...My definition of race prior to watching the video was that race is a grouping method used to classify humans into similar populations or groups based on cultural, ethnic and social background. Race, to me, represents a person's physical appearance, such as skin color, eye color, hair color, build structure, etc. My ideas about race come from social experiences. My new definition in regards to race is that we are very similar to one another whether we want to accept it or not. That we, as a Society, are the ones who created the classification of individuals’ base in the situation we were born into. Nowadays it is believed that race is a matter of cultural interest rather than scientific facts such as that of skin, eyes, and structural build. Race is not hereditary. Experiences and education at home, schools and society interactions are how we have learned to judge individuals in regards to color, social and cultural differences we all experience through life. I was surprised to see how many similarities were found in the science projects after analyzing DNA from each student. I believe the students were also surprised as at the beginning of the project they voiced who they picked to have the greatest similarities with themselves, as we could see every student pick the person they though could be closes match to them because they based their answers on physical similarities such as skin color and ethnic background. The students, as well as I, now see race classification have...
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...isolated reproductively from other populations, whose members share a greater degree of physical and genetic similarity with one another than with other humans. a group of tribes or peoples forming an ethnic stock: the Slavic race. any people united by common history, language, cultural traits, etc.: the Dutch race. the human race or family; humankind: Nuclear weapons pose a threat to the race. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/race?s=t) This is the definition given by the online dictionary I found, while the definition given by the sociological board for race is that although the essential characteristics of race are biological in origin, it is their transformation into a social variable by society that gives it its explanatory power during social situations. In this essay I shall be showing how these two different definitions of race contrast with one another in many different ways. First of all the dictionary definition of race and ethnicity defines them more on physical characteristics that certain groups of people would have in common when compared to others or are also of common descent. A prime example of this would be the physical differences between white and black people. While on the other hand, the sociological definition describes race and ethnicity as more of a thing we come...
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...Tricarico September 16, 2011 Race and Ethnicity What is Race and Ethnicity? Race and Ethnicity is usually determined by a person’s look. Their skin complexion, the shape of their eyes, their figure, and their attitude language. According to scholars there is no real definition of race, “Race is an idea”, so they haven’t found a real definition for Race. Ethnicity is mostly said to be pass down from their ancestors (from generation to generation). What is Race? 1. “Race is a cultural term that Americans use to describe what a person's ancestry is, and that unfortunately brings with it many misconceptions and erroneous biological connotations.” For this meaning, it is making the conception that Race is biological element which is passing down from our ancestors to us; which would more likely revile ours race just from looking at our body features they may determine or have an idea of what race they are apart. 2. “Is the general belief among the scientific community that race has no biological or natural basis and that the "race" related physical variations found in humans have no real significance except for the social/cultural importance put on them by people.” For this definition it’s stating that Race has no biological relative found in human. Its people who put an actually develop their cultural behaviors themselves to put it as there own category. 3. "The concept of race is a social and cultural construction. . . . Race simply cannot be tested...
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...the meaning of the word 'race' is too ambiguous to be salvaged, interesting. A quick look in the Oxford dictionary gives a clear definition: “Each of the major divisions of humankind, having distinct physical characteristics.” And this definition is in keeping with biology texts: “A population within a species that is distinct in some way, especially a subspecies.” Mcpherson mentions that different groups such as anthropologists, sociologists, and lay-people, have preferred meanings, but given that there seems to be a clear definition to the word, why should 'preferred meanings' that stray from the actual definition, mean we should abandon the concept?...
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...Cultural Diversity One of the unique aspects of the United States is the diversity of its people. With different cultures, ethnicity, and race all being intertwined in one country, the definition of a melting pot has been formed. Over the years, the United States has matured from being a white supremacy country to a diversified country that gives every racial person born in the United States a chance to lead its people. This historic moment happened in 2009 when Barack Obama became the first African American President in the United States. But even with all the progress we have made, there is still prejudice, discrimination, and idealistic beliefs that have overshadowed a cultural movement that is trying to free this country from a divided line of beliefs. As a result, we must look into the meaning between culture, race and ethnicity to understand the world we live in. “Culture is that unique characteristic that separates the human from the rest of the world of living things.” (Naylor 3) According to Naylor, culture is the basis of human thought and behavior and gives us a sense of identity. He also states that culture makes all humans basically the same, yet it also makes them different as each human group creates and develops its own version of culture designed to respond to their own particular needs and wants, and because of the choices they make. (Naylor 3) The author states that culture is different for each individual and that the environment that one lives in,...
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...World, that were later justified through racial theories (cf. Gossett 1997:17). [edit] Society Must Be Defended: the "race struggle" discourse In Society Must be Defended (1978-79), Michel Foucault traced the "historical and political discourse" of "race struggle" to the "Glorious Revolution" and Louis XIV's end of reign. According to him, it was the first example of a popular history, opposed to the classical juridical and philosophical discourse of sovereignty. In Great Britain, it was used by Edward Coke or John Lilburn against the monarchy. In France, Boulainvilliers, Nicolas Fréret, and then Sieyès, Augustin Thierry and Cournot reappropriated this discourse. [edit] François Bernier's New division of Earth by the different species or races which inhabit it" (1684) The first comprehensive classification of humans into distinct races is believed to be François Bernier's Nouvelle division de la terre par les différents espèces ou races qui l'habitent ("New division of Earth by the different species or races which inhabit it"), published in 1684 (Gossett, 1997:32-33). Bernier distinguished four "races": |[pic] |European, North African, Middle Eastern, South | |[pic] |Asian and Native American race | |This map shows the racial classification scheme of |East Asian, Southeast...
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...members of each race possess characteristics specific to that race. However, racism is also defined by many activists as a system of advantage based on race supported by some form of institutional power. While the definition of racism is highly subjective and open to interpretation, I believe that people of Color (POC) in the U.S. can be racist regardless of how one perceives the definition of racism. If we interpret racism as racial prejudice, everyone regardless of skin color can be racist because anyone can have their own opinion of another race. For example, I can believe that all African Americans are poor criminals just as they can believe that all Asians have small...
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...SO 141 - Introduction to Sociology SO 141 - Final Exam - Review Document [pic] Important Things to Keep In Mind! • You will have two (2) hours to complete the exam. This review includes all of the areas you need to study and review for the exam. • There are 100 multiple choice questions; each question is worth two (2) points, thus 200 points possible for the entire exam. • This is ALL you have to study for the Final Exam. The number of “bullet” points under each chapter is the number of questions for that chapter – and they are the topics for each question from that chapter. In essence this document IS the Final Exam – without specific answers and of course the answers ( • The exam will be "scaled" in the sense that your scores will be compared to others, so the normal “90% = A” will not be the hard fast rule at all. So don't be overwhelmed by the test, just do your best and let me worry about "the grade." • You will take the exam online, during Week 8, just like all of the quizzes you have taken. Below is the list of EACH chapter and the topics, theories, and theorists to study for the Final Exam. EVERYTHING that appears on this list WILL be on the exam and there will be NO surprises on the exam, study this and you should do just fine. |WEEK |CHAPTER |TOPICS TO STUDY | |Week 1 |Chapter. 1: The Sociological Perspective ...
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...Kwame Anthony Appiah’s essay, “Race, Culture, Identity” revolves around the words mentioned in the title, and how each one of their definitions are misunderstood and mistaken for one another. He works his way towards clarifying what each one means, using various concepts, examples and references to the words of historical figures. Two of the concepts used to identify what a race was were the ideational meaning and referential meaning. Out of the two, ideational meaning is one where one cannot get a clear definition about what a certain word or object is, however, all the facts presented about it still hold true. “The simplest theory would also require that if we collected together all these criterial beliefs about race and took them all together, they could be thought of as defining the meaning of the word, “race.” (This is equivalent to saying that there are things that have to be true of something if it is to be a race – conditions necessary are, when taken together, sufficient for being a race.) We can use a device invented by the English philosopher Frank Ramsey in the 1920s to make this an explicit definition: something is a race just in case all the criterial beliefs are true of it. Lets call this the “strict criterial theory.” (Appiah 104) Appiah had stated earlier, right before this quotation, that criterial beliefs “define the concept” that one is talking about. For example, if a person was talking about a laptop, certain points or descriptions such as “it needs...
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...say that crime is any action that doesn’t follow the guidelines of social norms or an act that is looked down upon or prohibited that could potentially get you arrested or even put in prison. My definition is based more off moral harm because to me if you have to think to yourself, “Should I be doing this?” or “Is this a bad idea?” that should be your red flag to stop whatever you were going to do and not do it. I don’t understand how people have the ability to take another human beings life. That alone goes against many people’s personal moral beliefs. Morals are like a code of conduct set up by society to keep things or chaos in order and I believe that if you cross that line, that would define a crime. But I also believe that some crimes are based of the degree of danger to society. For example, drinking and driving not only is it morally wrong to do because you could put yourself in danger but you could potentially be putting other people’s lives in danger as well. Endangering other people could be a serious causing them to get hurt or even lose their lives. With my definition of crime no race, gender, or age group is left out, no one should be the exception. There may be statistics that show that a specific race has more people in prison for committing crimes than other races but I don’t...
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...When examining the concept of race, it can be said that it is constantly fluctuating because of different factors. Race can be defined as a variable that is shaped by broader societal forces, whether it is political, social or economic forces. It is also important that views on race differ from country to country because of different agendas, whether it be to exert dominance or power over other groups. Race can be considered as a social construction because it is used to maintain hierarchies, as seen through it’s lack of biological support and shifting societal views on race. Race is a social construction because it is constantly changing due to shifting societal views on race. First, it is important to note that a socially constructed concept is an idea that is defined as “a perception of a group, individual or idea that is constructed through cultural or social practice” (Dictionary.com). In other words, society creates an idea of what race is, and how races should be distinguished from one another. Race does not have a consistent definition, and can change based on the society that is being examined. In “Racial Formations”, Omi and Winant discuss the use of race as a social concept and conclude that the definition is not rigid, but is used to maintain domination. Omi and Winant believe that this domination is a result of racial formation”, or the “process in which race operates as a central axis of social relations, which then determine social, economic and political institutions...
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...people forming a state or inhabiting a territory” (Barber, et al., 2007). In contrast to many other resources, this definition is an extremely simple one. The same dictionary defines a state as “an organized political community under one government” (Barber, et al., 2007). By these definitions, Canada clearly classifies as a nation. By forming the federal government, Canada satisfies the government requirement, and by inhabiting the political boundaries of the country, we clearly satisfy the second requirement. According to this resource, Canada is without a doubt, a nation because the country has satisfied the dictionary’s requirement. Still, not all definitions are so clear. One of the most commonly accepted definitions of a nation is one that is ripe with complex and challenging requirements. These definitions often involve a group of people who share a common culture, ethnic origin and language, and they must either possess or be actively seeking an independent government (McKean, 2005). Even at a quick glance, we can see that Canada does not meet all of these requirements. To begin, this definition requires the group of individuals to share a common ethnic origin. As multicultural as Canada is, Canadians come from all sorts of ethnicities with very few actually coming from “first nations.” By this standard, Canada is not a nation. Likewise, the definition requires the group to share a common language. Seeing as Canada has two...
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...Department of Agriculture (USDA) (Rural Assistance Center, 2014). The percentage of the U.S. population classified as rural when using each of the three definitions is 19.3%, 14.99% and 16.55% respectively (Rural Assistance Center, 2014). The U.S. Census Bureau defines rural as all population, housing, and territory not included within an urban area (Rural Assistance Center, 2014). The OMB defines rural as all non-metropolitan areas (counties) including micropolitan (10,000-50,000) and noncore counties (Rural Assistance Center, 2014). The USDA defines rural areas as micropolitan area core with population up to 49,999 (Rural Assistance Center, 2014). The concept of varying population definitions is important because these agencies use their respective definitions for the determination of eligibility for federal grant programs, implementation of other rural programs and laws, policymaking, as well as research and data collection (Rural Assistance Center, 2014). Sometimes these variations in definitions can cause confusion about why an area may meet the definition of rural under one agency, but not under another and may be eligible for programs under one, but not another (Rural Assistance Center, 2014). These variations in rural population definitions contribute to the lack of consistent access to health care programs and...
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...Definition of Race Race is a group of people of common ancestry, distinguished from others by physical characteristics, such as hair type, the color of eyes and skin. Race as a social construction is changing as time goes on. Our daily lives are affected by race whether we are aware of it or not. We can see all over the world that race has affected various domains of our lives. From the types of jobs we have the amount of money we make, the kinds of friends we keep, the food we eat and even the schools we will attend. The entire foundation of race is constructed on a platform based on the color of people’s skin. The construction of social reality is based on social groups and the agreements and disagreements that are made based on the acceptance of certain constructions when it comes to our existence. There is nothing biologically real about race. I have learned that that there is no certain identification of race that exists from our collective agreements, acceptance, and positions other than our existing with one another. Race is a social construction that has real consequences and effects. Race shapes the way we view ourselves and those around us. We shouldn’t have an objective knowledge about race. We can know what race is and how it works being aware that regardless of the various shifts in the meaning of race that they have occurred through history and going to occur geographically but this should not lead to skepticism and the destruction of positive social constructions...
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... 1. The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.2. Discrimination or prejudice based on race.racist adj. & n. | → The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. racism (ˈreɪsɪzəm) or racialism n 1. (Sociology) the belief that races has distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others 2. (Sociology) abusive or aggressive behavior towards members of another race on the basis of such a belief ˈracist ˈracialist n, adj →Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003 rac•ism (ˈreɪsɪzəm) n. 1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usu. involving the idea that one's own race is superior. 2. a policy, system of government, etc., based on such a doctrine. 3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races. [1865–70; < French racisme. See race2, -ism] rac′ist, n., adj. →Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. racism 1. a belief that human races have distinctive characteristics...
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