A Range of Reactions

Read: "A Range of Reactions" in Chapter 1

As you read the material listed below, define the following terms using your own words:

• cultural cruise control
• assimilation
• pluralism

Connect: Personal Experience and Diversity

Think about your social interactions. What groups of people do you encounter and interact with? Identify a primary relationship (e.g., at home, school, or work) and answer the following questions about the relationship:

• What cultures are represented in this relationship?
• How is your culture and the culture of the individual you selected the same or different?
• How does culture influence the relationship?

Schedule time with the person you selected to discuss your perception of how cultural similarities or differences influence your relationship.

My "Box"

Using the definitions of culture and diversity that you previously learned, think about coworkers, family members, and strangers. In your journal, describe the "box" that others may tend to place you in.

     I feel that the "box" others might put me in is a traditional person, but diverse at the same time.  I was born in Missouri, but because of my Dad's employment, I moved around a lot growing up.  I consider myself very diverse because of this.  Others see me as pretty outgoing, not shy, and pretty verbal.  I feel I am this way because I had to be.  If I were to be shy and quiet, I would not have had any friends or any kind of social life.  When I was older I moved back home and married a hometown boy and we have been here every since.  We have raised our children in one spot.

Compare and Contrast culture and diversity.

Culture: is an individual's way of life

Diversity: a variety, different

Chapter 1 Key Terms

Culture: a person's way of life.

globalization:  The growing interdependence of people and cultures.

global perspective:  a view of the world and our place in it.

globalization: a culture's openness to divers influences and ability to blend foreign ideas and best practices with our own traditions.

cultural lag: a condition in which one part of a culture i not keeping pace with another.

diversity:  all of the ways in which people are different, including individual, group, and cultural differences.

digital natives:  young people who are "native speakers" of the language of computers ,video games and internet.

digital immigrants:  people who were not born into the digital world, but learned the language and the new technology later in life.

cultural landscapes:  the different lifestyles, traditions and perspectives that can be found in the USA and throughout the world.

demographics:  relating to the dynamic balance of a population, especially with regard to density and capacity for expansion or decline.