Unit 5

A. Higher Education & Society

Higher education in the U.S. helps to reproduce the dominant social relations and cultural patterns and ideologies of the society, and, yet at the same time it reforms and changes them. Higher Education systems in the U.S. are very vocal about their abilities to be "socially" "culturally" and "racially" diverse. They offer study-abroad programs to and from the school systems, and at Bellevue College in WA, they even offer specific designated parking for students studying abroad to their college (and the parking is closer than most of the parking spots). 

Although this is great for colleges and even students (doing the study abroad programs)  being so vocal about it almost creates a reproduction of culturally different aspects between students. When there are groups to distinguish one another based on culture, religion, etc, it creates unity AND divisions among students. 

B. Classrooms as Ritual-Like Events

Holistically speaking, classes and classrooms are very strange. Classroom teaching is almost more of a religious event. Students sign up for classes (or don't depending on grade or institution) and are assigned a specific room and time to go to these 'meetings'. Each meeting consists of a teacher and their 'followers'.  Each student knows that they, in a way, have less authority than their teacher and in turn know not to interrupt, and raise their hand when they want to say something. In some cultures students never talk during class, but rather wait for the very end of class to ask questions or directly speak to the professor. Students also face the professor who is standing and talking at the front of the classroom (showing a level of authority). Classes are ritual in that they take place on a weekly (or more than weekly) basis at the same place in the same time. If you compare class to a church ceremony or a sports event, they are at the same place, same time, every week. 

C. Digital Nation- Kids & Technology

The New Digital Technologies in the American culture have greatly impacted the American formal education system. As technology continues to evolve, it brings with it new opportunities and challenges for educators and students. Social networking is a great example that can either help or hinder how teachers integrate teaching plans. In most American Education Institutions Chalkboards have all-together been replaced with projector-screens and in some cases "Smart Boards". Smart Boards (seen below) are interactive touch-screen boards or computer screens that students can work out problems on, draw on, write on, and even highlight stories on. In watching The PBS video, "Digital Nation" it talks largely about the impact technology has on student in college who multitask. Many of these multitaskers were constantly on a technological device, whether it be a laptop, a cellphone, a smart phone, ipod, (the list goes on and on) they personally and wholly believed that without a doubt they could do all of those things and study for tests with no impact to their brain's communication. Much to their astonishment, they were remarkably slower when faced with a task and asked to multitask in comparison to doing the task alone. Technology has changed how students interact with not only one another, but teachers and the world itself. 

D. Changing Education Paradigms

In the short film RSA- Changing Educational Paradigms are observed and the current education system is analyzed. There were two main focus' in the video about the education system, HOW students are being taught and WHY students are being taught those things. Students have become a "manufactured date" rather than an individual or person, they come in the factory of school and in 12 years if they 'pass' their courses they leave with a diploma. And even then the education system has become so involved with getting kids in and out it doesn't have the time or money to focus on a child's personal needs. Everyone learns differently, some people learn better in large groups vs small groups, some learn visual or some just by reading a textbook, but all in all, teachers and professors alike don't have the time to teach students how they learn the best. This in turn creates "zombies of learning" where there is only one way of learning and everything is wrong. Creativity is smashed out of our children's lives and they are constantly being told, "no, that's wrong", "there's only one answer", "sit down", "be quiet" etc. The video proposed a study on divergent thinking and the process of it's depletion. They found that in 98% of Kindergarten children have a divergent way of thinking; interestingly enough the percentage dropped by an overwhelmingly large amount as a children went through the education system. A child isn't given a chance to have creative or divergent thinking.

I'm not sure how the way the education system is run can be changed. Money is lacking and the government isn't helpful. I know many parent (including mine) who chose to home school their children either all the way through school or partly. Although this isn't plausible, I think this could help in many situations as far as lack of creativity in classrooms. Another thing that could be done is (unless it's a distinct math problem) teaching children divergent thinking and not putting down creativity, and individualism. 

Units 1-4

Unit 1:

a.       Blog

b.       Meet the Natives-

I watched episode 4 where the Natives travel to Montana. They lived with a family that hunted and raised and sold cows. The Natives were very surprised that this family was raising only one type of livestock. Where The natives are from, they have every sort including cows, pigs, chickens, etc. This goes to show how Americans are so dependent on what one another does, especially when it comes to food and livestock. Americans depend on the farmer to have a good crop, or a good herd of cattle. We don't grow it ourselves. In contrary to The natives who grow everything their own, and completely sustain themselves, their families, and even their community.

The natives were also astonished at what the Montana family would give their cows for feed: dried grass and starter pellets. To an American person living in Montana, that is what they have when the land does not produce green grass, but The Natives knew that it couldn't be very good for the cows. I think they are very correct. Grass fed cows honestly taste better than pellet or silage fed cows taste.

All of the ways the Montana family survives are to be able to produce a product that can be sold and then made into a profit and money. Americans are absolutely dependent on money and where money can get them. Without a product (or a way of getting money) Americans can't survive. Money is needed to buy everything.

Unit 2

a.        American Indian Ritual-Iroquois

 I have recently moved from Upstate New York to the Seattle area this past September. Since I was young I have been taught more on the Indian Nations of the Northeast than I have the Northwest. Therefore, I thought it would be interesting for me to give information on an Indian nation that I know more about.

            The Iroquois League was once made up of five North American tribes; The Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, and Seneca. Before the Europeans came in contact with North America, The Iroquois territory extended from Lake Champlain and Lake George west to the Genesee River and Lake Ontario and from the St. Lawrence River south to the Susquehanna River. This region is a vast land of deciduous forests of birch, beech, elm, and maple, until reaching further north towards The Adirondack Mountains one will reach thick green and fresh smelling fir and spruce forests. Animals and fish are very diverse and abundant within these boundaries.

            The Iroquois maintained peaceful relations amongst themselves. They lived cloe to the streams, lakes, and rivers that cover the land. Most often the Iroquois League lived in long houses and birchbark houses. These houses covered land enclosing several acres of growing crops and fields. Their villages were semi-permanent for use all year round. When soil became no longer fertile, the tribes would move to a new site. Traditionally the Iroquois were hunters and gatherers. They fished and gathered berries, plants, and roots. They grew maize, beans, and squash which were very important in their ceremonial activities. Upon contact with the Europeans, The Iroquois were civil until their land and ability to trade started to dwindle. They became aggressive in fighting for their lands, especially the Seneca. Many believe that the Iroquois fought in protection of keeping “the middle man” of trade available.

            An important ritual of the Iroquois was the False Face Society. The False Face Society was a healing group that cast away bad spirits. These bad spirits could be the cause of sickness and disease, or even bad behaviors. Bad dreams were seen as bad spirits, but the society knew that they could not “kill” the spirit, but rather they had to scare it away. Therefore, the dreamer would be told to carve a face on a living tree. Once the face was carved the tree would be cut down and the face would then be made into a mask by a wood carver. He made the masks into scary beings that would scare the bad spirits away. The False society would wear the masks made by the tree and go throughout the villages scaring the bad spirits away. One important aspect of this ritual was that the person being helped would immediately become a part of the Society afterwards. It was important to the Iroquois that if you were helped you were then willing to help others. After the contact with the European, the masks then had various mediums to decorate the masks with, including horse hairs brought over from Europe. Europeans saw this ritual (as with most other beliefs) through their own lens. They didn’t believe what the Iroquois believed and in turn found it uncivil and tried to stamp it out of customs. They lost a large majority of their masks and many of them are now in museums (against what the Iroquois want).

Works Cited

Index, T. I. (n.d.). Religion, The Great Spirit, & The False Face Society. Retrieved February 1, 2013, from Native Americans: http://nativeamericans.mrdonn.org/northeast/iroquois/religion.html

Reid, Gerald. "Iroquois." Encyclopedia of World Cultures. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 2 Feb. 2013 http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/Iroquoian.aspx

b.       Critical Thinking and Its Application to the Social Sciences

I think it is very important to not only be open to critical thinking when involving social sciences, but I think it is a necessity to apply the social sciences to real life. Critical thinking allows oneself to make significant connections between what they are observing/reading/researching and apply it to the real world around them. When critical thinking is done it allows the student (and/or researcher) to understand the reasoning behind things, identify problems with the solution, have a depth of understanding, and focuses on organizing important ideas rather than just a set of facts. Critical thinkers are also humble enough to acknowledge that they may not always be correct. It’s like having a completely open-mind, willing to be wrong, but also willing to question what you have been taught or learn yourself. This can be applied in doing a research project because it shows the willingness to always ask questions and not be self-centered or have a ethnocentric view of thinking.

c.        Ethnographic Notes-Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving in the United States is a ritual used to set aside a specific day to be thankful for all that you have. Friends and families gather together in the sharing of a feast and publicly declare their thankfulness. Although it is a time of unity, Thanksgiving also shares specific ethnographic differences among gender, socio-economic class, generation, family, religion, ethnicity, and historical context.

    On Thanksgiving, the women are usually found in the kitchen preparing the meal and desserts for the rest of the day. They prepare, they bake, they cook, and they slave over every detail to make sure everything is right for the family and any guests that may arrive. Meanwhile, the men can be found at the other side of the house watching or playing football. This shows a separation among the genders in that females are the cooks and deal with meal-preparation, while the menfolk do the more “masculine” things: like watch and play football. The head of the household (most likely the father) will also be the one to cut the Turkey or ham that is prepared.

    The food will also vary depending on the socio-economic class of a family. Most often turkey is served, but the side-dishes will vary. Those in the upper-class may serve several types of appetizers, salads, homemade pies, and casseroles. But, families of a lower class may only be able to afford a turkey and a few store bought items like canned corn, and a frozen pie.

    Another ethnographic difference is seen within generations. As stated above, the head of the household will often make the first cuts in the turkey or ham, and the mother will be preparing the food. Generationally speaking, children (unless old enough to help the mother cook) are often found in another room playing together or watching the televised Thanksgiving Day Parade. Another generation difference is found when eating. A lot of families have separate tables for adults and children. This allows conversation to flow comfortably among guests both at the children’s table and even more so at the adult table.

Unit 3:

a.       A US Religious Affiliation

American religion in comparison to American sports although having different aspects, can be very similar in their ways of worship and way of following. 

One similarity is that both religious ceremonies and sports 'ceremonies' take place in often large, ornately designed 'temples'. Church temples are often ornately designed with beautifully designed architecture and sports ceremonies are held in large (sometimes VERY large) buildings or stadiums These stadiums show how important it is for everybody to be able to face what is going on in the game (or teaching). 

Another aspect is that religion and belief in a sports team are often followed from generation to generation. Whether it is because they are indoctrinated by their own family beliefs, or because of geographical reasons, religion and sport followers are often found throughout the generations. 

 

Lastly, religion and sport followers are often very dedicated to their team or religion. Whether this means having your family follow the same things or not this adds a certain loyalty to your "team". This often leads to some sort of violence between rivalry teams; this is seen either in riots or even wars based on religious affiliations. 

b.       Visual Ethnographic Notes- Shopping Malls

In the United States people flock to what they call “shopping malls.” Shopping malls consist of logically planned out shops, filled with various consumer goods that people must buy. 

Among the stores are tiled walkways leading people from one store to the next without hesitation. These stores do not have doors, but simply an open space allowing one another to walk in and out freely. 

It is here that shrines of clothing are produced and represented in a way to get a “buyers” attention. They believe that if one puts on certain clothes, they will become “skinny” or look more beautiful. Their worth is found in the clothing and items that are purchased. Other items that are sold may be shoes, chocolates, jewelry, accessories like watches and purses, and they even have the ability to take family portraits. 

Above you can see how males and females have separated areas within the stores, females on one side and males on the other. In order to take any item home, one must pay the cashier an already decided price, otherwise one will leave with nothing.

Unit 4:

a.       Visual Ethnographic Notes on Campus

1. Capitalist Commodities on the Campus

        Capitalism is an economic system based on the distribution of goods and services by private owners, based on the system of Supply and Demand for profit. When demand is high, production is high and so is the price of such goods, if the demand (or want) is low, price and production will also decrease.

       

On The Bellevue Community College Campus, capitalism of commodities can be seen around campus. For example, the bookstore at Bellevue College offers students various school needs, including: books, pencils, writing instruments, and even materials for art and photography classes. At the beginning of the quarter, books are in very high demand, prices are raised through the roof and books may even be on back-order because there is not enough to go around. Students need the books, or they may not pass their classes, so they must pay the high prices.

        Another form of Capitalism is the commodity of food. Food can be found everywhere on campus, and just about anything. Soda, snack food, chips, fruit, entire meals, whatever is needed for a student. The only downside is that absolutely everything has a price, and most prices are expensive because the college knows students would rather pay for something then go through the trouble at home making it themselves. Therefore, the demand is consistently high and prices can remain high.

2. Socio-Economic Class on Campus

        Social Class is, “a class society, is a set of concepts in the social sciences and political theory centered on models of social stratification in which people are grouped into a set of hierarchical social categories,[1] the most common being the upper, middle, and lower classes.” (Wikepedia) Socio-economic class separations can be seen throughout the Campus at Bellevue College. One major object of separation is the mode of transportation student’s use. On campus there are several ways to get around: using your own car, using a bike or walking, and using the metro bus. Students with their own car can be seen as students with more of an access to money, whether they pay for gas themselves, or they get it from their parents, they have access to money to pay for their car needs. Student’s that take the metro buses, are students that do not have their own car and therefore rely on the transportation of the city buses. Lastly, students that walk or take bikes, are either environmentally friendly, or would rather walk and ride than spend money filling a car with gas, or spending it taking the city bus line.

3. Sustainability on Campus

Sustainability is the capacity to “endure”. Sustainability is based on the principle that “everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment” (EPA).Being from the East Coast, I have noticed an overwhelming amount of environmentally conscious acts that the West Coast has applied to their everyday life. As a student, I have noticed it even more so in and around campus. A major sighting has been the abundance of recyclable and garbage cans seen throughout campus whether in the open areas, or more specifically in the classrooms. Students are constantly reminded to separate their trash from recyclables and to try to have the least impact or ‘footprint’ on the Earth as necessary. By sorting our trash from recyclables we can create a better environment. Another way the campus has become more sustainable is the use of the “plug-ins” for electric/hybrid cars. These cars run solely on electricity and therefore have a far greater impact on the Earth due to their lower CO2 emissions. Bellevue College strives to make it known that these cars are better than others by strategically and  deliberately placing “plug-in” stations closer to buildings, elevators etc, so that students would be more willing to buy an electric/hybrid car.

http://www.epa.gov/sustainability/basicinfo.htm

b.       Choose one of the following per group member and discuss it. Give feedbacks (comments, questions) to another posting. You can use the Canvas site for this assignment.

---Found on canvas