society and its constituting members. Culture is form of collective expression by groups of people. Since the dawn
Additionally, many were on their cell phones; it seemed like they were purposely trying to find ways to keep them from interacting with each other. This showed a clear disconnect between the different subgroups that are in such close proximity of one another. Only a few actually spoke to each other, and when this was observed it was typically using only brief statements. Social manners say a lot about
Culture and Globalization Revised Human Culture has rapidly changed over the centuries. This change occurred primarily through the mixing of different cultures over time . As new ideas and ways of improving life are adopted into the lifestyles of different people groups. In early civilizations agriculture was based on groups working together to locate and distribute food based on the natural skill sets of members of the groups. Some being natural
Anthropological Exploration of the Zapatistas of Chiapas, Mexico Zapatista Army of National Liberation coded EZLN is a Mexican organization. The organization takes its name from their leader, Emiliano Zapata. The organization has a formidable influence on the southern region of Mexico. It follows that this liberation movement was essential in fighting for the rights of poor Mexican farmers. The Army came into operation on the November 17, 1983. The leader of
Culture vs. Civilization The comparison between culture and civilization is one laden with intricacies and has been a subject of contention among historians, anthropologists, and sociologists for years. At first glance, these two concepts may seem synonymous, yet they encompass distinct aspects of human societies. Culture, often described as a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that the members of society use to cope with their world and
The phrase that was popular in 1965, when Johnson got his legislation passed, was "Cultural deprivation"; that phrase, and the culture of poverty became what Stein calls "central constructs" around a policy that hopefully would help children that were "shackled by the chains of disadvantage which bind them to a life of hopelessness and misery" (Stein, 2004, xiv). Schools were a "promising site for government intervention" because the field of