Nacirema or the American Culture

1. Nacirema is an intriguing culture to anthropologists. A large part of their day is spent in ritual activities focused on the human body. For this purpose each of their dwellings has one or more shrine rooms in which the rituals are performed in secret and in private. The focal point of the shrine is a box where magic charms and potions are kept thought to be necessary for life and health. They keep so many potions that they often forget their original purpose and, presumably, keep them in the belief their continued presence will somehow protect the family. Every day, every member of the family enters the shrine, bows his head before the charm box and mingles different sorts of holy water to perform rituals. Among their daily rituals is a disgusting practice of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into their mouth. They have a fascination with the mouth and seek the wisdom of the holy-mouth-man regularly. Other cruel practices exist in which women bake their heads and males scrape their faces with sharp objects (Horace Miner, 1956).

2. Nacirema or the American Culture • Core Values • Ideal vs. Real Culture • Traveling to the United States • Individualism or Selfishness? • Equality or Lack of Respect? • Time Conscious or Rude? http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/7badd1a1d1/shit-american-say-in-paris

3. Cultural Diffusion

4. Cultural Lag “Human behavior, norms, and values lag behind technological inventions” http://www.google.com/about/jobs/lifeatgoogle/self-driving-car-test-steve-mahan.html (Self Driving Car) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6zxHX2X8Ow(Flying Drones) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vtKBzwKfP8E (Invisibility Cloaking) (Source: ABC News and Raytheon Corporation)

5. Group Organization and Dynamics “A video released by ISIS shows the beheading of U.S. journalist James Foley and threatens the life of another American if President Barack Obama doesn't end military operations in Iraq. In the video posted on YouTube, Foley is seen kneeling next to a man dressed in black. Foley reads a message, presumably scripted by his captors, that his "real killer'' is America. ‘I wish I had more time. I wish I could have the hope for freedom to see my family once again,’ he can be heard saying in the video. He is then shown being beheaded” (CNN, 8/20/14).

6. Gemeinschaft Society

7. Gesellschaft Society

8. Gerald wants to study group dynamics. Overall, what will he be studying? a. How the individual influences the group and how the group influences the individual b. Dysfunctional groups c. How to be a better team player • How a person’s mental state impacts the group Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

9. People who temporarily share the same physical space but who do not share a sense of belonging are known as a(n) ______. a. aggregate b. primary group c. secondary group d. social group Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

10. Which of the following is least likely to be a primary group? a. Clients of American National Bank b. Three brothers from the same family c. Boyfriend and girlfriend • Best friends for ten years Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

11. Which of the following is a social institution? a. Media b. Religion c. Education • All of these Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

12. Which leadership style would be best in the following scenario? A fraternity has been working together on service projects throughout the year. Members are losing interest in helping. Some interpersonal conflicts have arisen. a. Authoritarian leadership b. Expressive leadership c. Instrumental leadership d. None of these Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

13. Max Weber identified the six characteristics of this type of organization as specialization, hierarchy of positions, rules and regulations, technical competence, impersonality, and reliance on formal written communication. a. Groupthink b. Structure c. Bureaucracy • Laissez faire organization Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

14. Debra plans to be a professional musician. She begins to go to the local symphony orchestra events and befriends some of the members of the orchestra. For Debra, the members of the orchestra are best described as her _____. a. primary group b. reference group c. secondary group • aggregate group Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

15. Navid is a member of a local gang, the Twentieth Street Regulars. Their rivals are the Brownstone Fives. Sociologically speaking, to Navid, the Twentieth Street Regulars are a(n) ______ and the Brownstone Fives are a(n) ______. a. out-group; in-group b. in-group; out-group c. aggregate; bureaucracy • bureaucracy; aggregate Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

16. During the week, Jordan comes home from work at 4 p.m. and then attends college in the evening. A couple of times a month she attends events sponsored by the local wine tasting association. These people that Jordan interacts with on a regular basis exemplify her: a. primary group. b. secondary groups. c. aggregates. d. role sets. Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

17. Raquel and Joshua have a disagreement. Consequently, Joshua leaves because there is no resolution. This interaction demonstrates that dyads: a. are unstable. b. stabilize over time. c. exert pressure. d. are not groups.

18. Which of the following is true of the triad? a. It has nine possible interactions. b. Because it allows for preference in interactions, it can also result in exclusions in interactions. c. It has the same dynamics as the dyad. d. All of these are true of the triad.

19. What did Solomon Asch discover when he conducted his straight lines experiments? a. Participants were surprisingly likely to go against the group. b. Participants immediately went against the group. c. Many participants eventually gave answers they knew to be wrong. d. Many participants walked out of the experiment. http://youtu.be/sno1TpCLj6A and http://youtu.be/KE5YwN4NW5o

20. If you were a typical participant in Milgram's original study of obedience, what are the chances you would comply with the experimenter's demand to administer the maximum shock? a. Less than 10% b. About 25% c. About 40% d. About 66% http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/video?id=2769000

21. When rallying a nation into war against another nation, leaders may display characteristics associated with: A. expressive leaders. B. groupthink. C. group heterogeneity. D. instrumental leaders.

22. Which of the following terms did Emile Durkheim use to refer to societies based on strong moral values and a deep sense of community among members? A. Gemeinschaft B. Mechanical solidarity C. Organic solidarity • Gesellschaft Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

23. Lauren is a talkative 25-year-old white woman. She has a bachelor's degree in marketing. Which of the following is her ascribed status? a. Her bachelor's degree b. Her level of talkativeness c. Her race • None of these Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

24. Which of the following is the sets of behaviors expected of a person who occupies a certain status? a. Acts b. Roles c. Sign vehicles • Face-saving behavior Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

25. Joan is an excellent artist but she cannot find enough time to devote to her family. She feels guilty and stressed about this. A sociologist would say that Joan is experiencing ______. a. role strain b. role conflict c. role ambiguity • role exit Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

26. Jeffrey has a bachelor's degree, earns $85,000 per year as an accountant, and is respected by his clients. Jeffrey's education, income, and occupational prestige determine his: A. leadership style. B. net worth. C. social class. • cultural values. Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

27. Donald is thinking about dropping out of college because he is getting overwhelmed with his classes. Sociologists would refer to Donald’s circumstances as: • Role conflict • Role strain • Achieved Status • Diffusion of Responsibility Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

28. Scoring Guide 1-2 incorrect answers = A 3-4 incorrect answers = B 5-6 incorrect answers = C Image Source: Jones and Bartlett Learning

29. Culture: Getting Along with Americans • Americans prefer to talk about the weather, sports, jobs, people they both know, or past experiences they have in common. They do not to discuss politics or religion, because these are considered controversial topics. • Americans are generally uncomfortable with silence. In a typical conversation, no one talks for very long at a time. They alternate between looking briefly into the listener’s eyes and looking slightly away. They tend to distrust people who do not look into their eyes when talking to them. People often point with their index finger and wave it around in the air as they make important points in conversation. • American men rarely touch each other except when shaking hands. • Americans have been taught that the natural smells of their body and breath are unpleasant. • Americans compartmentalize their friendships, having their work friends or school friends and so on. The result of these attitudes and behaviors is sometimes viewed by foreigners as an “inability to be friends.” • Being on time is important. Americans are likely to become annoyed if forced to wait more than 10 minutes beyond the scheduled time for a meeting or appointment. (Source: Muskingum University, International Student Department)